Athletes lead a charmed life, from the large salaries, lavish lifestyles, and all-around pampering. It must be tough to walk away from a job like that, one that you love and have been doing for so long (I wouldn’t know anything about that), but some professional athletes can sometimes be like party guests and overstay their welcome. Other players are like the people who don’t belong at the party, the high school freshmen who show up to a senior’s party. These players perform at a subpar level and hang around far after their usefulness. There is also a third group: MLB players who continue to play well into their late 30’s or 40s in the minors, Japan, Korea, Mexico, or the California Penal League.
When I opened the email with this article assignment, it stated “players that YOU had no idea were still active”, so the majority of this list are players that I didn’t know were still active. Hope you didn’t either. Enjoy!
Which MLB players are still active today that you did not know about?
Jesse Chavez – Atlanta Braves
At 40 years old, Jesse Chavez is the 2nd oldest player currently employed in Major League Baseball. He is currently pitching for his 9th team and in his 17th big league season. In some ways Chavez is a hybrid of the party guest described in the introduction: he doesn’t really belong anymore, and he should’ve gone home hours ago. Surprisingly, the righthander is still somewhat productive; he pitched to a 1.56 ERA in 34.2 innings pitched in 2023. His limited ability in limited appearances and reasonable salary, he only makes $1.2 million, are the reasons he still has his job. It is also those limited appearances that lead to his placement on our list. Because he is only used sporadically, it’s easy to forget that he is still pitching, which is why Jesse Chavez starts us off.
Joey Votto – Toronto Blue Jays
Unfortunately, Joey Votto will not be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, despite having a great career with the Cincinnati Reds. One day, his uniform number will most likely be retired. However, he is now a prime example of a party guest that stayed too long. It’s sad to see one of the great MLB players be a shell of their former self, and that’s what happened over Votto’s last two seasons in Cincinnati. He was injured and unproductive, resulting in the Reds not signing their longtime star. Free agency was not kind to the first baseman, as he was forced to sign a minor league contract with Toronto after Spring Training had started. He is currently on the IL, so his Blue Jay debut will have to wait. However, with his subpar play and poor showing in free agency, it’s fair to not remember Joey Votto was still an active player.
Rougned Odor – Yomiuri Giants (Japan)
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Rougned Odor arrived in Texas from the minors as a 20-year-old kid in 2014 and held his own. As a rookie, he played 114 games and hit .259 with 9 HRs and 48 RBIs. Odor continued to improve over his next two seasons, setting career highs in 2016 for batting average (.271), hits (164), doubles (33), home runs (33), and slugging percentage (.502). The emerging infielder then proceeded to decline every season thereafter, barely hitting above .200 in 6 out of the next 7 seasons. The Rangers eventually cut ties with Odor after the 2020 season, and he bounced around for the next 3 years. He only played in 59 games in 2023 and went unsigned during free agency. Before writing this article, I had forgotten that he spent 2022 with the Orioles and since he’s unsigned, I forgot about him altogether. But fear not, Rougned Odor is currently plying his trade in Japan.
Didi Gregorius – Algodoneros de Union Laguna (Mexican League)
Didi Gregorius showed enough promise during his first two seasons in Arizona that the Yankees brought him in to be the replacement for Derek Jeter. Replacing a legend is never easy, and Gregorius struggled in his first year in New York, but years 2-4 were a rousing success. The fans in the Bronx had embraced Didi, but the front office decided to cut ties with him after the 2019 season. The shortstop then spent 3 seasons in Philadelphia before disappearing from the Major League Baseball landscape. Alas, if you look for Didi, you can find Didi. After leaving MLB, he played in the Mexican League, attempted a comeback with the Mariners, played for the Dubai Wolves in Baseball United, and is now back in the Mexican League. In April of 2024, Didi Gregorius signed a deal to return to the Algodoneros de Unión Laguna.
