MLB Player News
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Ryan O'Hearn 1B | BAL
Orioles' Ryan O'Hearn: $8 million club option exercised
The Orioles exercised O'Hearn's $8 million club option for 2025 on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
O'Hearn made $3.5 million in 2024, so he will be getting a nice salary bump in 2025. The 31-year-old has slashed .275/.329/.450 with 29 home runs over 254 regular-season games during his two years in Baltimore. He'll garner regular playing time against right-handed pitching again next season.
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Cionel Perez RP | BAL
Orioles' Cionel Perez: Club option picked up
The Orioles exercised Perez's $2.2 million club option for 2025 on Monday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Perez, 28, held a 4.53 ERA and 46:28 K:BB over 53.2 innings for the Orioles this season. He posted a 53.5 percent ground ball rate and didn't surrender a single home run over his 62 appearances.
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Carlos Santana 1B | MIN
Carlos Santana: Wants to play 3-to-4 more seasons
Santana's agent, Ulises Cabrera, said Monday that his client wants to play for 3-to-4 more seasons, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
It seems unlikely that Santana will be able to hang around that much longer considering he'll turn 39 in April. However, he's coming off a strong 2024 season, having slashed .238/.328/.420 with 23 home runs over 150 games for the Twins while winning his first-ever Gold Glove at first base.
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Jorge Polanco 2B | SEA
Jorge Polanco: Full activities by January
Polanco's (knee) agent, Ulises Cabrera, said Monday that his client is expected to be cleared for full baseball activities by January, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports.
Polanco dealt with a patellar tendon issue in his left knee for much of the 2024 season before finally undergoing surgery in October. He's a free agent after the Mariners declined his $12 million club option for 2025 but is expected to enter spring training fully healthy. Polanco posted a career-worst .651 OPS this season but is a decent bounce-back candidate in 2025 if he can stay healthy.
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Josh Sborz RP | TEX
Rangers' Josh Sborz: Multiple opinions on shoulder
Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday that Sborz has been examined by multiple shoulder experts but has not yet made a decision on a course of action, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
Sborz dealt with a right shoulder problem off and on throughout the 2024 campaign and ended the season on the injured list with what the team simply referred to as shoulder fatigue. It would seem as though surgery could be one possibility Sborz is considering, although Young didn't divulge specifics in regards to what injury exactly the reliever is dealing with. With Kirby Yates, David Robertson and Jose Leclerc all becoming free agents, the health of Sborz is paramount.
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Nathan Eovaldi SP | TEX
Nathan Eovaldi: Declines player option
Eovaldi declined his $20 million player option for 2025, Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News reports.
While that means Eovaldi is now a free agent, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young said Monday that the club has "great interest" in re-signing the veteran right-hander. Eovaldi, who turns 35 in February, holds a 3.72 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 298:89 K:BB over 314.2 innings covering 54 regular-season starts during his two seasons with the Rangers.
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Paul Goldschmidt 1B | STL
Paul Goldschmidt: Will not be given qualifying offer
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak confirmed Monday that the team will not extend Goldschmidt a one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer, John Denton of MLB.com reports.
It's been reported previously that the Cardinals are also not expected to negotiate with Goldschmidt on a lesser salary, so the veteran first baseman will be allowed to depart as a free agent. Goldschmidt slashed just .245/.302/.414 with 22 home runs in 2024 and turned 37 in September, but he should still draw some interest from clubs willing to take a shot on a bounce-back year in 2025.
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Rob Refsnyder LF | BOS
Red Sox's Rob Refsnyder: 2025 option exercised
The Red Sox exercised Refsnyder's $2.1 million club option for 2025.
Refsnyder was a useful platoon bat for the Red Sox again in 2024, slashing .283/.359/.471 with 11 homers over 93 games, which included a .941 OPS versus left-handed pitching. Boston currently projects to be very left-handed heavy again in 2025, so Refsnyder should be busy again as a short-side platoon outfielder.
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Phil Maton RP | NYM
Phil Maton: Option not picked up
The Mets declined Maton's $7.75 million club option for 2025 on Monday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Maton will be given a $250,000 buyout instead and is now a free agent. The 31-year-old was terrific for the Mets after being acquired via trade from the Rays, collecting a 2.51 ERA and 30:6 K:BB over 28.2 innings. However, the club didn't feel he was worth bringing back at a $7.75 million price tag.
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Taylor Trammell RF | NYY
Yankees' Taylor Trammell: Added to 40-man roster
The Yankees selected Trammell's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
Trammell spent most of the 2024 season at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, slashing .256/.381/.488 with 18 homers and 20 steals. He's hit only .167/.270/.363 with a 37.1 percent strikeout rate over parts of four major-league seasons, but the Yankees decided the 27-year-old was worthy of a 40-man roster spot heading into the offseason.