The annual migration to Arizona and Florida is underway. And we’re not talking about snowbirds—the folks who flee to those balmy states each year for relief from winter’s bitter temps.

No, we’re referring to the annual return of Major League Baseball as Spring Training gets underway. Players, coaches, and management have made the trek into the Sunshine State and the greater Phoenix area to begin prepping for the 2024 season. And it’s a season that’s sure to be interesting on and off the field.

As for that off-field action, we’re always most intrigued by the oversized mansions of baseball’s biggest stars.

So we’ve rounded up a starting nine of some of the biggest names in baseball history and peeked at their properties. These guys are accustomed to the taste of victory, champagne-fueled celebrations, and overstuffed trophy rooms.

But when it comes to real estate, some of these Hall of Famers have struck out.

Step into the batter’s box, and take a look for yourself.

Randy Johnson takes a loss

The Big Unit was a fearsome presence on the mound for over 20 seasons and struck out 4,875 hitters in his 22 big-league seasons. But off the field, the 6′ 10″ lefty whiffed in the luxury housing market.

Back in 2014, he put his massive mansion in Paradise Valley, AZ, on the market for $25 million.

Offering 25,416 square feet of living space on a 5-acre parcel, the spread was appropriately big. But when Johnson sought to downsize, buyers balked. In 2017, the price was slashed to $20 million. In 2018, the price dropped to $16.5 million.

What was wrong with the place? From all appearances, it’s Hall of Fame-worthy. Highlights included an 1,800-square-foot fitness facility, a home theater appropriately named Full Count Theater, a recording studio, tennis court, and pool. An elegant, wood-paneled office showcased a trove of Johnson’s memorabilia and many awards.

Despite the home’s many advantages, Johnson wasn’t able to find a buyer and eventually put the mansion up for auction.

The gavel fell in early 2019 at a final price of $7.7 million—a steep 69% comedown off the initial ask. Johnson racked up over 300 wins on the mound; but in the case of his Arizona estate, this baseball legend took the loss.

Barry Larkin takes a loss

Like Johnson, Hall of Fame shortstop and Cincinnati Reds legend Barry Larkin had a magnificent mansion that became a mighty albatross. However, Larkin’s real estate saga lasted even longer than the Big Unit’s ordeal.

And like many wealthy people before him, Larkin built a 14,000-square-foot mansion residence to his very specific tastes.

When it came time to sell, finding a buyer who appreciated the home’s over-the-top opulence proved difficult. The seven-bedroom, Orlando, FL, home featured bright-blue cabinetry in the kitchen; twin, glass staircases in the dramatic foyer; and a nightclub with a DJ booth.

It landed on the market in 2012, with an asking price of $10.9 million. A series of price cuts over the years brought the price down by half, and in 2019 Larkin got serious.

The price was reduced to $5.4 million, and the slugger told the Wall Street Journal, “It’s going to take a specific buyer to see what we have here.”

A buyer for the waterfront estate finally emerged in late 2019 and paid $4,587,500 for the place.

Cal Ripken Jr. takes a loss

In 2016, baseball’s Iron Man sought to supplement his on-field success with a huge real estate deal.

Early on in his storied career, Ripken bought a 24-acre spread in Reisterstown, MD. A custom mansion with over 20,000 square feet was built in 1985. However, the property’s most notable feature is the full baseball diamond in the backyard.

Due to divorce, the 19-time All-Star put the suburban spread on the market in 2016 with a price tag of $12.5 million. The price was sliced to $9.75 million the following year. With no buyers biting, Ripken put the place up for auction with no reserve price in 2018.

Fellow MLB All-Star Adam Jones was the winning bidder six years ago and snagged the entire place for $3,465,000, a 72% discount on the original asking price. Following a trade from the Orioles, Jones put it back on the market a year later and sold it for $3.55 million in 2019. Ripken’s former place sold—again—in 2020 for $3.9 million.

Derek Jeter takes a small loss, but wins nonetheless

This Hall of Famer also didn’t manage to get his asking price, but the sale of his Tampa, FL, mansion did set local records.

The Captain put his waterfront estate on the market for $29 million in late 2020, while he was busy working for the Miami Marlins.

And because his grand mansion was unoccupied, he rented it out for a bit before putting it on the market. His tenants? A-list couple Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen. Brady needed a Florida home after his late-career move to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but he only stayed at Jeter’s place for a few months before moving on.

Beyond the Brady imprimatur, Jeter’s luxe place had plenty going for it: two boat lifts, a gym, and over 9,000 square feet of outdoor living space under covered porches and balconies.

Unlike his fellow baseball Hall members, Jeter didn’t have to wait years for someone to buy his 21,796-square-foot abode. The mansion known as St. Jetersburg sold in May 2021 for $22,519,433, making it the largest residential sale ever in the entire Tampa Bay region at the time..

