AL West Notes: Miller, Castillo, Langford, Rangers, Moore
Bryce Miller will start and Luis Castillo will again be the piggyback pitcher for the Mariners on Sunday, but the team will then adopt a six-man rotation, the Seattle Times’ Adam Jude writes. Friday’s game with the Diamondbacks kicked off a stretch of 16 games in 17 days for the Mariners, so shifting back to a six-man rotation will help keep the entire pitching staff fresh. The rotation plan will then be re-evaluated on June 15 (Seattle’s next off-day), and sticking with the six-man format could be an option, if the M’s don’t again use two starters in a piggyback set-up.
Simply establishing a plan for the next couple of weeks is a positive step for the Mariners, as both Miller and Castillo weren’t pleased with what they felt was a lack of communication from the club. Manager Dan Wilson, pitching coach Pete Woodworth, president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, and GM Justin Hollander all spoke with the two right-handers this week and now everyone seems to be “on the same page,” as Miller put it. Emerson Hancock‘s breakout season has given Seattle six viable starters and a bit of awkwardness in how to best manage everyone’s workload, though in the big picture, there’s no such things as too much good pitching for a team hoping to make an even deeper playoff run.
More from around the AL West…
- Wyatt Langford is slated to start a Triple-A rehab assignment today. The Rangers outfielder hasn’t played since April 21 due to a right forearm strain, and his stay on the 10-day injured list has been longer than expected since Langford’s previous attempt at a minor league rehab stint was paused due to more forearm discomfort. Pegged by many as a candidate for a true breakout in 2026, Langford got off to a slow start before his IL placement, hitting only .238/.274/.363 in his first 84 plate appearances.
- In addition to Langford, Rangers manager Skip Schumaker also gave reporters (including the Dallas Morning News’ Shawn McFarland) updates on two other sidelined players. Corey Seager is set for a live batting practice today, a week after a previous live BP session was postponed due to more soreness in the shortstop’s ailing back. “The running has been maybe the main thing” holding Seager back, Schumaker said, through Seager has been able to play catch and take swings. Josh Smith has also rejoined the Rangers and restarted baseball activities, though as with Seager, there isn’t any timetable for when Smith might be back in the Texas lineup. A right glute strain sent Smith to the 10-day IL on May 4, but what was initially expected to be a minimal IL stint was extended due to wrist soreness, and then the more serious matter of a bout of viral meningitis that led to a hospital stay.
- Former Angels top prospect Christian Moore exclusively played second base in his first two pro seasons but he has split his time between second and third base this season at Triple-A Salt Lake. Moore is now getting a look at the entirely new position of left field, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register writes. Angels assistant GM Joey Prebynski said Moore will be used at all three positions, and “for us, it’s just about continuing to get him reps out there, seeing balls off the bat in left field.” No team in baseball has gotten less from its left fielders in 2026 than the Angels, as Josh Lowe‘s struggles (and subsequent demotion to Triple-A) have been the biggest reason why the position has been a black hole for the team. With the Oswald Peraza/Adam Frazier platoon in place at second base, Moore’s next trip to the majors could very well see him get much more time away from his natural position. Moore made his MLB debut last season and hit only .198/.284/.370 over 184 PA, but he has continued to crush Triple-A pitching in his second year at the top minor league level, with a .282/.439/.481 to show for 171 PA for Salt Lake in 2026.
Mariners Notes: Crawford, Rotation, Castillo
J.P. Crawford has been a key part of the Mariners’ lineup since joining the club in 2019. In over 3,800 plate appearances with Seattle, Crawford has batted .248/.341/.369 with a 107 wRC+ while providing serviceable defense at shortstop, including 9 Defensive Runs Saved as recently as 2024. That said, the recently extended Colt Emerson is Seattle’s shortstop of the future, and Crawford, in his final season of club control, has volunteered to play third base to accommodate Emerson.
Crawford’s willingness to play the hot corner will add to his value in free agency, and it may also help his chances of returning to the Mariners. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reports that Crawford’s agent met with general manager Justin Hollander following Crawford’s asking to try third base, reiterating the latter’s desire to stay in Seattle. Hollander indicated a Crawford reunion is “absolutely” possible. “Obviously we’ll talk about it after the season and see how it goes. But he wants to be here and there’s definitely a place for him,” Hollander said of Crawford.
