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12 Diamondbacks Players Elect Minor League Free Agency

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TODAY: Pope, Curtiss, Kelly, Nelson, and Kaiser all elected minor league free agency, according to the Reno Aces’ official transactions page.  In addition, Matt Mervis, Cristian Pache, Matt Foster, and Tristin English also elected free agency.  Of that quartet, only English (a third round pick for Arizona in the 2019 draft) received any big league playing time with the D’Backs in 2025, and the others were in the organization on minor league contracts.

NOV. 6: The Diamondbacks have announced a handful of roster moves. Infielder Ildemaro Vargas, catcher James McCann, and left-hander Jalen Beeks have elected free agency. Right-handers Austin Pope, John Curtiss, and Casey Kelly, left-hander Kyle Nelson, and infielder Connor Kaiser were outrighted off the 40-man roster. Arizona’s 40-man roster now sits at 38 players.

Vargas just wrapped up his third stint with the team. The versatile utilityman debuted with the Diamondbacks in 2017. After playing a minor role across three seasons, Arizona designated him for assignment in 2020. The DFA led to a trade to the Twins, though Minnesota would also designate Vargas for assignment less than a month after acquiring him. The Cubs scooped him up off waivers for the final month of the season. Vargas went through a similar set of transactions in 2021, just in a different order. He was claimed off waivers by the Pirates in May, then designated for assignment a couple of weeks later. Pittsburgh worked out a trade that sent Vargas back to Arizona.

Washington gave Vargas his longest look to date. The Nationals signed him as a minor league free agent in May of 2022. He hit .280 in 53 games with the team. Washington gave Vargas semi-regular playing time over the next two seasons. He topped 300 plate appearances for the first time in 2024. Vargas signed a minor league deal to return to Arizona this past offseason. He appeared in 38 games with the team in 2025. Vargas has spent time at all four infield positions, plus left field and right field. He’s also made five appearances in mop-up duty on the mound, hilariously allowing just two earned runs in five innings. The 34-year-old’s extreme versatility could get him another gig this offseason.

Arizona added McCann after Atlanta cut him loose in June. He appeared in 42 games for the team, filling in behind the plate after Gabriel Moreno went down with a hand injury. The 34-year-old posted a solid 110 wRC+ in limited action.

Beeks ended up being a decent find for the Diamondbacks. They signed him just before the season began, and the veteran lefty contributed a 3.77 ERA over 57 1/3 innings. Beeks missed time with a back injury, but still managed to make 61 appearances, including two as an opener.

Curtiss is the only member of the DFA group to make a significant impact at the MLB level in 2025. He appeared in 30 games with the big-league club, recording a 3.93 ERA. Curtiss has bounced around frequently since debuting in 2017, pitching for eight different teams.

Nelson has been a part of Arizona’s bullpen in recent years, but he only appeared in three games this past season. Pope debuted in September, making a two-inning appearance against the Dodgers before heading back to Triple-A Reno. Kelly pitched in two games in August. Kaiser had a couple of brief stints with the big-league club, going 2-for-18 across 11 games.

Diamondbacks Outright Four Players

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The D-Backs outrighted four players off the 40-man roster, according to the MLB.com transaction log. Right-handers John Curtiss and Casey Kelly, lefty Kyle Nelson, and infielder Connor Kaiser all went unclaimed on waivers. They can all elect free agency and will presumably do so within the next day or two.

Nelson is the only member of that group who spent more than one season with Arizona. The Snakes claimed the 29-year-old reliever off waivers from Cleveland over the 2021-22 offseason. Nelson pitched to a 2.19 ERA across 43 appearances during his first season in the desert. His numbers tailed off in 2023 and he hasn’t been much of a factor over the past two seasons. Nelson missed most of the ’24 campaign due to thoracic outlet syndrome. He only made three big league appearances while allowing more than a run per inning over 42 Triple-A games this year.

