MLB Player News
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Wandy Peralta RP | SD
Padres' Wandy Peralta: Exercises player option
Peralta exercised his $4.45 million player option for 2026 on Monday, Sammy Levitt of 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.
Peralta made 71 appearances out of the Padres' bullpen in 2025, collecting a 3.14 ERA and 63:30 K:BB over 71.2 innings. The veteran reliever will be one of San Diego's key bullpen arms from the left side again in 2026.
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Jorge Mateo SS | BAL
Jorge Mateo: Club option for 2026 declined
The Orioles declined Mateo's $5.5 million option for 2026 on Monday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
He'll become a free agent after slashing just .177/.217/.266 across 42 contests during an injury-shortened 2025 campaign for Baltimore. The 30-year-old Mateo has an underwhelming .221/.266/.363 career batting line over parts of six major-league seasons, but his speed and versatility should be enough to attract some interest on the free-agent market.
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Lourdes Gurriel LF | ARI
Diamondbacks' Lourdes Gurriel: Picks up player option
Gurriel (knee) exercised his $13 million player option for 2026 on Monday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Gurriel had right ACL surgery in September and will miss at least the first couple months of the 2026 season, which made picking up his option a fairly easy decision. The 32-year-old outfielder slashed .248/.295/.418 with 19 home runs over 129 games for the Diamondbacks before getting injured.
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Ha-seong Kim 2B | ATL
Ha-Seong Kim: Becomes free agent after opting out
Kim became a free agent Monday after exercising the opt-out clause in his contract, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
After Kim slashed just .234/.304/.345 in 48 games for Tampa Bay and Atlanta in 2025, it was not a given that he would opt out of the $16 million he was owed in 2026. However, the 30-year-old ultimately has decided to test out the free-agent market. Atlanta has a hole at shortstop, so it will likely make an effort to re-sign Kim, but he'll now be free to negotiate with all teams.
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Pete Alonso 1B | BAL
Pete Alonso: Officially opts out of contract
Alonso became a free agent Monday after opting out of his contract, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Alonso wound up having to settle for a two-year, $54 million contract with the Mets last offseason, but he had the ability to opt out after the first year of that deal and has unsurprisingly done just that. The first baseman slashed .272/.347/.524 with 38 home runs and 126 RBI for the Mets in 2025. Alonso is not eligible to receive a qualifying offer this offseason, which should help his market.
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Tyler O'Neill LF | BAL
Orioles' Tyler O'Neill: Does not exercise opt out
O'Neill will remain with the Orioles after declining to exercise the opt-out clause in his contract, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.com reports.
O'Neill is owed $33 million over the next two years, and he's wisely decided to opt into that deal after slashing just .199/.292/.392 over 54 games in his first year in Baltimore. The 30-year-old should bounce back to some degree in 2026, but he will remain an injury risk.
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Cody Bellinger LF | NYY
Cody Bellinger: Declines player option for 2026
Bellinger became a free agent Monday after declining his $25 million player option for 2026, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Bellinger will test out free agency after slashing .272/.334/.480 with 29 home runs, 98 RBI and 13 stolen bases over 152 regular-season games for the Yankees in 2025. The Yankees will likely make an effort to re-sign the 30-year-old, but Bellinger should have a healthy market as a relatively young free agent coming off a nice season who can play multiple positions.
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Edwin Diaz RP | LAD
Edwin Diaz: Hits free-agent market
Diaz became a free agent after opting out of his contract Monday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.
Diaz had two years and $38 million remaining on his contract with the Mets, but he will forgo that salary as he seeks a longer and more lucrative free-agent deal. The Mets are likely to be in the mix to retain Diaz, but he will have plenty of interest on the open market. Diaz -- who turns 32 in March -- posted a 1.63 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 98:21 K:BB over 66.1 frames in 2025, notching 28 saves in the process.
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A.J. Minter RP | NYM
Mets' A.J. Minter: Exercises player option
Minter (lat) exercised his $11 million player option for 2026 on Monday, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Minter made only 13 relief appearances for the Mets in 2025 before undergoing season-ending left lat surgery in early May. The left-hander is expected to be recovered in time for the start of spring training and will return to a high-leverage role in the Mets' bullpen. Minter could even see some save chances in 2026 if Edwin Diaz departs via free agency.
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Robert Suarez RP | ATL
Robert Suarez: Opts out, becomes free agent
Suarez became a free agent after opting out of his contract Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Suarez had an $8 million player option in 2026 and 2027, but he will forgo those and enter the free-agent market. The 34-year-old led the National League with 40 saves in 2025 and boasts a 2.87 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 134:32 K:BB over 134.2 regular-season innings since the start of the 2024 campaign. Suarez should have no trouble landing a sizeable contract this offseason to serve as a closer.