Those comments are not surprising for a general manager speaking of a long-tenured and well-liked player. That said, Crawford’s willingness to move positions and positive clubhouse reputation make the third base experiment worth exploring before he reaches free agency. Crawford’s work at short has been poor since the start of 2025, adding up to -9 DRS and -19 Outs Above Average. He has 174 2/3 innings of big league experience at third, all coming with the Phillies from 2017-18. To his credit, Crawford was worth 7 DRS and 3 OAA in that sample.
Of course, that’s a small sample from eight years ago. In contrast, a look at Crawford’s Statcast page gives reason for pessimism. His range is in the first percentile, while his arm strength 77.5 MPH arm strength in 2026 falls in just the 17th percentile. In terms of lateral moves, Crawford has been worth -10 OAA since the start of 2025 when moving toward third base. When moving toward first base, that improves slightly to -4 OAA. Playing third base would result in more lateral moves toward first, which could theoretically help to optimize Crawford’s defense as he plays deeper into his 30s.
Time will tell how Crawford fares defensively at the hot corner. In any case, a reunion might help the team’s offense and overall defensive flexibility. Crawford has put up a 114 wRC+ in 180 plate appearances this year. Despite a .204 batting average, he remains a productive hitter thanks to his ability to draw walks, doing so at least 11.3% of the time in every season since 2022. The M’s also have Brendan Donovan under club control through 2027. Donovan has exclusively played third this year but also has experience at second and in left. Retaining Crawford to play third would allow Donovan to be used as a super-utility player while ensuring plenty of at-bats for those two and Emerson.
Turning to the pitching staff, the Mariners’ rotation is in a bit of a crunch with Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Bryce Miller, and Emerson Hancock all performing well. Although Miller had a 5.68 ERA last year and missed the first month and a half of 2026 with an oblique strain, he posted a 3.52 ERA with a strong 17.6% strikeout to walk differential from 2023-24. Going forward, Ryan Divish and Adam Jude of the Seattle Times opine that the Mariners’ best path forward is Miller in the rotation and Luis Castillo in the bullpen full-time.
Castillo made his first career appearance as a reliever on Tuesday, allowing two earned runs in 2 1/3 innings against the White Sox while striking out four. He’s been a reliable starter since joining Seattle midway through the 2022 season, but unfortunately that hasn’t been the case in 2026. Castillo has a 6.34 ERA in 44 innings as a starter, and that’s not the result of one or two blow-ups. He’s allowed four earned runs or more on four separate occasions, and he’s only once completed six innings. Castillo has had some bad luck, as evidenced by a .346 opponents’ average on balls in play, but he’s also getting groundballs at a career-low 35.2% rate.
Castillo’s four-seamer had a run value of +11 last year, according to Statcast. While it hasn’t been as effective in 2026, the pitch is still getting 1.8 inches of horizontal break above league average. As a reliever, Castillo could take advantage of that movement by throwing the four-seamer more often, without having to face hitters multiple times. Then, if one of the starters goes down with an injury, Castillo could slot back into the rotation and revert to his old pitch mix.
Photo courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff, Imagn Images
MLBTR Podcast: Colt Emerson Debuts, Blue Jays’ Rotation Issues, And What To Make Of The Mets And Astros
The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Mariners calling up Colt Emerson (3:40)
- The Blue Jays losing José Berríos to surgery and trading Eric Lauer (10:50)
- The Dodgers losing Blake Snell to surgery (17:05)
- The Mets losing Francisco Alvarez to surgery and Clay Holmes to a fibula fracture (21:00)
- The Astros losing Jose Altuve to an oblique strain (31:35)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Which teams have been the biggest positive surprises so far this season? (43:00)
- With the Dodgers having a lot of outfield prospects and trending towards a surplus, do they put together a trade or hold and develop them? (54:10)
Check out our past episodes!
- Patrick Bailey To Cleveland, The Struggling Astros, And Arizona’s Outfield Changes – listen here
- Skubal’s Injury, The Marlins’ Catchers, Eldridge Called Up, And Volpe Sent Down – listen here
- The Alex Cora Situation, Lucas Giolito Signs, And The Phillies Fire Rob Thomson – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Photo courtesy of Steven Bisig, Imagn Images
J.P. Crawford Getting Work At Third Base
Mariners shortstop J.P. Crawford has been getting work at the hot corner and was taking grounders there prior to today’s game. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com was among those to report that the idea was actually brought up by Crawford, who approached manager Dan Wilson about the possibility this weekend. Crawford’s agent subsequently ran it by general manager Justin Hollander. All parties seem to be on board with seeing what it might look like.
