November 5, 2025
The Atlanta Braves are picking up future Hall of Fame left-hander
Chris Sale's $18 million option for the 2026 season on Wednesday, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. Even though Sale missed extended time once again in 2025 due to injury (a left rib-cage fracture), there was never any doubt that the Braves would bring him back for his 16th MLB season. The 36-year-old nine-time All-Star and former Cy Young winner looked good again when he was healthy, going 7-5 for Atlanta with a 2.58 ERA (2.67 FIP) and 1.07 WHIP with 165 strikeouts and 32 walks in 125 2/3 innings over 21 outings (20 starts). Sale won the National League Cy Young in 2024 in his first year with the Braves, when he led the league with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA, and 225 punchouts. Injuries are an issue, but Sale's high-end strikeout upside makes him worth the risk in fantasy.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
November 4, 2025
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander
Shane Bieber will stay in Canada next year after exercising his $16 million player option for the 2026 season on Tuesday, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post. After spending the first seven years of his MLB career with the Cleveland Guardians, Bieber made his debut in Toronto in 2025, and it was a success. The 30-year-old former American League Cy Young winner and two-time All-Star got a late start after recovering from Tommy John surgery, limiting him to just seven regular-season starts. In 40 1/3 innings pitched, Bieber went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 37 strikeouts, and only seven walks. In five postseason outings (four starts), he allowed nine runs (eight earned) on 21 hits (three homers) while walking six and fanning 18 in 18 2/3 innings. Bieber may never recapture his pre-Tommy John form in Toronto in the tough AL East, but he's certainly worth gambling on in fantasy in 2026 as a mid-rotation starter.
--Keith HernandezSource: New York Post - Jon Heyman
November 4, 2025
The Kansas City Royals announced on Tuesday that they agreed to a two-year contract extension with veteran catcher
Salvador Perez through the 2027 season. The deal is worth $25 million. Before the extension, Perez had a $13.5 million team option for the 2026 campaign. The 35-year-old nine-time All-Star showed his age by hitting .236 (141-for-597) in 2025, but he still managed to reach the 30-homer mark for just the second time in his career while driving in 100 runs for the third time in his career and in back-to-back seasons. The Venezuelan backstop is heading into his 15th MLB campaign, and while he still has plenty of fantasy value at a weak position because of his power and run-producing ability, injuries will be a concern, and fantasy managers will no longer be able to count on a high batting average.
--Keith HernandezSource: Kansas City Royals
November 4, 2025
Philadelphia Phillies outfielder
Harrison Bader declined his side of a $10 million mutual option for the 2026 season on Tuesday, as expected, and is officially a free agent, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. Bader is now on the open market, but the Phillies said last month that they'd be interested in re-signing Bader this winter. The 31-year-old former third-rounder in 2015 by the St. Louis Cardinals out of the University of Florida began the 2025 campaign began his ninth year in the big leagues with the Minnesota Twins before being dealt to Philly in the summer. Although Bader had only five home runs in his 50 regular-season games with the Phillies, he was m and 30 much better offensively than in Minnesota, going 54-for-177 (.305) with 16 RBI and 30 runs scored. The Phils will pay Bader a $1.5 million buyout after declining his option.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com - Todd Zolecki
November 4, 2025
Minnesota Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said on Tuesday that right-hander
Pablo Lopez (forearm) is "fully healthy" and will "be able to have a normal offseason routine," according to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. Lopez missed time early in the 2025 season with a Grade 2 teres major strain and was shut down in late September due to a mild right-forearm strain. The 29-year-old has since recovered and should be a full-go for spring training and the 2026 regular season next year. It's great news for the Twins, as Lopez was pitching like a top-of-the-rotation starter when he was healthy. The Venezuelan hurler finished his third year in Minnesota with a 5-4 record, career-low 2.74 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 73 strikeouts, and 20 walks in 75 2/3 frames over his 14 starts. Lopez is a peg below a true ace for fantasy purposes, and his home ballpark should continue to be a plus for his 2026 value if he remains with the Twins.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Aaron Gleeman
November 4, 2025
Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that Detroit Tigers right-hander
