MLB Player News

The Marlins declined Cueto's $10.5 million option for 2024 on Sunday, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

Cueto will get a $2.5 buyout and is now a free agent. The 37-year-old hurler struggled during his lone season in Miami, collecting a 6.02 ERA over 13 appearances (10 starts). Cueto might have to settle for a minor-league contract this offseason if he wants to continue his career.

Smyly exercised his $8.5 million player option for the 2024 season Monday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

Smyly will remain in Chicago for the 2024 campaign, as he was unlikely to surpass his guaranteed money elsewhere over the next year. He'll look to bounce back after a rocky 2023 season, accruing a 5.00 ERA and 1.43 WHIP with a 141:56 K:BB across 142.1 innings.

Battenfield cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse on Monday.

He's no longer part of the Mets' 40-man roster but will remain in the organization. Battenfield collected a 5.19 ERA over 34.2 innings at the major-league level in 2023.

Plassmeyer cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.

He's no longer on the Phillies; 40-man roster but will remain in the organization for the time being. Plassmeyer was rocked for 10 runs (nine earned) over 3.2 innings in his lone appearance for Philadelphia this season.

Wacha declined his $6.5 million player option for 2024 on Monday and will become a free agent.

After the Padres informed Wacha that they wouldn't exercise a two-year, $32 million option that would keep him on the books through 2025, the veteran right-hander declined to decline an option of his own, albeit at a less favorable annual salary. Wacha presumably feels he can find a better deal on the open market, a fair conclusion after he turned in a 3.22 ERA (4.30 xERA), 1.16 WHIP and 14.6 K-BB% in 134.1 innings for the Friars in 2023. Durability has been a concern for Wacha for much of his career -- he hasn't made 30 starts in a season since 2017 -- so he may not be able to find a team that's willing to sign him to more than a two- or three-year deal as he heads into his age-32 campaign.

Atlanta exercised Morton's $20 million team option for the 2024 season on Monday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

According to Passan, the organization had some uncertainty at bringing Morton back for his age-40 season at a sizable salary, but the veteran right-hander will ultimately stick around in Atlanta for what could be his final campaign in the big leagues. Though his 11.6 percent walk rate in 2023 represented his worst mark since his rookie campaign, Morton struck out more than a quarter of the batters he faced for the third season in a row and was able to suppress home runs (0.77 HR/9). Even in the twilight of his career, Morton still looks like a strong mid-to-back-end rotation arm, and his fantasy outlook is made more promising by the fact that he'll be back by one of the top offenses in baseball.

German (personal) elected to become a free agent Monday.

The transaction comes a few days after German was removed from the Yankees' 40-man roster. Beyond his uneven performance on the field, German has had multiple off-the-field issues which figure to impact his allure as a free agent.

The Giants exercised Cobb's (hip) $10 team million option for 2024 on Monday, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Cobb is expected to be sidelined for at least the first month or so of the 2024 season after having surgery last week to repair his left hip. Even with that, the Giants decided it was worth bringing the right-hander back rather than pay him a $2 million buyout. Cobb pitched well in 2023 when healthy, collecting a 3.87 ERA and 131:37 K:BB over 151.1 frames covering 28 starts.

The Cubs exercised Hendricks' $16 million club option for 2024 on Sunday, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The veteran right-hander posted a 4.78 ERA between the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, but he rebounded last season with a 3.74 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 93:27 K:BB in 137 innings. Hendricks will enter 2024 with a secure spot in the middle of Chicago's rotation, though his fantasy ceiling is capped by his low strikeout numbers.

The Padres declined Wacha's two-year, $32 million option for 2024-25 on Saturday, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Wacha has a $6.5 million player option for 2024 that he's expected to decline, at which point the pitcher will become a free agent. The right-hander has posted a nifty 3.27 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 228:74 K:BB over 261.2 innings covering the last two seasons. He hasn't made more than 24 starts in a season since 2017, though, and the Padres likely decided he wasn't worth the risk as they look to trim payroll.