Crawford’s openness to sliding off shortstop comes in conjunction with top prospect Colt Emerson reaching the majors. Seattle inked the 20-year-old to a record-setting eight-year, $95MM contract before he took a single plate appearance in the majors. Emerson made his big league debut earlier this week and promptly deposited a ball over the right field fence, making his first big league hit a three-run big fly. The 2023 first-rounder (No. 22 overall) is currently the third-ranked prospect in the entire game, per Baseball America.
Emerson has played both third base and shortstop in his first three big league games, but he’s spent the overwhelming majority of his career at shortstop (2074 innings, compared to 175 at third base). The Mariners surely envision him as their shortstop of the future — particularly with Crawford set to become a free agent at season’s end.
From Crawford’s vantage point, the experiment makes good sense. It’s a team-first approach in the short term, allowing Emerson to perhaps claim the spot the Mariners hope him to occupy well into the 2030s, but it also expands his own defensive versatility ahead of his first trip to the open market. Crawford’s defensive grades have declined in recent years, particularly over the past season-plus. If he can grade out more effectively at the hot corner, that’ll only make him more appealing while Emerson acclimates to the majors at his natural position.
Third base isn’t entirely new for Crawford, but it’s been quite some time since he logged any game action there. He has 174 innings at the position in his career, all coming in 2017-18 with the Phillies — the team that originally drafted him. He has another 78 minor league innings at the position.
While there’s some current opportunity to test things out, a more permanent move to third base might not be a possibility for Crawford just yet. The Mariners placed Brendan Donovan on the 10-day IL due to a groin strain this week. He’ll be shut down entirely for two to three weeks before resuming baseball activity. It doesn’t seem he’s ticketed for an especially long-term absence.
A healthy Donovan could slot right back in at third base, but he’s also comfortable playing second base and the outfield corners. Cole Young has been fine at second base but hasn’t exactly seized the position with a dominant performance. Outfield/DH options like Dominic Canzone and Luke Raley have quality season-long numbers but have begun to cool after blistering starts to the 2026 campaign. Time will tell how all of them are faring in a few weeks, but there are certainly scenarios where Donovan factors in at a position other than third base — the only position he’s played so far in 2026.
Crawford, 31, is in the final season of a five-year, $51MM contract. He missed time early on due to a shoulder injury and has been slowed recently by a triceps issue that doesn’t seem like it’ll send him to the injured list. He was originally slated to play shortstop and lead off for Seattle, but the Mariners scratched him a couple hours before first pitch. He’s turned in a tepid .210 batting average but has ridden a career-best 16.5% walk rate to a big .358 on-base percentage.
This year’s uncommonly low average is due primarily to a .220 average on balls in play that’s about 70 points shy of league average and Crawford’s own career .293 mark. He’s actually striking out less than ever (and less often than he walks), at a 15.9% rate. Crawford’s batted-ball metrics and bat speed are right in line with his typical levels. Statcast credits him for an expected .256 batting average and .418 slugging percentage, suggesting better days at the plate might not be all that far off.
Mariners Recall Robinson Ortiz, Select Brennen Davis
The Mariners announced several roster moves today. Infielder Patrick Wisdom has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list and left-hander Robinson Ortiz has been recalled from Triple-A. The lefty will be making his major league debut as soon as he gets into a game. To open spots for those two, Seattle optioned right-hander Domingo González and infielder Leo Rivas. Additionally, the Mariners selected outfielder Brennen Davis to the 40-man roster and optioned him to Triple-A. The 40-man had a vacancy but is now full with Davis taking the open spot.
Ortiz, 26, was just acquired from the Dodgers in an offseason trade. As a minor leaguer, he has missed significant time due to injuries. When healthy, he has been able to get batters out but has also flashed control issues.
That has been the case in his first season with the M’s so far. He has thrown 16 Triple-A innings, allowing 1.69 earned runs per nine. He has struck out 26.1% of the batters he has faced and induced grounders on half the balls in play he has allowed but has also given out walks at a massive 17.4% clip. If it weren’t for a .211 batting average on balls in play and no fly balls clearing the fence, he surely would have suffered far worse results.
He has mostly been a fastball-slider guy this year, throwing those two pitches almost 90% of the time. His cutter has made up the rest of his offerings. The four-seamer is averaging 94.4 miles per hour this year with the slider at 83.9 mph.
