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  • Jorge Polanco 2B | NYM

    Jorge Polanco: Declines option, becomes free agent

    Polanco declined a $6 million player option with the Mariners for 2026 on Wednesday, Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

    It was an expected decision after Polanco bounced back in 2025 with a .265/.326/.495 batting line and 26 home runs over 138 regular-season contests. Polanco clubbed an additional three long balls during the Mariners' postseason run, and Seattle is likely to make an effort to retain the 32-year-old switch hitter.

  • Winston Santos SP | TEX

    Rangers' Winston Santos: Closes season healthy

    Santos (back) posted an 8.49 ERA, 1.97 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB In 11.2 innings over four appearances between Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock upon being activated from Frisco's 7-day injured list Aug. 29.

    Santos had been on the shelf for more than four months due to a stress reaction in his back, which he sustained following his second start of the season with Frisco. Due to the extended time Santos missed, the Rangers sent him to the Arizona Fall League, where he submitted a 5.28 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 15:9 K:BB in 14.1 innings. The 23-year-old righty will be heading into his second straight season as a member of the Rangers' 40-man roster, but he's unlikely to seriously contend for an Opening Day spot with the big club and will likely be ticketed for the Round Rock rotation to begin the 2026 campaign.

  • Tom Murphy C | SF

    Tom Murphy: Time in San Francisco ends

    The Giants declined Murphy's (back) $4 million team option for 2026 on Monday, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.

    Murphy received a $250,000 buyout and will take home $8.25 million over his two-year stay with the Giants, during which he appeared in just 13 games. He didn't play after early May of the 2024 season after suffering a knee sprain, then missed the entire 2025 campaign due to a mid-back disc herniation that cropped up during spring training. The Giants didn't provide a clear indication on where Murphy stood in his rehab program before the end of this past season, making it uncertain if he'll be healthy in advance of spring training. If the 34-year-old backstop elects to continue his playing career in 2026, he'll likely have to settle for a minor-league deal.

  • Chris Sale SP | ATL

    Braves' Chris Sale: Atlanta picks up $18 million option

    Atlanta exercised Sale's $18 million option for 2026 on Wednesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

    The decision was fait accompli, as Sale has re-emerged as one of the best pitchers in baseball since joining Atlanta, collecting a 2.46 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 390:71 K:BB over 303.1 innings since the beginning of the 2024 campaign. Sale missed more than two months of action this season with a left ribcage fracture, but he finished the year healthy and was superb after returning from the injury with a 2.72 ERA and 51:6 K:BB over his final 36.1 frames. The veteran lefty will turn 37 just after Opening Day next season.

  • Jonathan Loaisiga: Option for 2026 declined

    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.

  • Tim Hill RP | NYY

    Yankees' Tim Hill: Option for 2026 picked up

    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.

  • Shane Bieber SP | TOR

    Blue Jays' Shane Bieber: Staying in Toronto

    Bieber exercised his $16 million player option for 2026 on Tuesday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

    After falling just one game short of capturing his first World Series title, Bieber will opt into another year with the Blue Jays and receive a $6 million raise in the process. The 30-year-old right-hander missed the first several months of the 2025 season while working his way back from Tommy John surgery but returned in time to make seven regular-season starts and post a 3.57 ERA across 40.1 innings. It remains to be seen how his surgically repaired elbow will hold up over the course of a full season, but the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner is still deserving of fantasy attention heading into 2026.

  • Kyle Hart SP | SD

    Kyle Hart: Padres decline option

    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.

  • Elias Diaz C | SD

    Elias Diaz: Club option declined

    The Padres declined Diaz's (oblique) $7 million club option for 2026 on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

    Diaz posted a .607 OPS across 283 regular-season plate appearances in 2025 -- his worst mark since 2019. Rather than pay him $7 million to likely act as a backup in 2026, the Friars will instead give the 34-year-old a $2 million buyout and send him into free agency. His defense should still be enough for him to draw interest from other clubs, but he doesn't offer much fantasy upside at this stage in his career.

  • Jack Little P | DET

    Pirates' Jack Little: Placed on waivers

    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.

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