Ward agreed to a one-year, $12.175 million contract with the Orioles on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

The 32-year-old will receive a raise of over $4 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility after being traded from the Angels to the Orioles in November. Ward batted just .228 across 157 games in 2025 but set career highs with 36 home runs, 103 RBI and 86 runs.

The Mets and Peterson avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $8.1 million contract Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.

It's a nice bump in pay for Peterson, who had been eligible for arbitration for the final time. The lefty faded down the stretch for the Mets in 2025 but still finished with a solid 4.22 ERA and 150:65 K:BB over 168.2 innings covering 30 starts.

The Rockies and Feltner (shoulder) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.45 million contract Thursday, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

Feltner finished the 2025 season on the minor-league injured list with right shoulder inflammation, and he had also previously missed time with back trouble. It's unclear whether he will have any limitation when reporting to spring training next month. Feltner had been eligible for arbitration for the second time.

Jax agreed to a one-year, $3.565 million contract with the Rays on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Jax receives a decent raise in his second year of arbitration eligibility after posting a 4.23 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 99:21 K:BB over 66 innings between the Rays and Twins last season. The right-hander is expected to begin 2026 as part of Tampa Bay's closer committee, along with Garrett Cleavinger and Edwin Uceta.

Garrett (elbow) signed a one-year, $1.3 million contract with the Mets on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

Garrett isn't expected to pitch at all in 2026 after undergoing UCL reconstruction surgery in October. However, he will still receive a $350,000 raise after posting a 3.90 ERA and 1.32 WHIP over 55.1 innings in 2025 and tallying a career-high 20 holds.

Sousa (elbow) signed a one-year, $910,000 contract with the Astros on Thursday, avoiding arbitration, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.

Sousa emerged as a key contributor in the Astros' bullpen in 2025, posting a 2.84 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 50.2 innings before elbow inflammation put an early end to his season. The lefty's performance will earn him a $150,000 raise during his first year of arbitration eligibility, and he figures to reprise his role as a setup man for closer Josh Hader in 2026.

Massey agreed to a one-year, $1.57 million contract with the Royals on Thursday to avoid arbitration, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

It's the first season of arbitration eligibility for Massey, who missed nearly three months during the 2025 season due to wrist, ankle and back issues. The 27-year-old struggled when available last year with a .244/.268/.313 slash line in 77 games, which was a significant decline from his .743 OPS during the 2024 regular season.

The Pirates and Lawrence avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.225 million contract Thursday, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

Lawrence had been arbitration-eligible for the second time. The righty was limited to only 17 appearances in 2025 due to injury, but he was highly effective when on the bump, yielding just one run with a 23:8 K:BB over 17.2 frames. Lawrence should operate in a middle-relief role in 2026.

The Mets and Megill (elbow) avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.5 million contract Thursday, Ari Alexander of 7 News Boston reports.

Megill pitched well when healthy in 2025, posting a 3.95 ERA and 89:33 K:BB over 68.1 innings, but he was limited to only 14 starts before undergoing Tommy John surgery. The righty will miss the entire 2026 season but is under team control for 2027.

The Pirates and Cruz avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $3.3 million contract Thursday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.

It's a nice raise for Cruz, who had been eligible for salary arbitration for the first time. The 27-year-old is coming off a disappointing showing in 2025, having slashed just .200/.298/.378, but he did provide fantasy managers with 20 home runs and 38 stolen bases.