MLB players who may retire after the 2017 season

Beltran signed a one-year deal with Houston in the offseason, moving to DH in his age 40 season. He hit 29 home runs last season, but a decline this year could lead him to consider hanging up his cleats.

Benoit looked finished early last season with Seattle before reviving his game with Toronto. Philadelphia has added him as a veteran bullpen presence and possible closer at age 39.

Blanton came out of retirement in 2015 and has been highly effective in relief over the last two seasons. Still, he had trouble finding a job before inking a one-year, $4 million contract with Washington this offseason, and he could decide to go back home if he struggles in his age 36 season.

Colon will seemingly pitch forever. He went 15-8 with a 3.43 ERA with the Mets last season at age 43, making his fourth All-Star appearance. He's playing on a one-year deal with Atlanta this year.

Knuckleball pitchers often pitch well into their 40s, but Dickey will turn 43 in October and started to slide last season with a 4.46 ERA. He hopes a move back to the NL will help.

Considered by many to be a future MLB manager, Ellis adds a veteran presence, turning 36 early in the season, as Miami's backup catcher. After arguably his worst season in 2016, Ellis could go on to his next chapter in the game soon.

Ethier missed nearly all of last season to injury, and he's already having back trouble this spring. At age 34 and soon turning 35, the end of Ethier's career is drawing near.

Grilli had an up and down 2016 season between Atlanta and Toronto but continues to serve as Toronto's setup man. Now at age 40, his velocity could start to wane.

The oft-injured Hardy had a mini rebound at age 33 last season, producing a .716 OPS. However, he's in the final year of his contract and has had minor injury issues already this spring. If he struggles offensively in 2017, the market for Hardy's services could be minuscule.

Holliday has struggled to stay healthy over the last two seasons, leading to a one-year deal as the Yankees' DH this year. He did manage 20 home runs last season, but his OPS fell below .800 for the first time in his career. Holliday could be headed for retirement if he doesn't rebound this season.

Lackey has already insinuated that he'd like to pitch next season at age 39, but he has to get through this year first. He was excellent for the Cubs last season with a 3.35 ERA in 29 starts but did have some minor injury issues.

V-Mart successfully rebounded from the knee issues that plagued him in 2015, but he enters his age 38 season on an inconsistent pattern over the last several seasons. Martinez has only played the field 15 times over the last two seasons, so it would be an easy decision to move on from him if he doesn't produce this year.

The former closer isn't ready to end his career yet, getting a tryout with the Nationals this spring after time with the Cubs and Giants last season. Now 42, Nathan could retire after spring training if he's not kept around.

Perez has had quite the career, from ace lefty in Pittsburgh at age 22 to playoff savior for the Mets a few years later to lefty specialist since 2012. He's had an ERA above 4.00 over the last two years and enters the season at age 35.

A ground ball specialist for the Rockies, Qualls had a 5.23 ERA and struggled to stay healthy last season. At age 38, he could be approaching the end of his career.

Rodney signed a one-year deal with Arizona in the offseason to become the team's closer, which is a risky proposition for the team. He had a 5.89 ERA in 39 appearances with Miami last season and is 40 years old. Were those struggles a warning sign?

Still a strong defensive catcher, Ruiz has moved into a backup role over the last two seasons. He played only 62 games last season and will sit behind Mike Zunino in Seattle this year. It's clear that the end of his career is approaching.

Detroit is probably happy Sanchez is entering the last year of his five-year, $80 million contract. He's been terrible over the last two seasons, most recently posting a 5.87 ERA in 153.1 innings last season. With another poor year, there won't be many suitors in 2018.

Shields lost velocity and was arguably baseball's worst pitcher last season with a 5.85 ERA in 33 starts. That included a 6.77 ERA after getting traded to the White Sox. Despite two years remaining on his contract, the White Sox can't afford to keep Shields around if those poor results continue.

Street made only 26 appearances with a 6.45 ERA last season while fighting through knee issues. He's had more minor injury issues this spring at age 33, showing that his body could have hit the wall.

A surefire Hall of Famer, Ichiro has more than 3,000 hits in MLB despite coming from Japan at age 27. He came back from a poor 2015 season to hit .291 at age 42 last season but still doesn't provide much value off the bench at his age.

Uehara would like to pitch beyond this season, but it remains to be seen if his health will allow him. He hasn't reached 50 innings in either of the last two seasons but has continued to pitch effectively into his 40s.

Despite a fastball that barely exceeds 80 mph these days and a 5.06 ERA with the Angels last year, Weaver found an MLB contract with the Padres this season. At age 34, the radar gun shows that he's in severe decline.

Wright has a chronic back condition and has been out with a shoulder issue this spring. He's combined to play only 75 games over the last two seasons.

Relegated to the bullpen to start the year, Young had a 6.19 ERA in 88.2 innings with the Royals last season. He's unlikely to stick around if those results continue in the final year of his contract nearing age 38.