A star can accomplish fairly a bit in a short while, each personally and for the crew. Numerous gamers have proved that over time, making their marks in only a single season with a specific membership, whether or not by setting themselves up for a giant contract elsewhere and even snagging a championship ring as a parting reward.
Will Juan Soto be remembered as a part of that group? All of it is determined by whether or not one other crew can woo him away from the Yankees this offseason. Soto actually set himself up effectively at no cost company. After the Padres traded him to the Yankees in December 2023, the proper fielder handled his new membership to the most effective season of his profession, batting .288/.419/.569 with 41 homers and 109 RBIs whereas pairing with Aaron Decide to kind some of the formidable duos in baseball historical past. Now it is as much as the Yankees to maintain him in pinstripes in 2025 and past, following the crew’s run to the World Sequence.
With that in thoughts, here’s a look again at 10 of essentially the most notable previous cases of gamers spending only one glorious 12 months with a crew. The main target right here is on full seasons, which does miss high-impact midseason acquisitions similar to CC Sabathia with the 2008 Brewers and Randy Johnson with the 1998 Astros.
Marcus Semien, 2021 Blue JaysSemien’s timing was off when he first acquired an opportunity at free company. He had damaged out for an enormous 2019 in Oakland, ending third within the AL MVP Award race. However the subsequent season was lower brief by the pandemic, and Semien’s numbers slid drastically, together with an OPS that plummeted from .892 to .679. The A’s handed on bringing him again, and Semien settled for a one-year, $18 million contract with Toronto as he sought a springboard again to the open market. Mission completed. Regardless of shifting from shortstop to second base, Semien garnered some notable profession firsts (an All-Star choice, Gold Glove Award and Silver Slugger Award), performed in 162 video games and blasted 45 house runs, notching one other third-place MVP end. He parlayed that right into a seven-year, $175 million cope with the Rangers, whom he helped result in a World Sequence title in 2023.
Adrián Beltré, 2010 Purple SoxThe Corridor of Famer’s one season in Boston must be considered as a turning level in his profession. On the time, Beltré was coming off a five-year stint in pitcher-friendly Seattle that was higher than the uncooked numbers made it look however nonetheless represented one thing of a profession setback. Beltré then signed a one-year cope with the Purple Sox and batted .321/.365/.553 (141 OPS+), with 49 doubles, 28 house runs and seven.8 WAR (per Baseball-Reference), earlier than signing with the Rangers.
Alfonso Soriano, 2006 NationalsWhen baseball returned to Washington in 2005, the Nats completed final within the Nationwide League in runs scored, homers and stolen bases — the membership swiped a grand complete of 45 baggage. Then they went out and traded three gamers to the Rangers for Soriano, who was getting into his stroll 12 months. Shifting from second base to left discipline in D.C., Soriano went out and practically beat the earlier 12 months’s stolen-base complete by himself, with 41. He added 46 homers, becoming a member of Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez as MLB’s solely 40-40 gamers. (Ronald Acuña Jr. and Shohei Ohtani would ultimately crash that membership, too.) Soriano parlayed that uncommon efficiency into a giant contract with the Cubs.
Ivan Rodriguez, 2003 MarlinsPudge’s 12-year tenure with the Rangers got here to an finish after the 2002 season, however the 13-time Gold Glove Award-winning catcher did not precisely discover the market he was anticipating. Lastly, close to the top of January, a Marlins membership coming off a sub-.500 season snapped him up on a one-year deal. Earlier than shifting on to Detroit the next offseason, Rodriguez began 134 video games behind the plate for the Marlins and produced a 120 OPS+. He then proceeded to bat .313/.390/.522 with 17 RBIs in 17 postseason video games, incomes MVP honors within the NL Championship Sequence on the way in which to a World Sequence championship.