David Ortiz takes two losses

Big Papi has sold two homes over the last three years. The slugger took a sizable loss in Massachusetts but fared much better in Florida.

Being a Boston Red Sox legend means Ortiz never has to pick up a tab in Beantown, but his fame didn’t help his cause when it came to his Weston, MA, home. The six-bedroom, 7,714-square foot home landed on the market in 2019 with a $6.3 million price tag.

Ortiz cut the price down to $5.5 million in 2020, and the home had two additional price cuts, which took the ask down to $4.25 million. A buyer finally stepped to the plate and bought the place in March 2021 for $3.5 million, a 44% discount on the original asking price.

In February 2023, he put his sleek mansion in Pinecrest, FL, on the market for $12.5 million. Custom built for Ortiz, the fabulous Florida home offers multiple water features, a sports bar room, and a primary suite with a boutique-quality closet. Set on an acre, the stylish mansion also features abundant windows that flood the place with Florida sunshine.

The home didn’t linger for long on the market, but Ortiz did accept a lower offer. The home sold in June 2023 for $10,550,000, which still represents a sizable chunk of change for the Red Sox legend.

We have a winner: Chipper Jones wins in Georgia

Atlanta Braves legend Chipper Jones scored a win with the sale of his ranch in Canton, GA. The Hall of Famer downsized in 2023 and emerged victorious. The gated mansion he sold sits on a 37-acre parcel and measures in at 23,000 square feet. Jones purchased the grand estate in 2018 for $9.25 million.

He put it back on the market in 2022 with a $15 million asking price and had to wait a year for a buyer to emerge. And while the buyer paid “only” $11 million for the home, it was the largest sale in Georgia since 2019 and made for a nice return on investment for Jones.

After selling the behemoth abode, Jones spent $5.4 million on a relatively modest, 9,000-square-foot home in the same town.

Plus Pedro Martinez successfully sells twice in 2023

Another Red Sox legend had a banner year off the field in 2023. Pedro Martinez offloaded two of his homes and made himself quite a profit in Florida.

But first, let’s look at Massachusetts. Like Ortiz, Martinez kept a home close to the place where he reached his career pinnacle with the Red Sox. His five-bedroom home in Winchester, MA, was relatively modest with 5,123 square feet. He tossed the Colonial-style residence onto the market in 2022 with an asking price of $2 million.

It took a year to sell, but a deal was struck in October 2023 for $1,712,500. Martinez took a little less but still walked away with a profit, considering he paid $1,299,000 for the place in 2019.

A similar story unfolded for Martinez in Florida. He bought a six-bedroom home in North Miami for $3 million in the summer of 2019. Four years later, he put the gated waterfront home back on the market for $5.9 million. It wound up selling in just two months for $5.35 million—a 78% profit for the Hall of Fame hurler.

Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer is a big winner

While Scherzer isn’t a Hall of Famer—yet—he’s a lock on booking a trip to Cooperstown, NY, five years after he hangs up his spikes.

Mad Max has shown a keen eye for real estate over the years and oversaw the renovation of a Virginia mansion when he pitched for the Washington Nationals. Scherzer bought the place overlooking the Potomac River in McLean, VA, for $5.2 million in 2015. He sold it in late 2021 for his asking price of $15 million.

He makes his off-season home in Jupiter, FL, where he purchased a waterfront mansion for $9.75 million in June 2020. In love with the gated and exclusive neighborhood, Scherzer then snapped up the five-bedroom home next door for $14,875,000 in March 2023.

Following a mid-season trade last year from the New York Mets to the eventual World Champion Texas Rangers, Scherzer also picked a spot to settle down in the Lone Star State. He bought a luxurious five-bedroom home in the Vaquero Club neighborhood in Westlake, TX, for an undisclosed price.

And we can’t forget Justin Verlander

Scherzer’s former battery mate with the Mets (and Detroit Tigers), Justin Verlander, also has exquisite taste in real estate. He and wife Kate Upton have amassed an amazing portfolio of homes over the years.

Verlander will be joining the all of the above Hall of Famers upon retirement, but he’s getting set to pitch for the Houston Astros in 2024, his 19th season in the big leagues.

As he continues to whiff batters at an amazing rate, he’s been a big winner in the world of real estate. We’ve seen him rent a luxury home in Houston, buy a penthouse in New York City when he was with the Mets, and buy a lot in Jupiter, FL, with plans to build a huge off-season home.

Upton and Verlander also bought a Beverly Hills, CA, mansion once owned by Pete Sampras, but the couple wound up selling that place to heartthrob Timothee Chalamet in 2022.

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