Curtiss signed a minor league contract with the Snakes over the offseason. They called him up in late June. He tossed 36 2/3 innings across 30 MLB appearances. Curtiss managed a respectable 3.93 ERA but only punched out 17% of batters faced. The 32-year-old righty carries a 4.03 ERA across 145 1/3 innings over parts of eight seasons. This amounts to an early non-tender instead of a projected $1.2MM arbitration salary.

Kelly and Kaiser got cups of coffee as late-season stopgaps. The 36-year-old Kelly pitched in a pair of games in August, pitching around a hit and a walk to work 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He spent most of the year working out of the rotation at Triple-A Reno, pitching to a 5.63 ERA with a well below-average 11.5% strikeout rate over 115 innings. Kaiser, who turns 29 in a few weeks, played in 11 games after his contract was selected in August. He picked up his first two big league knocks. The Vanderbilt product is a glove-only middle infielder who hit .236/.345/.406 with a 27.5% strikeout rate in Triple-A.

The cuts get Arizona’s 40-man roster to compliance for tomorrow’s deadline. Teams need to reinstate all players from the 60-day injured list by Thursday. The D-Backs had been at 44 players including those who’ll come off the injured list.

Diamondbacks Decline Elvin Rodriguez’s Club Option

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The Diamondbacks declined their $1.35MM club option on right-hander Elvin Rodriguez for the 2026 season.  A press release from the MLBPA broke the news by adding Rodriguez to its updated list of free agents, and reporter Francys Romero added the detail that Rodriguez is already receiving interest from teams in Asia.

Rodriguez is no stranger to playing overseas, having already spent parts of the 2023-24 seasons in Japan with the Yakult Swallows.  He delivered a 2.77 ERA over 78 innings in Nippon Professional Baseball, which led to a one-year split contract with the Brewers last winter to mark his return to MLB.  The deal contained both the club option and a $900K salary for Rodriguez’s time in the majors in 2025, which ended up being 19 2/3 innings of 9.15 ERA ball with the Brewers and Orioles.

Milwaukee was dealing with a ton of rotation injuries early in the season, which opened the door for Rodriguez to make the Opening Day roster and make two starts over his six total appearances for the Brew Crew.  After being designated for assignment in July, the O’s claimed Rodriguez but DFA’ed him as well in early September, upon which Arizona stepped in for another waiver claim.  The Diamondbacks didn’t give Rodriguez any looks on their active roster, and his time in the organization will now end after four Triple-A appearances.

Rodriguez made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 2022, and his total resume in the bigs consists of a 9.40 ERA over 52 2/3 total innings.  The righty allowed a whopping 21 homers within that small sample size, and keeping the ball in the park has been a consistent issue for Rodriguez even in his minor league career.  Notably, Rodriguez allowed just a single home run over 45 innings with the Swallows in 2024, which may be why he could again be considering leaving North American ball.  A deal with an international team would surely represent more guaranteed money for Rodriguez than a contract with an MLB team, as Rodriguez is likely facing just minor league offers this winter.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. Exercises Player Option

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Outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has triggered his player option, per Francys Romero of BeisbolFR. Gurriel will return to the Diamondbacks next year and will make a $13MM salary. His deal also contains a $14MM club option for 2027 with a $5MM buyout, so he’d have to have topped $18MM in free agency to come out ahead in an opt-out scenario. Given that Gurriel tore his ACL in early September and is staring down a recovery period of nine or ten months, there’s no way that was going to happen.

As such, Gurriel will return for what’ll be a fourth season in Arizona. The former Jays outfielder was traded to the D-backs prior to the 2023 season, his final year of contractual control, and returned to the Snakes on a three-year, $42MM deal with an opt-out. He had a solid 2024 showing and a lackluster 2025 campaign prior to his injury. Overall, in three seasons as a Diamondback, Gurriel has taken 1691 turns at the plate and logged a .263/.309/.439 batting line (103 wRC+) with 61 homers, 81 doubles, six triples and 22 steals (in 27 attempts). He won’t be an option for them until next summer, based on the provided timetable for his recovery.