Mike Hampton, 2000 MetsThe 1999 Mets acquired inside two wins of the World Sequence, however not one of the membership’s starters loved a standout season. So New York went in search of an ace and landed one from Houston, the place Hampton had simply gone 22-4 with a 2.90 ERA (155 ERA+). Accessible getting into the ultimate 12 months of his contract, the lefty went to Queens and delivered a equally sturdy marketing campaign (142 ERA+ in 33 begins). Within the NLCS towards the Cardinals, Hampton took MVP honors by throwing seven scoreless innings in Recreation 1, adopted by a series-clinching shutout in Recreation 5, to ship the Mets to the World Sequence. That led to an ill-fated free-agent cope with Colorado.
Kevin Brown, 1998 PadresBrown was a key contributor to the championship-winning 1997 Marlins crew, which was promptly torn down. Brown was caught up within the firesale and traded to San Diego. The fierce right-hander instantly helped flip round a pitching-starved Padres crew, which jumped from 76 to 98 wins and received the NL West, as Brown went 18-7 with a 2.38 ERA (164 ERA+) over a whopping 257 innings. Brown then helped pitch San Diego into the World Sequence earlier than signing MLB’s first $100 million contract with the Dodgers.
Jack Morris, 1991 TwinsDespite his accomplishments as a Tiger and Blue Jay, Morris is recognized most carefully together with his lone season as a Twin. That is not a lot due to his stellar regular-season efficiency (18-12, 125 ERA+ in 35 begins), which got here after the Minnesota native signed a one-year cope with his hometown crew. Moderately, it is as a result of Morris went 4-0 with a 2.23 ERA in 5 postseason begins and was named World Sequence MVP after throwing a 10-inning shutout to win his iconic Recreation 7 duel with the Braves’ John Smoltz.
Wealthy “Goose” Gossage, 1977 PiratesIn 1976, the White Sox moved their lights-out reliever to the rotation, which did not go so effectively. That experiment ended when the Pirates acquired the righty in a four-player deal and put him again within the bullpen. The 25-year-old Gossage responded with one of many 10 greatest seasons ever produced by a reliever, not less than going by WAR. In a a lot completely different period of bullpen utilization, Gossage churned out 133 innings with a 1.62 ERA, struck out 151 and mixed 11 wins with 26 saves. A free agent the subsequent offseason, he signed with the Yankees and by no means began one other sport, on his solution to the Corridor of Fame.
Reggie Jackson, 1976 OriolesYou in all probability keep in mind Mr. October as a member of the A’s or Yankees, or even perhaps from his late years with the Angels. However he additionally spent a fairly tumultuous 12 months in Baltimore in the course of his profession, when A’s proprietor Charlie Finley traded him in his final 12 months earlier than free company. Jackson did not report back to Baltimore straight away, holding out till Might, then struggled to get going. He lastly caught hearth and hit .313/.388/.560 with 19 house runs over his ultimate 81 video games for an O’s membership that completed a distant second to the Yankees — who then signed Jackson as a free agent.
Dick Allen, 1970 Cardinals and ’71 DodgersThe hard-hitting Allen was traded in three consecutive offseasons, from Philadelphia to St. Louis to Los Angeles to Chicago. Allen introduced the lumber wherever he went. He produced a 146 OPS+ and slammed 34 house runs in 122 video games for the Cardinals, however a hamstring harm roughly ended his season in mid-August and helped push him out the door. In L.A., Allen made it by means of the complete season with a 151 OPS+ and generated 5.4 WAR, however the Dodgers misplaced the NL West by a sport to the Giants, and he was on the transfer once more. Allen responded with maybe his greatest season, incomes MVP honors with the White Sox.
Rogers Hornsby, 1927 Giants and ’28 BravesHornsby received six batting titles, two Triple Crowns and an MVP Award over his first 12 seasons, all with the Cardinals. In 1926, as a player-manager, Hornsby’s numbers fell, however he piloted St. Louis to a championship. Regardless of that, contract negotiations broke down and Hornsby was swapped for the Giants’ Frankie Frisch. He responded by returning to kind, with a .361/.448/.586 line. But Hornsby rapidly wore out his welcome once more and was despatched packing for Boston. In his one season with the Braves earlier than one other commerce — this one to the Cubs — he slashed .387/.498/.632 (202 OPS+), main the NL in every class. His two seasons in New York and Boston resulted in a mixed complete of 18.9 WAR.