Roberto Osuna – Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
This one was an interesting story. Roberto Osuna spent six years as a relief pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays and Houston Astros. He was an extreme asset to both of their bullpens. In 314 games, Osuna had a career record of 14-18 with 155 saves, and he struck out 348 batters in 315.0 innings. Late in the 2020 season it was suggested that Osuna undergo Tommy John surgery; he chose to use rest and rehab. The Astros released him, and in 2021, the reliever signed with the Diablos Rojos del Mexico of the Mexican League. That was followed by pitching in Japan, first for the Chiba Lotte Marines and now with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. It would appear that he has turned his back on MLB and has decided to stay overseas, which makes it easy to forget that Roberto Osuna is one of the few former players still pitching.
Jimmy Cordero – Chiba Lotte Marines (Japan)
Who remembers Jimmy Cordero? Seriously now, who remembers Jimmy Cordero? He was primarily a reliever that pitched 82.3 innings over 83 games for Washington, Toronto, and the White Sox, from 2018-2020. The righthander spent 2021 and 2022 back in the minor leagues before returning to pitch in 31 games for the Yankees in 2023. His 4-year line was a record of 6-7 with a 4.36 ERA. In 114 career games he threw 115.2 innings and had 99 strikeouts with 42 walks. It would be understandable if you forgot that Cordero was still playing. It would also be understandable if you forgot that he ever played, but he did. And he still is. In December of 2023, Jimmy Cordero returned to the Nippon Professional League and signed with the Chiba Lotte Marines to continue his career.
Chris Martin – Boston Red Sox
It is remarkable how some athletes hold on to their jobs, not because they are completely horrible, but because they are inconsistent. Take relief pitcher Chris Martin for example. His first three seasons in the Majors, spread out over 5 years (he spent two in Japan) were not special. At the age of 33, Martin started to put things together, and since then it seems like he follows a good season with an average season. Anywho, that’s not what this article is about; it’s about MLB players you had no idea was still playing, and that’s the case here. I have vague memories of him in New York, but nothing after that. Chris Martin is one of those players that I had no idea was still playing, so he earns this spot on our list.
Matt Carpenter – St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Carpenter has had two careers. At one point, he was one of the centerpieces of the Cardinals’ lineup from 2012-19. In 2020-21, the infielder struggled to the point of contemplating retirement but had a rebound in 2022 in a part-time role for New York. Moving to the West the following year did not help Carpenter’s playing, as he once again struggled in a part-time capacity. He has finally returned to St. Louis, but he has only played 3 games before hitting the 10-day IL. The “comeback” tale that Carpenter wrote in 2022 was a nice story, but the sequel in SD flopped. Fortunately for the Cardinals, they were able to sign him for the major league minimum, so the announcement must’ve escaped the news. Thus, the reason that Matt Carpenter makes our list, I simply had forgotten that he was still playing.
Bartolo Colon – Karachi Monarchs (Baseball United)
This one was a surprise to me when it comes to the crop of MLB players. I thought we were done with Bartolo Colon, but here he is. Colon’s career numbers aren’t Hall of Fame worthy, but the man should be recognized there for being a wonder of the game. Over 21 years, the right-hander had a career record of 247-188, with 2,535 strikeouts in 3461.2 innings pitched. He was a 4x All-Star and won the Cy Young Award in 2005. Colon walked away from MLB after the 2018 season but re-emerged in 2020 after signing in the Mexican League with Acereros de Monclova. In June of 2023, he retired after pitching one last season in winter ball. Just when the 50-year-old thought he was out, they pulled him back in. The Karachi Monarchs of Baseball United drafted Bartolo Colon in the 2nd round of their inaugural draft, ending his retirement and our list.
Daniel Bard – Colorado Rockies
Daniel Bard has an interesting career. The 38-year-old is currently pitching in his 9th MLB season of a career that can best be described as up-and-down. His first three years in the league with Boston were a big success. In 192 games covering 197.0 innings, Bard had a 2.88 ERA with 213 strikeouts. In 2012 the Sox moved him to a part-time starter role that did not yield similar results. His ERA ballooned to 6.22, and after only two appearances in 2013, the right-hander was gone. Like a cicada, Bard emerged from his hiatus in 2020, but in the 4 seasons since his return, the reliever has continued to show inconsistencies in his performance. He is currently on the IL and has yet to pitch in 2024. Considering his current status and his story, it’s ok if you don’t remember that Daniel Bard is still pitching.
