He played as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) between 1978 and 1986 for the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds, and San Francisco Giants.

[5] His offensive production declined in 1979, as he finished with a .248 batting average along with six home runs and 34 RBI in 80 games with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers of the International League.

[3] On August 3, 1979, during the Yankees' first game after the death of Thurman Munson in an airplane crash the previous day, Gulden replaced starting catcher Jerry Narron in the ninth inning.

[7] Gulden holds a place in Major League Baseball trivia by being one of four players in history to be traded for himself, along with Harry Chiti, Dickie Noles, and John McDonald.

His hustle and work ethic inspired manager Roger Craig to nickname him a “Humm Baby”, because “he didn't have a lot of talent, but he gave you 180 percent; that's the way Brad (was).