Jack Flaherty is not opting out of his $20 million contract for the 2026 season, according to sources. Flaherty will return to Motown, where he has played in each of the last two seasons. The 30-year-old veteran began the 2024 season in Detroit before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers for the second half of the season, where he eventually ended up winning a World Series title. He returned to the Tigers in 2025 to go 8-15 with a 4.64 ERA (3.85 FIP), 1.28 WHIP, and 188:59 K:BB in 161 innings over his 31 starts. Flaherty didn't exactly have the season he wanted -- he led the league with his 15 losses -- but a bounce-back certainly could be in the cards in 2026 if he can stay healthy. At the very least, Flaherty's above-average strikeout rate is appealing, even if he has been inconsistent.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
November 4, 2025
Atlanta Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos said on 929 The Game on Tuesday that the team is picking up the $7 million club option on second baseman
Ozzie Albies (hand), according to Mark Zinno. Albies will stick around in Atlanta for his 10th season in 2026 despite having his worst full-season offensive performances. The three-time All-Star hit just .240/.306/.365 with a career-low .671 OPS, 16 home runs, 74 RBI, 74 runs scored, and 14 stolen bases in 157 games played. In addition to disappointing with the bat for his standards, Albies fractured his left hand late in the season. The 28-year-old switch-hitting second baseman will look to bounce back offensively and stay healthy for the entire year in 2026 as Atlanta looks to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2025 campaign as well. Albies has two seasons with 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBI, so the ceiling remains high.
--Keith HernandezSource: 929 The Game - Mark Zinno
November 4, 2025
The Milwaukee Brewers declined their $15 million mutual option on left-hander
Jose Quintana on Tuesday, making him a free agent, per ESPN's Jeff Passan. Quintana will be given a $2 million buyout and will be free to sign with any MLB team this offseason. The 36-year-old veteran southpaw only struck out 89 hitters in 131 2/3 innings in 2025 with the Brew Crew, but he managed to go 11-7 with a decent 3.96 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 50 walks over 24 starts during the regular season. Quintana's 4.81 FIP indicates he was very fortunate to have an ERA under 4.00, though, and his market most likely won't be very robust this winter. At best, he's a back-end starter for a big-league rotation at this stage of his career, and his lack of strikeout upside makes him pretty unattractive for fantasy purposes outside of deep leagues.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
November 4, 2025
Milwaukee Brewers first baseman
Rhys Hoskins has become a free agent after the team declined their $18 million mutual option on him on Tuesday, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Instead, Hoskins will receive a $4 million buyout and will be free to sign with any team this winter. The decision to decline the 32-year-old veteran's option doesn't come as a surprise after
Andrew Vaughn took over regular first-base duties in Milwaukee toward the end of the year, relegating Hoskins to a bench role. Hoskins missed more time due to injury in 2025 and ended up playing in only 90 regular-season games, hitting .237 (66-for-279) with a career-low 12 home runs and 42 RBI. Hoskins just hasn't been the same slugger he was in Philadelphia after tearing his ACL and missing all of 2023. However, he did have 26 home runs while driving in 82 in his first year with the Brewers, so he should have a market as more of a full-time DH going into next year.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
November 4, 2025
The Milwaukee Brewers declined catcher
William Contreras' $12 million option for the 2026 season, but he will remain with the team next year and go into his second year of salary arbitration, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. The 27-year-old Venezuelan backstop remains under team control through the 2027 season, but he will receive a $100,000 buyout after Milwaukee declined his 2026 option. After making his second All-Star team in 2024, Contreras took a step back in 2025, although it may have had to do mostly with the fact that he played through a left middle-finger injury that required offseason surgery. He was still an above-average-hitting catcher in the big leagues with his .260/.355/.399 slash line, .754 OPS, 17 home runs, 76 RBI, 89 runs scored, and six steals in 150 games played for the Brew Crew. With better health, Contreras could bounce back in 2026. He has at least 17 homers in each of his last four years, making him a high-end fantasy catching target.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
November 4, 2025
Boston Red Sox shortstop
Trevor Story has opted into the remaining two years and $50 million left on his deal with the team, a source told Chris Cotillo of Mass Live on Tuesday. Story will make $25 million in each of the next two seasons and has a $25 million club option for 2028 that includes a $5 million buyout. The 32-year-old two-time All-Star had his best year in Boston in his fourth year with the team in 2025, slashing .263/.308/.433 with a .741 OPS, 25 home runs, 96 RBI, 91 runs scored, and a career-high 31 stolen bases in 157 games played and 654 plate appearances. It was the first time in his four years in Beantown that he managed to stay healthy, which resulted in his best season since his final year in Colorado in 2021. He might have had the opportunity to make more on the open market, but he chose security with the BoSox. Expecting another strong season like the one he just had is probably foolish, given his age and lengthy injury history.