With Gurriel on the shelf to begin the year, Arizona’s outfield mix includes Corbin Carroll, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy and Blaze Alexander. McCarthy is a non-tender candidate, and Thomas stands as a change-of-scenery candidate after part of four underwhelming seasons for the former top prospect. The Snakes have been getting longtime infield prospect Jordan Lawlar some reps in center field, and he could be considered for outfield work next year as a result.

Of course, the Diamondbacks will be on the lookout for some outfield additions this winter as well. Starting pitching and bullpen help will presumably be a larger focus, but the struggles of McCarthy and Thomas, coupled with Gurriel’s injury, create enough uncertainty that some external help feels all but certain.

Looking longer-term, if Gurriel returns to form whenever he’s reinstated next summer, he’ll have the chance to set himself up for a fifth year in Phoenix. The $5MM buyout on that $14MM option makes it a net $9MM decision for the team. That’s an affordable rate if Gurriel can approximate the .276/.322/.442 batting line he posted in 540 games between Toronto and Arizona from 2021-24.

Jordan Lawlar Taking Center Field Reps In Winter Ball

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Diamondbacks rookie Jordan Lawlar is playing winter ball in the Dominican Republic this offseason. He made his first appearance with the Tigres del Licey at an unfamiliar position: center field. It’s the first professional outfield experience for Lawlar, whose minor league and MLB work has been divided between second, third and shortstop.

Steve Gilbert of MLB.com wrote earlier this month that the D-Backs wanted Lawlar to get center field work alongside his usual infield responsibilities. The Diamondbacks haven’t made any decisions about a position change, but it behooves them to get a look at him in the outfield for a few reasons.

Lawlar’s defense was a significant issue late this year. The Diamondbacks finally opened everyday playing time for him at third base with the Eugenio Suárez deadline deal. Lawlar was on the minor league injured list for a couple weeks but was recalled at the end of August. His third base audition didn’t last long. Lawlar committed four errors in 76 innings, two apiece on September 7 and 14. Three of those were of the throwing variety. One of Lawlar’s errant throws led to a collision at first base that injured Tyler Locklear, who required surgeries on both his shoulder and elbow.

Scouting reports on Lawlar have generally praised his defensive ability. He was drafted as a shortstop and only moved to third base in deference to Geraldo Perdomo. It’s possible this year’s issues were a blip that’ll be corrected with a mechanical tweak or simply an offseason mental reset. The D-Backs didn’t want him in the field while they were chasing down a Wild Card berth, though. Manager Torey Lovullo kept Lawlar at DH or as a pinch-hitter after his game on September 14. Blaze Alexander played third base until the last game of the season — once the Snakes had been eliminated from contention.

The third base job should be open going into 2026. Alexander is a steady defender but doesn’t have huge upside at the plate. He’s better suited for a utility role. Lawlar, a career .298/.395/.515 hitter in the minors, has a higher ceiling. That wouldn’t matter much if the Diamondbacks don’t trust him defensively. They’re not going to lock him into full-time DH work at 23, but they probably wouldn’t feel great about handing him the starting third base job out of camp. He does still have an option remaining, yet they’re not going to learn much by sending him back to Triple-A Reno and letting him feast on Pacific Coast League pitching for another season.

John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM writes that the D-Backs aren’t inclined to play Lawlar at second base. Ketel Marte might benefit from a few more DH at-bats but remains the primary second baseman. The two outfield spots to the left of Corbin Carroll could be up for grabs.

Center fielder Alek Thomas is a .234/.277/.362 hitter in almost 1400 career plate appearances. The Diamondbacks will eventually need some kind of offense from that spot. Left field is in worse shape. Lourdes Gurriel Jr. tore his ACL in September. Jake McCarthy is coming off a .204/.247/.345 season. Prospect Ryan Waldschmidt may already be their best internal option, and he hasn’t played a game above Double-A.

McCarthy could be non-tendered, while Thomas is a potential change-of-scenery candidate. If Lawlar takes to center field in winter ball, that could allow the Diamondbacks to feel a little more comfortable entertaining Thomas trade talks. Lawlar himself could also be a trade chip, as he’d be their best bet at getting a controllable starting pitcher in return. The Diamondbacks are going to need at least one outfielder via free agency or trade either way, making this an interesting offseason storyline in the desert.