It’s possible the the Mariners wanted to get a fresh arm onto the roster. They have been utilizing a six-man rotation lately, leaving them with only seven relievers. González has been heavily used recently, with four appearances in the past six days, including the two most recent contests. If González was going to be unavailable for a day or two, that would drop the Mariners to only six available relievers. Instead, they have swapped in Ortiz, who will make his major league debut as soon as soon as he gets the call.
As for Davis, it was reported that he had an assignment clause in his minor league deal last week. If triggered, he would have to be offered up to the other 29 clubs in the league. If any one of them were willing to give him a 40-man spot, the Mariners would have to either trade him or give him a 40-man spot themselves.
It didn’t seem like the M’s wanted to let him get away. “I don’t see a scenario where we don’t keep him in our organization,” general manager Justin Hollander said. “He’s a right-handed bat with power and there aren’t a ton of them available.” Based on this move, it appears that Davis triggered his clause and had at least one club out there willing to roster him. The Mariners then used their open roster spot to prevent him from getting away, though Davis is being kept in the minors for now.
A former top prospect with the Cubs, injuries wiped out a huge chunk of his 2022 to 2025 seasons. He had to settle for a minor league deal with the Mariners coming into 2026. He has been crushing it in Triple-A so far this year, putting up a massive .281/.394/.548 line. Between that performance and his former prospect pedigree, the M’s have deemed him worthy of a roster spot.
In the big leagues, Seattle is sticking with the existing outfield mix, which consists of Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone, Rob Refsnyder and Connor Joe. Davis can perhaps get called up if an injury arises but will keep getting reps in the minors for now.
Davis has one option remaining. Once he spends 20 days on optional assignment, that will make this his final option season. If he still has a roster spot going into next year, it’s possible there’s a greater path to playing time as Arozarena and Refsnyder are impending free agents and Joe is a potential non-tender candidate. It’s also possible that Davis gets squeezed off the roster at some point and ends up finding a better path to a big league opportunity via a trade or the waiver wire.
Photo courtesy of Jayne Kamin-Oncea, Imagn Images
Mariners Promote Colt Emerson, Place Brendan Donovan On IL
The Mariners are adding top prospect Colt Emerson to the big-league squad, first reported by Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. The 20-year-old shortstop is among the highest-ranked young players in the sport. The team has officially announced the promotion. Brendan Donovan was placed on the 10-day IL with a groin strain as the corresponding move.
The Mariners released an updated lineup for Sunday Night Baseball against the Padres. Emerson is now batting ninth and playing third base instead of Leo Rivas. He’ll be the youngest Mariner to make his debut since 19-year-old Félix Hernández in 2005, according to the team.
Emerson fell short of an MLB gig out of Spring Training, despite a 111 wRC+ in 18 games. The 20-year-old has slashed .255/.347/.469 through 38 games at Triple-A this season. He’s popped seven home runs to go with 10 stolen bases.
Seattle inked Emerson to an eight-year, $95MM extension in late March. The price tag is a record figure for a player who has yet to appear in the majors. MLB Pipeline has Emerson ranked sixth among all prospects. FanGraphs has the infielder just outside the top 10.
The Mariners didn’t give Emerson an opportunity in the majors when shortstop J.P. Crawford was working through a shoulder injury early in the year. It would seem another injury to an infielder has opened the door for the youngster. Donovan had been out of the lineup since Friday. He’s been the club’s everyday third baseman when healthy. Emerson has played mostly shortstop with Tacoma, but he’s made five starts at the hot corner this season.
Donovan has dealt with groin issues since the offseason. He underwent sports hernia surgery before the 2026 campaign got underway. The infielder hit the IL in late April with a groin strain. After just seven games, Donovan is back on the injured list with the same injury. With Emerson taking over at third base, the versatile Donovan will move around to multiple spots when healthy, per Adam Jude of the Seattle Times. There’s no timetable for his return, but the club hopes he can get back to full strength in a few weeks, per Divish.
Seattle took Emerson with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 draft. He moved quickly through the lower levels of the minors. Emerson posted an impressive 129 wRC+ across three levels last year, capped off by a massive .364/.444/.727 line in a brief sample at Triple-A. He hasn’t been as dominant so far this season, particularly in terms of contact. Emerson has a career-high 27.2% strikeout rate over 169 plate appearances in the minors this year. The power and speed have been among the best he’s shown, though. Emerson’s 16 homers and 14 steals in 2025 were both career highs. He would’ve blown past those marks if he had stayed with Tacoma much longer.
