Sports teams are nothing without their players. You tend to associate sports teams with an iconic player or two for long periods of time, especially back when players would spend all or most of their careers with one team.

That time is long gone, but there will always be guys like Derek Jeter, who spent his entire playing career with the New York Yankees and would just look weird in another team’s uniform.

After a baseball player’s skills start to decline, it’s easy to lose track of them in the day-to-day business of baseball. There are hundreds of players who unceremoniously retire every year because they didn’t receive an offer from a team…but if a player has a long track record of being very good, those players will probably get a few extra contracts at the tail end of their careers. Hall of Fame-level players will almost always get that treatment if they are still healthy enough to suit up.

Here are twenty Baseball Hall of Famers that ended their careers on weird teams.

Babe Ruth (Boston Braves) – In 1935, Ruth ended his career with the Boston Braves. He only played 28 games that season and he quit in June due to an argument with the owner, Emil Fuchs. Ruth was just viewed as an attraction to get more people to buy tickets. Fuchs ended up giving up his ownership of the Braves to the National League after becoming insolvent. Ruth was voted into the inaugural class of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936.

Jim Thome (Baltimore Orioles) – Thome made a name for himself with the Cleveland Indians, but also went on to have success with the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago White Sox as well. He bounced around towards the end of his career and he played his last Major League Baseball game in 2012 as a member of the Baltimore Orioles. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2018 with 89.8% of the vote.

Mike Piazza (Oakland A’s) – Piazza was an iconic member of two franchises as he started his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and then had a memorable run with the New York Mets in the later years of his prime. He finished up his career in 2007 as a member of the Oakland A’s. He made it into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his fourth try in 2016 with 82.95% of the vote.

Randy Johnson (San Francisco Giants) – At the age of 45, Johnson suited up and pitched for the San Francisco Giants. He is better known as a member of the Seattle Mariners or Arizona Diamondbacks, and he had a couple good seasons with the New York Yankees. Johnson did have one very memorable moment with the Giants as he won his 300th game in his final year. Johnson was a first-ballot Hall of Fame in 2015 with an impressive 97.3% of the vote.

Pedro Martinez (Philadelphia Phillies) – Martinez is one of the few Hall of Famers that could say that their final game of their career was a World Series game. He didn’t plan on that happening, but after the Phillies loss to the Yankees, he went unsigned and retired. He only pitched a handful of games in Philly. Martinez is best known for his tenure on the Red Sox and had arguably the best five-season stretch of any modern pitcher in baseball history. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2015 with 91.1% of the vote.

John Smoltz (St. Louis Cardinals) – Smoltz should have finished his career as a member of the Atlanta Braves. He played all but one season of his career there and everything after he left in 2008 was forgetful. He started the 2009 season on the Boston Red Sox and finished up on the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2015 with 82.88% of the vote.

Frank Thomas (Oakland A’s) – The Big Hurt was a superstar with the Chicago White Sox spending 16 seasons with the franchise. He finished his career with a couple forgettable seasons split between the Toronto Blue Jays and Oakland A’s. The White Sox signed him to a one-day contract following the 2008 season, but his last game was with the A’s. Thomas was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2014 with 83.7% of the vote.

Duke Snider (San Francisco Giants) – Snider was a mainstay for the Dodgers from 1947 through 1962. He left in 1963 to join the New York Mets and finished his career the following season as a member of the San Francisco Giants. Snider had his best seasons when the Dodgers were in Brooklyn, but only made one All-Star team after he turned 30. Due to his production tailing off, it took him eleven tries to finally make it into the Baseball Hall of Fame with 86.49% of the vote.

Wade Boggs (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) – Boggs is best-known for his time on the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. He played on both sides of the rivalry and is loved by both fanbases, which is difficult to say the least. He signed with the young Tampa Bay Devil Rays and hit his 3,000th hit of his career as a member of that team. Boggs was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2005 with 91.9% of the vote.

