Best MLB players age 35 and older entering the 2016 season

Bautista became a household name after his bat flip in the 2015 playoffs, but he's been one of baseball's best hitters since 2010. Over that time, he's made six consecutive All-Star Games and won three Silver Sluggers. He's still going strong heading into his age 35 season.

Beltran has slowed since joining the Yankees in 2014, but he's still productive. Heading into his age 39 season (he turns 39 in April), Beltran has 392 career home runs and is coming off a .276-19-67 campaign.

While Beltre's offense has fallen off recently, he remains one of the league's top third basemen. He hit .287-18-83 last year at age 36 and still plays plus defense with four Gold Gloves in tow.

Benoit can still bring mid-90s heat at age 38, and he has a 2.35 ERA since 2010. Seattle added him this offseason to serve as its setup man.

Casilla converted a career-high 38 saves last season and had his best strikeout rate at age 34-35. He's posted an ERA below 3.00 in six consecutive seasons.

Colon will turn 43 this season, and he's still going strong. He throws his fastball almost exclusively, showing pinpoint control and winning at least 14 games in each of the last three seasons. He goes into the year as the Mets' No. 5 starter.

A late bloomer, Cruz still has premium power at age 35. He's hit 40 homers in back-to-back seasons, even hitting a career high of 44 at pitcher-friendly Safeco Field last season. He's hit at least 20 homers in seven straight years and has made three consecutive All-Star teams.

Knuckleball pitchers tend to have long careers, and Dickey is no exception. He's entering his age 41 season and has thrown 200 innings in five consecutive years. The 2012 NL Cy Young winner had a 3.91 ERA last season.

Entering his age 35 season, Granderson is still going strong with 26 homers last season. He's hit at least 19 home runs in nine of the last 10 seasons.

Grilli served as Atlanta's closer last season until tearing his Achilles. Up until that point, he'd converted 24 saves with a 2.94 ERA and an excellent 12 strikeouts per nine innings. He's shown more velocity in his later years.

Hill went from the Independent Leagues to Boston's rotation in one season during 2015 and parlayed the success to a lucrative contract with Oakland this year. Hill had a 3.92 ERA with 11 wins in 2007 and hopes to find that success again this year.

Holliday missed most of last season to a quad injury, halting his streak of nine consecutive seasons with 20-plus home runs. The Cardinals still have high hopes for him in his age 36 season.

Lackey had one of his best years at age 36 with the Cardinals, with a career-best 2.77 ERA and 13 wins. The Cubs signed him to a two-year contract this offseason.

V-Mart had a career year in 2014, followed by an off year in 2015 while he fought knee issues. The Tigers are hopeful he can rebound this season at age 37.

Big Papi heads into his final season with 503 career homers, and he hit 37 of them last year. He's exceeded 100 RBI in three consecutive seasons.

When not getting suspended by his team, Papelbon remains an effective closer. He had a 2.13 ERA and 24 saves last season and now enters his age 35 season.

Pierzynski had a resurgence last year in Atlanta, hitting .300 as the starting catcher. He will pair with Tyler Flowers this season at age 39.

Pujols reached 40 home runs for the seventh time last year, though his batting average isn't nearly what it was when he was with the Cardinals. When healthy, Pujols has still been a strong hitter behind Mike Trout.

A-Rod returned from a yearlong suspension to hit 33 home runs in 2015. He's one of baseball's best all-time hitters no matter if there's an asterisk involved and has come back as a productive force for the Yankees.

Big Tex hit 31 home runs in only 111 games last season and also hit above .250 for the first time in three years. After two down years, the Yankees are hoping his rebound from last year holds.

Uehara has done an excellent job as Boston's closer over the last three seasons and has a 2.42 ERA since coming to the States in 2009. He will serve as Craig Kimbrel's setup man this year.

Uribe has had a solid career and is joining his seventh team in Cleveland. He played for three teams last year, hitting 14 home runs.

Werth really fell off last season and is hoping for a rebound. He finished top 20 in MVP voting in each of the previous two seasons.

Young did a great job as Kansas City's swingman last year, with a 3.06 ERA in 123.1 innings. He enters his age 37 season as the fourth starter.

An effective submarine pitcher for his entire career, Ziegler is getting a chance to close with Arizona. He converted 30 saves last season.