How long is seven years in baseball? MLB's 2011 leaders in games played (Prince Fielder), at-bats (Ichiro Suzuki), Wins Above Replacement (Cliff Lee), hits (Adrian Gonzalez and Michael Young) and stolen bases (Michael Bourn) are all out of baseball. Your top home-run hitter was Jose Bautista ; your best position player by WAR (Baseball-Reference) was Jacoby Ellsbury . It was a long time ago. Seven years is a lifetime.

MLB teams are always obsessed with team control over players, about having them wrapped up and secured on their club for as long as possible. But here's a fun factoid: Of the top 30 hitters by WAR (FanGraphs) in 2011, only eight are still with the same team now as they were then. (And two of those, Matt Kemp and Jose Reyes , played for other teams in between then and now before returning to the Dodgers and Mets, respectively.) Among the top 30 pitchers, there are only four. Continuity is, in many ways, an illusion.

Thus, this week at The Thirty, we flash forward seven years, to 2025, and attempt to predict, for each MLB team, the player most likely to still be playing for their current team in that season. Some players are simply signed for that long; the Phillies signed Scott Kingery potentially through '26 before this season even though he hadn't made his MLB debut yet. Some players are rookies or prospects who are the foundation of everything their team is trying to do over the next decade. And some are just icons who will end up with a statue by the ballpark someday. Here's a look at the players you should expect to see in the same uniform for the next seven years.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST



Blue Jays

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B, age 19

Level: Triple-A

The Blue Jays have a lot of questions about their future, but Vlad Jr. will be the foundation they build around.

Orioles

Yusniel Diaz, OF, age 21

Level: Double-A

You can breathe easy: Chris Davis is only signed through 2022.

Rays

Jesus Sanchez, OF, age 20

Level: Class A Advanced

We went with Sanchez over Willy Adames because he hasn't reached the Majors yet and thus has less service time.



Red Sox

Mookie Betts , RF, age 25

Level: MLB

Betts can be a free agent after 2020, but the Red Sox wouldn't let him get away … would they?

Yankees

Giancarlo Stanton , RF, age 28

Level: MLB

It's difficult to imagine the Yankees letting Aaron Judge get away after 2022, but it's impossible to imagine anyone else taking on Stanton's contract, which runs through '27 (unless he opts out after '20, which is highly unlikely).

AL CENTRAL



Indians

Francisco Lindor , SS, age 24

Level: MLB

I feel a little shaky about this one, considering Lindor already turned down a massive extension offer. But if the Indians lose Lindor moving forward, who are they, exactly?

Royals

Brady Singer, RHP, age 22

Level: 2018 Draft pick

Singer is the one Royals Top 100 Prospect still a couple of years away from the Majors, which fits our timeline perfectly.

Tigers

Casey Mize, RHP, age 21

Level: Class A Advanced

Unless, of course, Jose Cabrera finishes in the top 10 of AL MVP Award voting in 2023, in which case he'll be a Tiger through '25.

Twins

Jose Berrios , RHP, age 24

Level: MLB

It turns out that the answer here, alas, is probably not going to end up being Byron Buxton .

White Sox

Eloy Jimenez , OF, age 21

Level: Triple-A

Suffice it to say, the White Sox aren't minding watching Jose Quintana 's struggles on the North Side.

AL WEST



Angels

Michael Trout , CF, age 26 (turns 27 on Tuesday)

Level: MLB

Put it this way: If Trout is not, the Angels might as well raze the place.

Astros

Jose Altuve , 2B, age 28

Level: MLB

Altuve's contract runs through 2024. No way the Astros are ever letting him wear another uniform. (He'll be 35 in '25.)

Athletics

Matt Chapman , 3B, age 25

Level: MLB

Unless they Josh Donaldson him before then. Chapman looks like a perfect A's building block.

Mariners

Mitch Haniger, RF, age 27

Level: MLB

The Mariners are disturbingly old -- you boys better make the playoffs this year -- but Haniger looks like the sort of guy to extend at a discount before he hits arbitration.

Rangers

Joey Gallo, INF/OF, age 24

Level: MLB

Similarly, with the Rangers in a period of transition, betting on Gallo figuring it out and becoming a more complete hitter doesn't seem like the worst idea. He'll be the same age in 2025 as Paul Goldschmidt and J.D. Martinez are now. (And yes, I was tempted to say Bartolo Colon .)

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves

Ronald Acuna Jr. , LF, age 20

Level: MLB

Will the Braves have to choose between Acuna and Ozzie Albies long term, or can they keep them both?

Marlins

Brian Anderson , 3B/RF, age 25

Level: MLB

This is a difficult exercise for a team in major transition.

Mets

Peter Alonso , 1B, age 23

Level: Triple-A

Your guess is as good as mine, honestly.



Nationals

Juan Soto, LF, age 19

Level: MLB

Still 19, folks.

Phillies

Scott Kingery, SS/3B, age 24

Level: MLB

Unless Kingery is a total washout, the Phillies can extend his contract through 2026.

NL CENTRAL

Brewers

Christian Yelich , OF, age 26

Level: MLB

Yelich seems like such a perfect fit for the Brewers that you can be certain they'll be trying to figure out a way to extend him past 2022.

Cardinals

Paul DeJong , 2B/SS, age 25

Level: MLB

DeJong's Spring Training contract extension gives the Cardinals team options on him through 2025.



Cubs

Kristopher Bryant , 3B, age 26

Level: MLB

If Bryant -- the guy who fielded the ball that won the Cubs the World Series -- ever leaves Chicago, something has gone terribly wrong.

Pirates

Gregory Polanco , RF, age 26

Level: MLB

The Pirates have club options on Polanco through 2023 ... he's young enough that it's not crazy to think he sticks around a couple of more years after that.

Reds

Joey Votto, 1B, age 34

Level: MLB

Votto is signed through 2023, when he will be 40. What's two more years? He'll still be putting up a .400 OBP, I am certain.

NL WEST

D-backs

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, age 30

Level: MLB

A pretty tough call, actually; Goldschmidt will be 38 in 2025. But who else on this team or in this system is a better bet?

Dodgers

Cody Bellinger , 1B/OF, age 23

Level: MLB

Bellinger will turn 30 two weeks before the 2025 non-waiver Trade Deadline.

Giants

Buster Posey , C/1B, age 31

Level: MLB

Posey can play until he's 38, can't he? He certainly won't be playing for someone else.

Padres

Fernando Tatis Jr. , SS, age 19

Level: Double-A

Tatis Jr. just be a little bit older in 2025 than Bryce Harper is now.



Rockies

Nolan Arenado , 3B, age 27

Level: MLB

Only 34 in 2025. If the Rockies can re-sign Arenado, it'll be for much longer than that.