Rickey Henderson (Los Angeles Dodgers) – Henderson only played for two franchises from 1979 through 1992. He bounced from the Oakland A’s to the New York Yankees and back again during that time. From 1996 until he retired in 2003, he played for seven different teams. At the age of 44, he finished his career as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2009 and received 94.81% of the vote.

Andre Dawson (Florida Marlins) – Dawson was best known for his time with the Montreal Expos and the Chicago Cubs. After the 1992 season, Dawson signed with the Boston Red Sox and his career was running on fumes at that point. All the years of covering the outfield on the hard AstroTurf in Montreal did a number on his knees. Dawson was able to hang on until 1996 and spent his last two years with his hometown Florida Marlins. In 2010, he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on his ninth try with 77.9% of the vote.

Willie Mays (New York Mets) – In 1951, Mays started his career with the New York Giants. He stayed on with the team after they moved to San Francisco and played for that franchise until 1972. He played his final two seasons with the New York Mets and he was third on the all-time home run list when he retired after the 1973 season. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1979 and received 94.7% of the vote.

Eddie Murray (Anaheim Angels) – Okay, I’m cheating a bit here since Murray technically spent his final nine games of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers, which he previously played for earlier in his career. I wanted to add the Anaheim Angels here because seeing him in that uniform makes my brain hurt. Murray is best-known for his time with the Baltimore Orioles, although he did play for another nine seasons after leaving that franchise. He only played 46 games with the Angels and was released in August of 1997. He was immediately picked up by the Dodgers, but that only lasted nine games and was released again. Murray was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2003 with 85.3% of the vote.

Tom Seaver (Boston Red Sox) – Seaver is best-known for his time on the New York Mets. He hung on in the league for many years after he left the Big Apple and spent time with the Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox and lastly the Boston Red Sox. He only spent one year in Boston and it was mostly forgettable. He was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1992 with a then-record 98.84% of the vote.

Joe Morgan (Oakland A’s) – Morgan is best-known for his time in Cincinnati on ‘The Big Red Machine’ Reds teams. He also spent time on the Houston Colt 45’s/Astros, before and after his stint in Cincinnati. He caught on with the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies and lastly, the Oakland A’s. Morgan was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 1990 with 81.8% of the vote.

Yogi Berra (New York Mets) – Berra won 13 World Series championships as a member of the New York Yankees. He spent nearly all of his playing career as a member of the Yankees, but he did play four games for the Mets while he was a coach on the team in 1965. Berra went on to be a manager for many different teams. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1972 on his second ballot.

Harmon Killebrew (Kansas City Royals) – Killebrew is best-known for his time as a member of the Minnesota Twins. He started his career on the Washington Senators, but it took him about five years to find his power swing by slugging 42 homers as a 23-year-old. He was a member of the Twins from 1961 until 1974. He signed a one-year deal with the Kansas City Royals in 1975 and only batted .199. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 on his fourth ballot.

Dave Winfield (Cleveland Indians) – Winfield had a 22-year career and was best-known for his time with the San Diego Padres and New York Yankees. After he was traded from the Yankees, he thrived in a role as a designated hitter with the Toronto Blue Jays, California Angels, Minnesota Twins and lastly, the Cleveland Indians. Winfield was a first-ballot Hall of Famer in 2001 with 84.5% of the vote.

Roberto Alomar (Tampa Bay Devil Rays) – Alomar made a name for himself on a number of teams. He started out on the San Diego Padres, but is probably best-known for his time on the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians. He bounced around in his prime and contributed everywhere during that time. He hung on a few years past his prime and played for a few more teams. His last regular season game was in 2004 with the Chicago White Sox. He signed with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays before the 2005 season, but decided to retire during Spring Training due to vision issues. In 2011, he was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame with 90% of the vote on his second ballot.

Tim Raines (Florida Marlins) – Raines is best-known for his time on the Montreal Expos. He was a base-stealing machine and was an on-base percentage darling. His first-stint with Montreal ended in 1990, but stuck around the league until 2002. He played for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Oakland A’s, Montreal (again), Baltimore Orioles and lastly with the Florida Marlins. He was voted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017 with 86% on his tenth ballot.

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About the Author…

Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob