NEW YORK (AP) — Detroit pitcher Jack Flaherty and Toronto pitcher Shane Bieber exercised their player options for 2026 rather than become eligible for free agency.
San Diego pitcher Wandy Peralta also exercised his option, while Arizona outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Baltimore outfielder Tyler O’Neill and Texas outfielder Joc Pederson decided not to opt out of their contracts.
Nine more players became free agents Wednesday, raising the total to 162. Teams must decide by Thursday whether to make to their eligible former players who went free.
About 20 more players potentially could go free on Thursday, the last day of the five-day window. That group includes pitcher Andrew Kittredge, reacquired Wednesday by Baltimore from the Chicago Cubs. The 35-year-old right-hander and the Orioles agreed in January to a that includes a $9 million team option for 2026 with a $1 million buyout.
Flaherty earned $25 million this year from and decided to keep a $20 million salary for next season. The 30-year-old right-hander went 8-15, leading the AL in losses, and had a 4.64 ERA in 31 starts.
and decided to exercise his $16 million option for 2026. A 30-year-old right-hander who won the 2020 AL Cy Young Award, Bieber was acquired by Toronto from Cleveland at the trade deadline. He .
He went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA in seven starts, helping boost Toronto to its first AL East title since 2015. He allowed Sunday that lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-4 win in Game 7 of the World Series.
Peralta agreed before the 2024 season to a . He exercised a $4.25 million option for next season and also has a $4.45 million option for 2027. The 34-year-old left-hander went 6-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 71 games.
Gurriel, 32, kept a $13 million salary for 2026 and a $14 million team option for 2027 with a $5 million buyout, part of a . An All-Star in 2023, he hit .248 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs this year.
O’Neill held onto $16.5 million salaries for each of the next two seasons, part of a . The 30-year-old hit .199 with nine homers and 26 RBIs in 54 games, making three trips to the injured list because of neck inflammation, left shoulder impingement and right wrist inflammation.
Pederson agreed in January to a . He had the right to opt out of his $18.5 million salary for next year and an $18.5 million mutual option for 2027 but if he had opted out the Rangers had the right to exercise an option for 2026 and 2027 at those salaries. The 33-year-old batted .181 with nine homers and 29 RBIs. He on May 24 and returned July 27.
Cincinnati declined a $6.5 million club option on in favor of a $1 million buyout, a $3 million option on in favor of a $250,000 buyout and a $12 million mutual option on in favor of a $1 million buyout.
Philadelphia outfielder Harrison Bader turned down his $10 million mutual option for a $1.5 million buyout that finishes a , which .
Catcher Elias Díaz’s $7 million mutual option was declined by San Diego for a $2 million buyout, finishing a . The Padres declined a $5 million option on left-hander Kyle Hart, who gets a $500,000 buyout as part of a . San Diego also declined a $1 million team option on infielder Tyler Wade that triggered a $50,000 buyout. He was assigned outright to Triple-A El Paso in August.
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