Rockies Narrow Front Office Search To At Least Two Finalists

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Reports emerged a few days ago that the Rockies were entering the finalist stage of their search for a new front office leader, and the field has now been whittled down to perhaps just two names.  The Athletic’s Brittany Ghiroli and Ken Rosenthal report that Guardians assistant GM Matt Forman and Diamondbacks assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye are under consideration for the job, though it is possible another unknown finalist may also still be in the mix.  Former Astros GM James Click and Royals assistant GM Scott Sharp had been candidates for the Rockies job but are no longer in consideration.

Forman, Sharp, and Click were the only names linked to the Rockies’ search, though naturally the team has likely been speaking with other candidates like Sawdaye who weren’t publicly known until now.  Sawdaye has previously been a candidate for top front office posts with the Giants (before Farhan Zaidi was hired) and Angels (who hired Perry Minasian), plus he was at least contacted by the Nationals about their president of baseball operations opening this offseason before Paul Toboni was hired.  Sawdaye has never held the top post in a front office before, but he did take over day-to-day operations for the D’Backs in 2021 when GM Mike Hazen took a temporary leave of absence.

Sawdaye is a longtime executive who started his baseball career with a 15-year stint in the Red Sox front office, rising to the levels of VP of international and amateur scouting.  He worked closely with Hazen for a decade of that time, and when Hazen was hired as Arizona’s GM in October 2016, Sawdaye followed as Hazen’s assistant GM and has since been the de facto chief lieutenant within the Diamondbacks front office.

All this time in the NL West has given Sawdaye plenty of familiarity with the Rockies, and thus Sawdaye may well have some insight into how the Rox can get their organization on track.  Colorado’s search for a new front office head is particularly intriguing since owner Dick Monfort is finally looking at external hires, as a way of bringing some fresh perspective into an organization that has long been accused of being too insular and outmoded in its thinking.

Seven straight losing seasons will tend to convince a team that things need to be changed, especially after the particular embarrassment of the Rockies’ near-record 119-loss campaign in 2025.  Whether it’s Sawdaye, Forman, or another finalist who gets the job, a massive task lies in front of them in simply modernizing the Rockies’ baseball operations department, before getting around to upgrading the on-field roster.

The latest round of interviews for the finalists will take place later this week, Ghiroli and Rosenthal write, with the assumption being that the Rockies will have someone hired before the GM Meetings in early November.  Interim manager Warren Schaeffer technically remains a candidate for the full-time managerial position, but chances are the new GM/president of baseball operations would want to make their own choice as Colorado’s next skipper.

NL Notes: D’Backs, Goldschmidt, Giants, Scherzer, McEwing

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Tyler Locklear will begin the season on the injured list while rehabbing from elbow and shoulder surgeries, leaving the Diamondbacks thin on the first base depth chart.  The left-handed hitting Pavin Smith will get at least a share of the regular at-bats, but given Smith’s struggles against southpaws, a right-handed bat would be a useful platoon partner or a candidate for DH time.  With this in mind, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7FM radio believes the D’Backs will “kick the tires on a reunion with Paul Goldschmidt” this winter.

Goldschmidt spent the first eight seasons of his outstanding career with the Snakes, making six All-Star appearances while hitting .297/.398/.532 with 209 homers over 4708 plate appearances.  Traded to the Cardinals prior to the 2019 season, Goldschmidt kept up much of that form over his six-year run in St. Louis, but he has just about been a league-average bat (102 wRC+) over his last two seasons and 1188 PA with the Cardinals and Yankees.  Playing with New York last year, Goldschmidt had a hot start but faded down the stretch, leading the Yankees to give Ben Rice an increasingly large share of the first base playing time.

Now entering his age-38 season, Goldschmidt may no longer be an ideal everyday option, but he had a .336/.411/.570 slash line in 168 PA against lefties in 2025.  These splits will get him looks from multiple teams in free agency, and returning to his original team in a timeshare with Smith seems like a pretty decent fit for all parties.

