They seem as likely to come across as floppy disks these days – players who have lasted their entire careers with one MLB team. Guys like Joey Votto and Clayton Kershaw are a dying breed. Players who have chosen to stay in the same town, long after they could have left through free agency, often become beloved, and even iconic, in their cities.
Fans elevate their status and treat them differently because, by choosing to stay, it shows something different about these players. Many find ways to stay involved in their cities or with their teams long after retirement. Of course, we know that contracts play a big role in these decisions, but once you have been with a team for 10+ years, fans are going to gravitate to you no matter what the reason.
But teams also have to want to keep players as well. It doesn’t matter how much a player loves a team, if the team thinks a trade is in the best interest of the organization, that player (see Manny Machado) will be gone.
With Yadier Molina now having played over 2,000 games with the Cardinals, and having set the record for games played with one team by a catcher, this is a good time to take a look at some of those memorable players whose careers started after free agency became a part of MLB following the 1976 season, but who still decided to play for the same team their whole career. What would a starting lineup look like for an all-loyalty team?