Which players will be on the same team in 2025?

Which players will be on the same team in 2025?

August 6th, 2018

How long is seven years in baseball? MLB's 2011 leaders in games played (Prince Fielder), at-bats (Ichiro Suzuki), Wins Above Replacement (Cliff Lee), hits (Adrian Gonzalez and Michael Young) and stolen bases (Michael Bourn) are all out of baseball. Your top home-run hitter was ; your best position player by WAR (Baseball-Reference) was . It was a long time ago. Seven years is a lifetime.
MLB teams are always obsessed with team control over players, about having them wrapped up and secured on their club for as long as possible. But here's a fun factoid: Of the top 30 hitters by WAR (FanGraphs) in 2011, only eight are still with the same team now as they were then. (And two of those, Matt Kemp and , played for other teams in between then and now before returning to the Dodgers and Mets, respectively.) Among the top 30 pitchers, there are only four. Continuity is, in many ways, an illusion.
Thus, this week at The Thirty, we flash forward seven years, to 2025, and attempt to predict, for each MLB team, the player most likely to still be playing for their current team in that season. Some players are simply signed for that long; the Phillies signed potentially through '26 before this season even though he hadn't made his MLB debut yet. Some players are rookies or prospects who are the foundation of everything their team is trying to do over the next decade. And some are just icons who will end up with a statue by the ballpark someday. Here's a look at the players you should expect to see in the same uniform for the next seven years.
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST


Blue Jays
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B, age 19
Level: Triple-A
The Blue Jays have a lot of questions about their future, but Vlad Jr. will be the foundation they build around.
Orioles
Yusniel Diaz, OF, age 21
Level: Double-A
You can breathe easy: Chris Davis is only signed through 2022.
Rays
Jesus Sanchez, OF, age 20
Level: Class A Advanced
We went with Sanchez over because he hasn't reached the Majors yet and thus has less service time.


Red Sox
, RF, age 25
Level: MLB
Betts can be a free agent after 2020, but the Red Sox wouldn't let him get away … would they?
Yankees
, RF, age 28
Level: MLB
It's difficult to imagine the Yankees letting get away after 2022, but it's impossible to imagine anyone else taking on Stanton's contract, which runs through '27 (unless he opts out after '20, which is highly unlikely).
AL CENTRAL


Indians
, SS, age 24
Level: MLB
I feel a little shaky about this one, considering Lindor already turned down a massive extension offer. But if the Indians lose Lindor moving forward, who are they, exactly?
Royals
Brady Singer, RHP, age 22
Level: 2018 Draft pick
Singer is the one Royals Top 100 Prospect still a couple of years away from the Majors, which fits our timeline perfectly.
Tigers
Casey Mize, RHP, age 21
Level: Class A Advanced
Unless, of course, finishes in the top 10 of AL MVP Award voting in 2023, in which case he'll be a Tiger through '25.
Twins
, RHP, age 24
Level: MLB
It turns out that the answer here, alas, is probably not going to end up being .
White Sox
, OF, age 21
Level: Triple-A
Suffice it to say, the White Sox aren't minding watching 's struggles on the North Side.
AL WEST


Angels
, CF, age 26 (turns 27 on Tuesday)
Level: MLB
Put it this way: If Trout is not, the Angels might as well raze the place.
Astros
, 2B, age 28
Level: MLB
Altuve's contract runs through 2024. No way the Astros are ever letting him wear another uniform. (He'll be 35 in '25.)
Athletics
, 3B, age 25
Level: MLB
Unless they Josh Donaldson him before then. Chapman looks like a perfect A's building block.
Mariners
Mitch Haniger, RF, age 27
Level: MLB
The Mariners are disturbingly old -- you boys better make the playoffs this year -- but Haniger looks like the sort of guy to extend at a discount before he hits arbitration.
Rangers
Joey Gallo, INF/OF, age 24
Level: MLB
Similarly, with the Rangers in a period of transition, betting on Gallo figuring it out and becoming a more complete hitter doesn't seem like the worst idea. He'll be the same age in 2025 as and J.D. Martinez are now. (And yes, I was tempted to say .)
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
Braves
, LF, age 20
Level: MLB
Will the Braves have to choose between Acuna and long term, or can they keep them both?
Marlins
, 3B/RF, age 25
Level: MLB
This is a difficult exercise for a team in major transition.
Mets
, 1B, age 23
Level: Triple-A
Your guess is as good as mine, honestly.


Nationals
Juan Soto, LF, age 19 
Level: MLB
Still 19, folks.
Phillies
Scott Kingery, SS/3B, age 24
Level: MLB 
Unless Kingery is a total washout, the Phillies can extend his contract through 2026.
NL CENTRAL
Brewers
, OF, age 26
Level: MLB
Yelich seems like such a perfect fit for the Brewers that you can be certain they'll be trying to figure out a way to extend him past 2022.
Cardinals
, 2B/SS, age 25 
Level: MLB
DeJong's Spring Training contract extension gives the Cardinals team options on him through 2025.


Cubs
, 3B, age 26
Level: MLB
If Bryant -- the guy who fielded the ball that won the Cubs the World Series -- ever leaves Chicago, something has gone terribly wrong.
Pirates
, RF, age 26
Level: MLB
The Pirates have club options on Polanco through 2023 ... he's young enough that it's not crazy to think he sticks around a couple of more years after that.
Reds
Joey Votto, 1B, age 34
Level: MLB
Votto is signed through 2023, when he will be 40. What's two more years? He'll still be putting up a .400 OBP, I am certain.
NL WEST
D-backs
Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, age 30
Level: MLB 
A pretty tough call, actually; Goldschmidt will be 38 in 2025. But who else on this team or in this system is a better bet?
Dodgers
, 1B/OF, age 23
Level: MLB
Bellinger will turn 30 two weeks before the 2025 non-waiver Trade Deadline.
Giants
, C/1B, age 31
Level: MLB
Posey can play until he's 38, can't he? He certainly won't be playing for someone else.
Padres
, SS, age 19
Level: Double-A
Tatis Jr. just be a little bit older in 2025 than is now.


Rockies
, 3B, age 27
Level: MLB 
Only 34 in 2025. If the Rockies can re-sign Arenado, it'll be for much longer than that.