More from around the National League…

  • Joe McEwing and the Cardinals “mutually agreed to part ways,” according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.  McEwing spent the first two years of his playing career in St. Louis in 1998-99, and returned to the organization as manager Oliver Marmol’s bench coach prior to the 2023 season after over a decade on the White Sox coaching staff.  The bench coaching job lasted only one year, as McEwing spent the last two seasons as a special assistant to president of baseball operations John Mozeliak.  With Chaim Bloom now taking over the PBO role, it could be that Bloom is looking to make some more organizational changes, or McEwing could be moving on to explore other coaching or front office roles.
  • The Giants seem to be nearing an unique managerial choice in Tony Vitello, as it would represent the first time that a big league team has hired a college coach who had no prior experience in any aspect of pro baseball.  The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly looks at some of the details involved in San Francisco’s pursuit, and suggests that Max Scherzer could be a free agent target if Vitello is indeed hired.  Back when Vitello was an assistant coach at the University of Missouri, he recruited Scherzer to pitch at the school, and the two have stayed great friends over the last two decades.  The Giants are known to be looking for pitching, and Scherzer could essentially replace Justin Verlander as the rotation’s seen-it-all veteran voice.  As Baggarly puts it, “who better than Scherzer to ensure that Vitello gets full buy-in from even the most skeptical veteran player in the room?”  The 41-year-old Scherzer posted only a 5.19 ERA over 85 innings in an injury-shortened regular season for the Blue Jays, but he delivered a strong start to get the win for Toronto in Game 4 of the ALCS.

Offseason Outlook: Arizona Diamondbacks

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The Diamondbacks' pitching staff was battered by injuries, leading to a deadline sell-off of most of their impending free agents. Arizona played surprisingly well in the second half to remain in the Wild Card picture. They came up a little short of a postseason berth, and they're now faced with the task of rebuilding the pitching while navigating an expected payroll cut.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Corbin Burnes, RHP: $170MM through 2030 ($10-11MM deferred annually; Burnes can opt out after '26)
  • Ketel Marte, 2B: $102.5MM through 2031 (Marte can opt out after '30)
  • Corbin Carroll, RF: $102MM through 2030 (including buyout of '31 club option)
  • Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP: $46MM through 2027 (including buyout of '28 mutual/vesting option)
  • Geraldo Perdomo, SS: $45MM through 2030 (including buyout of '31 club option; 2028-30 salaries likely to escalate with expected top 10 MVP finish)
  • Brandon Pfaadt, RHP: $45MM through 2030 (including buyout of '31 club option)
  • Lourdes Gurriel Jr., LF: $18MM player option for 2026 (including buyout of '27 club option)
  • Justin Martinez, RHP: $14.5MM through 2029 (deal includes club options for 2030-32)

Option Decisions

  • LF Lourdes Gurriel Jr. has $18MM player option ($13MM salary plus $5MM buyout on '27 club option valued at $14MM)

Additional financial commitment: Owe $100K buyout to released RHP Kendall Graveman

2026 guarantees: $101.1MM
Total future commitments: $543.1MM through 2031

Arbitration-Eligible Players (service time in parentheses; projected salaries courtesy of MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)

Non-tender candidates: Vargas, Puk, Thompson, Ginkel, Curtiss, Kyle Nelson, McCarthy

Free Agents

A few hints about the Diamondbacks' winter have already emerged courtesy of owner Ken Kendrick. The team's solid performance after the trade deadline ensured that skipper Torey Lovullo and his coaching staff would be back with as little as one change. The expectation will still be to contend, but the front office will have less payroll room with which to work. Kendrick said that the club plans to reduce spending after pushing the payroll to a franchise-record $187MM Opening Day mark this year (via Cot's Baseball Contracts).

Arizona will have around $100MM in guaranteed commitments once Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who is recovering from ACL surgery, inevitably passes on the chance to opt out of the remaining $18MM on his contract. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects the arbitration class to come in around $26MM if everyone were tendered a contract. Only Gabriel Moreno, Ryne Nelson, Alek Thomas and probably Pavin Smith feel like locks for that. Ildemaro Vargas, John Curtiss, Kevin Ginkel and Kyle Nelson should all be fairly easy cuts. That leaves a handful of borderline tender decisions.

