This topic actually inspired an article back in 2018, when Ichiro Suzuki was still playing with the Seattle Mariners. You can check out that list of Cubs players over the age of 40 through the team’s entire history here.
Well, what got me thinking about old players right now was the signing of left-handed starting pitcher Rich Hill. The Pittsburgh Pirates picked up the veteran lefty, signing the free agent to a one-year, $8 million contract. Hill will pitch at the ripe age of 43 in 2023 for the Pirates, the 12th team he’ll be a part of since making his MLB debut in 2005 with the Cubs.
So, who have been the oldest players on the Cubs from 2000-2010? Let’s take a trip down memory lane! *Note: I’m going off the player age given by Baseball Reference for each season*
2000
Right-Handed Pitcher Rick Aguilera – 38
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Rick Aguilera made his MLB debut in 1985 with the New York Mets. By 2000, the right-hander was closing out games for the Cubs in what would be his last season in the majors. Aguilera recorded 29 saves in 2000, making 54 appearances out of the bullpen. He threw 47.2 innings and had a 4.91 ERA.
2001-2002
Left-Handed Pitcher Jeff Fassero – 38, 39
Jeff Fassero had a decent season in 2001, posting a 3.42 ERA in 73.2 innings and also picked up 12 saves for the Cubs that season. The Cubs traded Fassero to the St. Louis Cardinals in 2002, and the left-hander continued his MLB career pitching for the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and San Francisco Giants from 2004-06. Fassero last pitched in the big leagues at age 43.
2003
Outfielder Trent Hubbard – 39
Right-handed hitting outfielder Trent Hubbard was a backup throughout his 10-year MLB career and he spent his last games in the majors with the Cubs in 2003. He played in 10 games in July of the 2003 season and you know what, he was an OBP machine! During his brief time with the Cubs, Hubbard was 4-for-16, with 4 walks and reached base one more time via a HBP. Hubbard played in 476 MLB games from 1994-2003.
2004-2006
Right-Handed Pitcher Greg Maddux – 38, 39, 40
What a magical time for Cubs fans in 2004, (well before the meltdown in September) when Greg Maddux came back and hey he was still a workhorse in the starting rotation, tossing 212.2 innings in 33 starts. He had a 4.02 ERA and won 16 games, including his 300th career win against the Giants on Aug. 9, 2004. Even at 39-years-old Maddux gave it all he had for the Cubs, making 35 starts in 2005 and throwing a total of 225 innings. The Hall of Famer began 2006 with the Cubs and was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers in July. Maddux would also pitch with the San Diego Padres and in 2008, he pitched for the Dodgers to end his MLB career at 42-years-old.
2007
Right-Handed Pitcher Steve Trachsel – 36
So at first I had no memory of Steve Trachsel on the 2007 Cubs, but once I started to think about that season I did remember his late addition to the team. What the hell were the Cubs thinking??? He made four starts in September, when the Cubs were trying to find anyone to fill the back-end of the rotation, while chasing a division title and Trachsel was so bad, allowing 16 earned runs in 17.1 innings. The Cubs went 1-3 in his four starts. He went back to the Baltimore Orioles in 2008, his final season in MLB.
2008
Outfielder Jim Edmonds – 38
It looked liked Jim Edmonds was cooked in 2008, as he started the season with the Padres and was released in early May after he hit .178 with only one home run in 90 at-bats. And then out of nowhere, he had a .937 OPS in 298 plate appearances with the Cubs, hitting 19 home runs in 85 games. Incredible bounce back from Edmonds, but then he didn’t play in 2009 because he felt like he wasn’t getting a good offer from anyone and in 2010 he played his last MLB games with the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds at age 40.
2009
Outfielder So Taguchi – 39
So Taguchi only played in six games for the Cubs in 2009, in what would be his last year in MLB. The Japanese outfielder made his MLB debut in 2002 with the Cardinals and after six seasons in St. Louis, Taguchi played for the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies. Taguchi became the first Japanese-born player to win two World Series rings, 2006 and 2008.
2010
Right-Handed Pitcher Bob Howry – 36
Right-handed reliever Bob Howry was in his second stint with the Cubs in 2010, which ended up being his last one in MLB. He appeared in 24 games and had a 5.66 ERA in 20.2 innings before getting released on July 30, 2010. Howry retired in the offseason after a 13-year career in MLB pitching for the White Sox, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Cubs, Giants and Diamondbacks.
