MLB Player News

Belt (thumb) accepted his one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer Wednesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

Belt spent the first 11 seasons of his career in San Francisco, and he'll remain with the Giants for at least one more year after accepting his qualifying offer. The 33-year-old missed time with various injuries in 2021, but it's unlikely that the fractured left thumb he suffered late in the season will affect his availability this spring. Belt appeared in 97 games last season and slashed .274/.378/.597 with 29 homers, 65 runs, 59 RBI and three stolen bases.

The Giants extended a qualifying offer to Belt (thumb) on Sunday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Belt missed the final week of the 2021 campaign with a thumb injury, but it's unlikely that the issue will impact his availability for spring training in 2022. The 33-year-old will have 10 days to decide whether to accept the offer from San Francisco.

Martinez declined to exercise his opt-out and will remain with the Red Sox for 2022, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

He will earn $19.35 million for 2022 before hitting the open market after the season. This was not seen as a forgone conclusion, but as a 34-year-old designated hitter, Martinez may have had to settle for a lower annual figure if he tested free agency this winter. He hit .286/.349/.518 with 28 home runs in 148 games and played enough games in the outfield to qualify there in fantasy next season.

Blackmon exercised his $22 million player option for 2022 on Thursday, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports.

Blackmon's production decreased in 2021, as he slashed .270/.351/.411 with 13 home runs, 78 RBI, 76 runs and three stolen bases across 150 games. However, the 35-year-old should maintain a starting role with a prominent spot in the lineup as he prepares for his 12th season in Colorado.

Carpenter became a free agent Thursday after the Cardinals declined his 2022 team option, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Carpenter spent 11 seasons in St. Louis, hitting .262/.368/.449 with 155 homers. He's been a below-average hitter for three straight years and has failed to clear the Mendoza Line in the last two, however, so it's unsurprising to see the team doesn't want to bring him back for his age-36 campaign. Even if the universal designated hitter arrives and opens up 15 more jobs for position players in the National League, Carpenter may still find it tough to secure a major-league contract this winter.

The Phillies declined McCutchen's $15 million club option for the 2022 season, making him an unrestricted free agent, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The club option includes a $3 million buyout which Philadelphia will pay in order to secure the $12 million in savings. McCutchen appeared in 144 games during 2021 and hit .222/.334/.444 with 27 home runs, 24 doubles, 80 RBI, 78 runs and six stolen bases while posting the highest strikeout rate (23.0 percent) of his 13-year career.

Soler went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run, two runs, a walk and a strikeout in Tuesday's 7-0 win over the Astros in Game 6 of the World Series.

Soler put Atlanta on the board in the top of the third inning Tuesday with a mammoth home run to left field, and the team clinched its first World Series title since 1995. The 29-year-old's performance against Houston earned him World Series MVP honors, as he hit .300 with three home runs, a double, six RBI and four runs across the last six games.

Soler hit a go-ahead pinch-hit homer in Game 4 of the World Series against the Astros.

Dansby Swanson tied the game at two with a one-out solo shot off Cristian Javier in the bottom of the seventh inning. Jorge Soler came off the bench to hit for Tyler Matzek one batter later and launched a solo homer of his own just past Yordan Alvarez and the left-field fence, giving Atlanta the lead. He's now hitting .240/.345/.600 with a pair of homers in nine games this postseason.

Soler is not in the lineup for Game 4 of the World Series against the Astros on Saturday.

Soler was in the lineup for the first three games, twice at designated hitter and then Friday in right field for Game 3, the first of the series at Truist Park in Atlanta. He will be replaced in right by Joc Pederson on Saturday, but expect Soler to be back in the field again for Game 5 with lefty Framber Valdez slated to start for the Astros. Soler can return to DH if and when the series returns to Houston.

Pederson is not in the lineup for Game 3 of the World Series versus the Astros on Friday.

The 29-year-old started the first two games of the series in right field with Jorge Soler serving as the designated hitter, and Soler will take over in right now that Atlanta is back home. Pederson is 1-for-8 with three strikeouts against Houston so far but otherwise has a .909 OPS with three homers and nine RBI in the playoffs this year.