--Keith HernandezSource: MassLive.com - Chris Cotillo
November 4, 2025
San Diego Padres right-hander
Yu Darvish (elbow) will miss the entire 2026 season after having surgery to fix a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow that included an internal-brace procedure, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. Darvish had the surgery last Wednesday with Dr. Keith Meister. The 39-year-old Japanese hurler only made 15 starts for the Friars during the 2025 regular season due to right-elbow issues, and he also missed some time with elbow injuries the previous two years. Darvish also had Tommy John surgery back in 2015. He's planning on returning to pitch for the Padres in 2027, but at his age, it's fair to wonder how much he has left in the tank. Darvish went 5-5 with a career-worst 5.38 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 68 strikeouts and 19 walks in 72 innings this year. The Padres will have a big need for starting rotation help this offseason, with Darvish injured and
Michael King and
Dylan Cease both free agents.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN.com - Jeff Passan
November 4, 2025
The Seattle Mariners exercised right-handed closer
Andres Munoz's $6 million option for the 2026 season on Tuesday, a source told Francys Romero. It was an expected move for the Mariners to keep one of the most dominant relievers in baseball around for another year. The 26-year-old Mexican reliever was an All-Star for a second straight year in 2025, finishing the regular season with a tidy 1.73 ERA (2.43 FIP), 1.03 WHIP, a career-best 38 saves, 83 strikeouts, and 28 walks in 62 1/3 innings out of the bullpen for Seattle. The Mariners could keep the 26-year-old around through the 2028 season, too, as they have an $8 million option on him for 2027 and a $10 million option for 2028. Munoz's walk percentage has been in double digits each of the last three years, but he's made up for it by striking out 32.6% of the batters he's faced in the last three seasons.
--Keith HernandezSource: Francys Romero
November 4, 2025
Former Chicago Cubs right-hander
Keegan Thompson signed a one-year split contract with the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, according to Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The split contract will pay Thompson $1.3 million on the big-league half (with $100,000 in performance incentives). Thompson will stay in the National League Central after playing the first four years of his big-league career in Chicago, where he posted a 3.64 ERA (4.51 FIP), 1.32 WHIP, and 225:111 K:BB over 104 appearances (23 starts) covering 227 1/3 frames. The 30-year-old pitched at Triple-A Iowa for half of the 2025 season while appearing out of the Cubs' bullpen 24 times, recording a career-best 2.67 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 36 strikeouts, 18 walks, and a career-high two saves. Thompson has mostly been a reliever the last three years, but it's possible Cincy will consider using him in a swing role in 2026.
--Keith HernandezSource: Cincinnati Enquirer - Gordon Wittenmyer
November 4, 2025
The Baltimore Orioles acquired right-handed reliever
Andrew Kittredge from the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Kittredge will return to Baltimore after opening the 2025 season with the O's. The 35-year-old veteran was traded from Baltimore to Chicago at the trade deadline over the summer. Now that he's back with the Orioles, the team will likely pick up his $9 million option for the 2026 season. Kittredge had a 3.45 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 32:8 K:BB in 31 1/3 relief innings in Baltimore before he was traded to the Cubbies, where he posted a 3.32 ERA, 0.83 WHIP, five saves, 32 strikeouts, and only three walks in 21 2/3 relief innings in the regular season. Right now, Kittredge could be the favorite for closing duties for the O's next season, although that could easily change after more moves are made this offseason.
--Keith HernandezSource: ESPN Chicago - Jesse Rogers
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