Maldonado elected to become a free agent Wednesday.

Maldonado cleared waivers after being removed from the Athletics' 40-man roster, but he had the right to reject an outright assignment and has done just that. The 27-year-old holds a 7.20 ERA and 18:12 K:BB over 25 innings across parts of two big-league seasons.

The Rangers claimed Otanez off waivers from the Athletics on Wednesday.

Otanez is a hard thrower with a 34.1 percent strikeout rate but also a 14 percent walk rate over 39.1 big-league innings. The 28-year-old will compete for a spot in the Rangers' bullpen.

The Mariners acquired Wilcox from the Rays on Wednesday in exchange for cash considerations.

Wilcox had been designated for assignment by the Rays earlier this week and will now join a new 40-man roster. The 26-year-old spent most of the 2025 season at Triple-A Durham, holding a 3.71 ERA and 57:24 K:BB over 51 innings. It was his first year as a full-time reliever, and Wilcox is likely to begin the 2026 campaign in the bullpen at Triple-A Tacoma.

The Orioles claimed Soriano off waivers from the Marlins on Wednesday.

In 118 innings across parts of three seasons in the big leagues, Soriano has collected a 5.95 ERA and 117:55 K:BB. The 26-year-old reliever does not have minor-league options remaining, so he would have to go through the waivers process again if he doesn't make the Orioles' Opening Day roster.

The Yankees declined Loaisiga's (elbow) $5 million option for 2026 on Wednesday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

Loaisiga had another season cut short due to injury in 2025 and posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB across 29.2 innings. He missed most of the final two months of the regular season, first with a back issue and then with a flexor strain. Loaisiga did not require surgery for the latter injury and is expected to be ready for spring training, barring setbacks.

The Yankees exercised Hill's $3 million option for 2026 on Wednesday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.

Hill has made 105 regular-season appearances for the Yankees since 2024, collecting a 2.68 ERA and 55:25 K:BB over 111 innings. The southpaw reliever posted a 63.7 percent groundball rate and held left-handed batters to a .181/.224/.220 line during the 2025 regular season.

The Padres declined Hart's $5 million club option for 2026 on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Hart pitched in the majors for the first time in five years in 2025, though he accumulated a 5.86 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 43 regular-season innings. His poor performance made it easy for San Diego to decline giving the 32-year-old a $4 million raise, so he'll instead receive a $500,000 buyout and look to free agency for his next opportunity.

The Pirates placed Little on outright waivers Tuesday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.

The Pirates claimed Little off waivers from the Dodgers in August, but he never made an appearance for Pittsburgh. He posted a 2.79 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 19.1 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis, however, which could be enough for another team to give the 27-year-old reliever a 40-man spot early in the offseason.

The Astros placed Rooney (elbow) on outright waivers Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Rooney made his MLB debut in 2025, giving up one run and striking out two batters over 1.1 innings against the Orioles on Aug. 24. All of his other appearances came in Triple-A, where he finished the season with a 2.56 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through 38.2 frames. His year was cut short in September by elbow surgery, and it remains unknown whether he'll be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign.

The Red Sox declined Hendriks' (elbow) $12 million mutual option for 2026 on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Hendriks missed the majority of the season with hip and elbow injuries and posted a 6.59 ERA across 13.2 innings when healthy, so the Red Sox will pay him a $2 million buyout instead of the $12 million he would have been owed next year. The right-handed reliever is set to turn 37 in February, and although he may still receive some interest on the open market despite his injury history, there likely isn't a landing spot where he would have a chance to pitch in high-leverage situations consistently -- at least not right away.