Cano and the Orioles agreed to a one-year, $1.6 million contract to avoid arbitration Thursday, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Cano turned in the worst season of his career in 2025, posting a 5.12 ERA and 1.48 WHIP with only 53 strikeouts across 58 innings. Nevertheless, he still got plenty of high-leverage usage and racked up 17 holds, but he'll likely need to get back on track to maintain that role in 2026. This was his first year of arbitration eligibility.

Cruz signed a one-year, $1.45 million contract with the Yankees to avoid arbitration Thursday, Jack Curry of YES Network reports.

Cruz spent the entire 2025 season with the Yankees and earned two saves with 16 holds across 49 regular-season appearances. He posted an even more impressive 72:24 K:BB, so he should be in line for a high-leverage role once again in 2026.

Bird signed a one-year contract with the Yankees to avoid arbitration Thursday.

The official terms of the deal haven't been announced, but this was Bird's first year of arbitration eligibility. The Yankees acquired him from the Rockies at the summer deadline, but he was dispatched to Triple-A after giving up six earned runs in his first three outings for New York, and he spent the rest of the season in the minors.

Speier signed a one-year contract with the Mariners to avoid arbitration Thursday,Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

The terms of the deal aren't yet known, though Speier is likely getting a decent raise after making $845,000 during his first year of arbitration eligibility in 2025. He's coming off of an excellent campaign, maintaining a 2.61 ERA and 0.87 WHIP across 62 frames while also earning 24 holds during the 2025 regular season.

Bednar agreed to a one-year, $9 million contract with the Yankees on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

Bednar had a rocky start to the 2025 season with Pittsburgh, which resulted in a brief demotion to Triple-A. His trip to the minors did the trick, as he reclaimed his closer role in the Pirates' bullpen and pitched well before being traded to the Yankees in late July. Bednar served as the preferred closer for the Bronx Bombers toward the tail end of the regular season, and in 22 outings with the Yankees, he logged a 2.19 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 10 saves (on 13 opportunities) and a 35:9 K:BB across 24.2 innings. Bednar figures to reprise his role as the Yankees' top closer for the 2026 season.

Brash and the Mariners agreed to a one-year contract to avoid arbitration on Thursday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

Brash has been a key high-leverage reliever for the Mariners across the last two seasons, racking up a combined eight saves and 46 holds. He should serve in a similar capacity in 2026, working as the primary setup man to Andres Munoz. This was Brash's first year of arbitration eligibility.

Abreu signed a one-year, $5.85 million contract with the Astros on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Abreu was one of five relief pitchers in 2025 to record 100-plus strikeouts, doing so for a third consecutive season while boasting a 35.5 percent strikeout rate and 41.2 percent whiff rate. He finished the year with a 2.28 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 25 holds over 71 innings while recording a career-high seven saves, though that opportunity came only after Josh Hader (shoulder) landed on the IL in mid-August. With Hader on track to be fully healthy by Opening Day, Abreu should return to a setup role to begin 2026.

Mears agreed to a one-year, $1.9 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Mears was traded from Milwaukee to Kansas City in December following his best season in the majors, during which he logged a 3.49 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 56.2 regular-season innings. The 29-year-old will now receive a $937,000 raise from his new club and is expected to begin the new year as a middle reliever for the Royals.

Schreiber agreed to a one-year, $3.715 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Schreiber's $1.415 million raise comes after he posted a 3.80 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 64 innings while collecting 23 holds in 2025. The Royals acquired Matt Strahm from Philadelphia in December, which figures to lessen the number of high-leverage opportunities available for Schreiber in 2026, but he should still collect his fair share of holds again this year. The 31-year-old righty is due to enter the open market next offseason.

Holton and the Tigers agreed to a one-year, $1.575 million contract Thursday to avoid arbitration, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Holton was a solid presence for the Tigers' bullpen in 2025, making a career-high 70 appearances (six starts as an opener) during the regular season while posting a 3.66 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 18 holds and a 64:17 K:BB across 78.2 innings. The 29-year-old southpaw should continue to operate in high-leverage situations for Detroit in 2026.