While announcements have already been made by New York Yankees starting pitcher C.C. Sabathia and San Francisco Giants manager Bruce Bochy that their 2019 seasons will be their last, other players will be joining them in riding off into the sunset, just with less fanfare. As the regular season goes farther into the month of September, more players will be hanging up their cleats for the offseason, and some for good.

With players putting a much higher importance on the value of mental and physical health across all sports, having players retire much earlier than normal while still being in their prime or not even having reached it yet is becoming a normal occurrence. The health of all players should be first and foremost in any and all decision making, and players who make those tough decisions should be rewarded for understanding the stakes at hand and still going through with it.

Following is a list of five potential veterans who could step away from the game that they have called home in 2019.

Felix Hernandez – Seattle Mariners
Years on MLB roster: 17
Team(s) played for: Seattle Mariners
Career Earnings: $221,334,994
Current Team: Seattle Mariners

For the man that has dedicated his entire career to the middling Seattle Mariners, King Felix Hernandez has been compensated handsomely like a royal member. But with injuries derailing his promising MLB career, the thought of hanging up the cleats may be passing through his head on a daily basis.

Hernandez has been and forever will be associated with the Mariners’ name, as he has been with this team through all of their ups and downs as a franchise. Never having wanted out (publicly, at least) or having big-time dustups with his fellow teammates, King Felix has become Seattle’s elder statesman over the years, something that he has fit into quite admirably.

For the MLB veteran, his time as a member of the Mariners looks to be closing and closing quickly, as his bloated contract is quite a boon for the team’s payroll. Not complaining about it once, general manager Jerry DiPoto and friends would welcome any sort of financial reprieve if Hernandez were to leave after this season.

Injuries in 2019 seem to be the final chapter in Hernandez’s career, as he has experienced some form of a major injury at least once every season since 2016, having earned over $15 million in ‘sick pay’ during that time period. A front office role, similar to what Alex Rodriguez did for the New York Yankees when they forced him out, would be a great idea for Hernandez to take on if he was still interested in remaining in baseball.

Bartolo Colon
Years on MLB roster: 25
Team(s) played for: Cleveland Indians (9), Montreal Expos (1), Chicago White Sox (x2, 2 years total), Los Angeles Angels (4), Boston Red Sox (1), New York Yankees (1), Oakland Athletics (2), New York Mets (3), Atlanta Braves (1), Minnesota Twins (1), Texas Rangers (Spring Training)
Career Earnings: $116,982,148
Current Team: Free Agent

What a career for the well-traveled Bartolo Colon, who’s career may, unfortunately, end as a free agent after having been released by the Texas Rangers coming out of Spring Training. For Colon, who has become a bit of a cult hero due to his batting antics and overall awesome personality, will go down as one of the most well-traveled players in the history of the MLB.

His talent was unmistakable from the beginning, as Colon was an instant ace for the Cleveland Indians back in the late 1990s. Having played strictly in the American League for his beginning and middle parts of the season, he was able to feast on power hitters in the AL, making a name for himself almost overnight.

As his career progressed on, he turned his attention to the National League, which was where he played four of his final 5+ seasons. Colon may be best known for his home run as a member of the New York Mets at Petco Park, shocking everyone and making his teammates give him the silent, disappearing treatment for the long ball.

Colon, who is still somehow in the league at the ripe age of 46, looks to have exhausted his final legs for an MLB-caliber pitcher. His longevity, as well as his stuff, will always amaze folks, and his legacy will live on forever across the league.

Matt Holliday
Years on MLB roster: 21
Team(s) played for: Colorado Rockies (x2, 12 years total), Oakland Athletics (1), St. Louis Cardinals (7), New York Yankees (1)
Career Earnings: $163,647,770
Current Team: Free agent

While not as well-traveled as Colon, outfielder Matt Holliday has had his fair share of experiences across the league, having suited for four different teams across his 21+ year career. Currently a free agent, Holliday’s time in the major leagues looks to be running out, as there are not many roster spots built specifically for an aging 39-year-old corner outfielder and first baseman.

Holliday’s prime years were with the Colorado Rockies and St. Louis Cardinals, which he was with for good periods of time. For both teams, Holliday was a solid offensive player who provided enough average defense to justify his presence in the team’s starting lineup.

His postseason heroics will be one of the bright spots in his career, as he was a big-time player in the big moments for both of the NL teams that he was a part of. Holliday jumpstarted his professional career with the Rockies, making a name for himself at the same time the likes of Todd Helton and Troy Tulowitzki were in their primes for the Rockies as well, making for a very formidable team coming out of the NL West division.

Holliday’s name was never one mentioned up with the greats in any sense, but being the type of consistent, reliable player that he was, he did more than enough to garner the respect of his fellow teammates and peers that surrounded him throughout his career.

Curtis Granderson
Years on MLB roster: 19
Team(s) played for: Detroit Tigers (8), New York Yankees (4), New York Mets (x2, 4 years total), Los Angeles Dodgers (1), Milwaukee Brewers (1), Miami Marlins (1)
Career Earnings: $107,488,342
Current Team: Miami Marlins

Having turned into more of a veteran presence and bench/role player later on in his storied career, Curtis Granderson was one of the originators, along with Ichiro, of the ‘slap base hit, steal yourself into scoring position and score on something that was not a hit’ mentality. Now acting as a player-coach for the youthful and struggling Miami Marlins, Granderson’s time in the MLB is coming precariously close to the end.

The 38-year-old corner outfielder has taken up more of a leadership role with the Marlins, helping to try and keep the youngster’s heads on their shoulders correctly while also trying to win some ball games.

In his prime playing days, Granderson endeared himself to any fan base that he played for, seemingly always having a smile on his face. The veteran, who should absolutely become a coach in some sort of capacity, looks to be one of the most highly-regarded and respected players across the whole league, never having rubbed someone the wrong way.

Similar to both Colon and Holliday, the fact that he is so well-traveled across the league is much more of a testament of his skils and the respect teams had for him, rather than his inability to stay in one place and be good enough to stick.

Dustin Pedroia
Years on MLB roster: 16
Team(s) played for: Boston Red Sox
Career Earnings: $103,415,984 (estimation of deferred money: $38,000,000)
Current Team: Boston Red Sox

Having had his career practically torn right out from underneath him, 36-year-old Dustin Pedroia has been earning much of his money from the Boston Red Sox while on the bench being hurt. While a very unfortunate circumstance for a player to continue a career, Pedroia’s injury history most likely will lead to him cutting the cord on his professional career, as early as after this season.

Having signed a monster deal with the Red Sox in 2013, Pedroia’s career has almost taken a direct nosedive since that moment, with injuries halting any sort of positive play that he had up to that point. The team has gotten a bit of relief from his albatross of a deal, as they have deferred $18 million of his deal to be doled out in $2 million payments starting in 2021 and running all the way through 2028.

As the second baseman of the future for the Red Sox, his development from being a short, second-round pick out of Arizona State University to the perennial All-Star talent that he became, was a great story that ended way too early. While Boston is not afraid to throw big sums of money at anything that breathes, Pedroia looked destined to be taking off for an MVP-filled career once he signed that deal.

Alas, it was not in the cards, and Pedroia’s career will, unfortunately, be remembered more for being off of the field than being on it. Wishing the best of luck on his health and his eventual full recovery, both physically and mentally.