Whether to bring back A.J. Puk is entirely a health question. He's one of the best left-handed relievers in the game, but he underwent internal brace surgery in June. That's the second UCL procedure of his career. The internal brace usually comes with a lesser recovery timeline than the full Tommy John reconstruction. If the D-Backs expect Puk to return around the All-Star Break, they should pay the $3-4MM which he'd make in arbitration.

If they're projecting more of a 14-15 month timeline that'd raise doubts about his availability for the entire season, a non-tender has to be a consideration. Puk will be a free agent after the '26 campaign, so there's no point tendering him a contract just to rehab. The Snakes could also reach out to Puk's camp before the non-tender deadline to see if they're open to a two-year deal that'd ensure the pitcher gets paid next year while the team gets the upside of a full season in 2027.

Ryan Thompson is coming off a middling season and missed most of the second half with a shoulder strain. He pitched well in September and the Snakes need bullpen help, but a near-$4MM projection feels a bit rich. Meanwhile, Jake McCarthy is coming off a sub-replacement season in which he hit .204/.247/.345 across 222 big league plate appearances. He'll be out of minor league options. McCarthy has had flashes of MLB success and is projected for a sub-$2MM salary, but the Snakes could try to shop him in a sell-low trade. If they don't find any interest, they'll need to decide whether to tender him a contract as a fourth or fifth outfielder.

While the Diamondbacks have a fairly large arbitration class, their deadline sale left them with only three impending free agents. Journeyman reliever Jalen Beeks and backup catcher James McCann each played their roles well enough. The Diamondbacks could get either of them back on a cheap one-year deal. Their biggest potential loss is Zac Gallen, a one-time candidate for a nine figure deal who hits the market after an uneven showing.

Gallen pitched so poorly in the first half that Arizona didn't find a trade offer to their liking. They were comfortable making him a $22.025MM qualifying offer if other clubs didn't meet their asking price. Gallen is still expected to decline the QO coming off a 4.83 ERA over 33 starts. He's represented by the Boras Corporation, which has had success finding two-year deals with an opt-out rather than straight one-year pillow contracts. Gallen, who is going into his age-30 season, is a candidate for that kind of deal.

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Diamondbacks Hire J.R. House As Third Base Coach

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The D-Backs are hiring J.R. House as third base/catching coach, reports Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic. The 45-year-old has held that role with the Reds for the past seven seasons.

House had a brief big league playing career as a part-time catcher. He coached and managed in the D-Backs’ farm system for most of the 2010s and still lives in Arizona. House tells Piecoro that the proximity to home was a big reason for him to leave the Reds for what amounts to a lateral move.

The Diamondbacks had hired a first-year third base coach, Shaun Larkin, last offseason. Larkin struggled in that role and had a few bad sends that led manager Torey Lovullo to remove him from the job in the middle of August. Larkin remains on staff as an infield instructor. Piecoro writes that Tim Bogar, who worked as third base coach for the final five weeks of the season, will return to a minor league player development role.

That may be the only change to Arizona’s staff. Lovullo told The Burns & Gambo Show earlier this month that they’d bring back all their coaches, though he left the door open to some role shuffling. The Reds will now need to make at least one coaching change going into Terry Francona’s second season at the helm.

Nine Players Elect Free Agency

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Now that the season is over, we’ll start seeing several players choose to become minor league free agents. Major League free agents (i.e. players with six-plus years of big league service time) will hit the open market five days after the end of the World Series, but eligible minor leaguers can already start electing free agency.

To qualify, these players must have been all outrighted off their team’s 40-man rosters during the 2025 season without being added back. These players also must have multiple career outrights on their resume, and/or at least three years of Major League service time.

We’ll offer periodic updates over the coming weeks about many other players hitting the market in this fashion. Unless otherwise credited, these free agent decisions are all listed on the official MLB.com or MILB.com transactions pages, for further reference.

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Photo courtesy of Jonathan Hui, Imagn Images

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