MLB is sending a clear message—experience might not be as prized as it once was. Teams seem to be steering away from veterans, favoring younger, more flexible talent. But here’s the kicker: some seasoned stars, like J.D. Martinez, are still performing at an elite level, yet they remain unsigned. Why are these guys going unnoticed by the scouts? Is this that the scouts are failing to take note of all, or is it a new algorithm getting followed where players beyond a certain age are undervalued?

Players like Alex Bregman and Martinez are still in free agency, and Pete Alonso is struggling to find a place with the Mets, conveying a grim future ahead for the players in their thirties. Martinez shared his concern about how this algorithm-based scouting is keeping MLB deprived of witnessing some prime players and solely focused on keeping the average age at bay. So there should be some ways of dealing with this situation. What can be those ways for the veterans in the coming time?

Veterans getting undervalued in MLB

Aged players, even with good stats, getting undervalued is nothing new to any sport, and it is now getting relevant in the MLB as well. There are a few reasons for this phenomenon for the teams, though. Reportedly, baseball analytics defines the age between 27 and 29 as the prime time, and a player peaks during this stage while, post-age-29, performance gets on a downward trend. Algorithms are getting preferred over human intelligence! Remember Aaron Judge’s performance? He is now 32 and putting in better performance each year with 131 RBIs, 71 RBIs, and 144 RBIs in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. Hence individual players are difficult to scout based on average data, and it is the individual skills a few veterans boast that are against the common average. 

“You know all of a sudden, as you get older, there’s you know you start the computer doesn’t like you as much,” a visibly frustrated Martinez commented about increased preference for analytics over human instinct. It seems that the algorithms are fed with age data based on average performance, and if average performance is showing downward data post-thirties, the game gets over for the aged hitters. The market is thus getting dull with players like J. D. Martinez and Bregman yet to find a team. However, it is the loss of the entire MLB community for getting deprived of the veterans’ performance. 

Tough future ahead for Martinez

Seemingly there is no chance of changing the scenario soon, and veterans like J. D. Martinez and Bregman need to rely on their performance to turn the tide. “Everything kind of slows down and the market slows down, and you know it’s sad because it’s kind of what you said—there’s a lot of really good players out,” Martinez said about how the MLB circuit is getting challenging for the veterans. The only way out from here is the individual performance that denotes players like Bregman. 

Well, Bregman, although waiting to get placed, his 2024 performance is the key for him to demand north of $200 million. While the younger players are worrying about asking that price, Bregman is sticking to his points, showing that the market is still there yet narrowed for the veterans. Reportedly, the Padres are also going to offer a $5 million deal to Martinez for one year, and putting the best numbers and hitting free agency post-2025 can turn the tide for him. Yes, the situation got challenging for the veterans, but tiding through the waves is what the veterans are known for.

MLB is diving deeper into analytics and algorithms, and for veterans, the message is clear—adapt or get left behind.

What do you think about Martinez’s take on MLB’s growing reliance on analytics? Is this just the evolution of the sport? Drop your thoughts below!