Photo courtesy of Arianna Grainey, Imagn Images
AL Injury Notes: O’Hoppe, Raleigh, Madden
Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe left last night’s game against the Dodgers with left wrist irritation, according to a team announcement. O’Hoppe sustained the injury in the top of the fourth inning on a pitch in the dirt from starter Jack Kochanowicz. The pitch ricocheted off O’Hoppe’s left wrist, and he was visited by trainers after the play. O’Hoppe remained in the game through the fifth inning before being replaced by Sebastián Rivero behind the plate.
O’Hoppe just returned tonight from a nearly three week absence due to a left wrist fracture. According to manager Kurt Suzuki (via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com), O’Hoppe was removed from the game as a precaution and did not require post-game X-rays. That bodes well for his wrist health, though it wouldn’t be unreasonable for the Angels to hold O’Hoppe out of the lineup tomorrow anyway. The 26-year-old is LA’s clear top choice behind the plate, with Travis d’Arnaud (currently on the injured list) as his usual backup. Meanwhile, Rivero has a 15 wRC+ in 134 scattered plate appearances from 2021-26, so he would be unplayable as a starter if O’Hoppe went on the IL again.
For his part, O’Hoppe says his left wrist is “just uncomfortable” (link via Michael Huntley of the Orange County Register). “It’s uncomfortable walking around. It’s uncomfortable doing anything but we’ll treat it and keep going,” O’Hoppe said after the game. That may give cause for optimism among Angels fans, though the club will continue to monitor the situation in the coming days.
A couple other injury notes from the Junior Circuit:
- Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh is being shut down for a week, according to Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. He will be reevaluated at that point. Divish adds that Raleigh’s most recent MRI came back better than his previous one. Raleigh went on the 10-day injured list on May 14th with a right oblique strain, which he admitted he’d been playing through for two weeks. On its own, the oblique strain puts Raleigh out for more than the minimum stint, and that’s even more certain now that he’s been shut down. Raleigh was out to an uncharacteristically poor start at the plate, with a line of 161/.243/.317 (63 wRC+) through his first 181 plate appearances. That’s a far cry from his 60-home run, 161 wRC+ performance last year, though the oblique injury explains at least some of the downturn. With a longer-than-minimum absence in store for Raleigh, Mitch Garver and Jhonny Pereda will continue to split time behind the plate for Seattle.
- Tigers right-hander Ty Madden was struck by a comebacker in the second inning of yesterday’s 3-2 victory against the Blue Jays. Yohendrick Piñango lined a 2-2 pitch off Madden’s forearm, which Madden fielded but did not attempt to throw to first. Madden, who was intended to serve as a bulk reliever, left the game without attempting a warm-up pitch. The 26-year-old has effectively been covering the rotation spot of Casey Mize, who is currently on the injured list with an adductor strain but is expected to be activated for Sunday’s start, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet. Madden missed all of last year with a right shoulder strain and was making just his third appearance in the Majors since returning from that injury. Per Jason Beck of MLB.com, initial tests on Madden revealed no fracture, but he’ll undergo further evaluation regardless. If he needs to miss time, it could be a simple swap of Madden going on the IL and Mize being activated. [UPDATE: the Tigers activated Mize from the IL and optioned Brenan Hanifee to Triple-A in the corresponding move, so Madden remains on the active roster for now.]
Photo courtesy of William Liang, Imagn Images
Brennen Davis Has Assignment Clause In Deal With Mariners
Outfielder Brennen Davis is with the Mariners on a minor league deal. As part of that deal, he has an assignment clause today, per Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times. If he triggers the clause, he will be offered up to all the teams in the leagues. If any club is willing to give him a roster spot, the Mariners would have to either add him to their own roster or send him away to another club that would. Divish notes that Davis also has an August 1st opt-out.
It seems like Davis has a decent chance of getting a roster spot in the coming days. He is crushing the ball with Triple-A Tacoma, currently sporting a .293/.404/.569 line. Even in the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, that performance leads to a 145 wRC+, indicating Davis has been 45% better than league average. He has eight home runs in 151 plate appearances and is drawing walks at a strong 12.6% clip.
Those numbers will surely draw the attention of some clubs around the league but it doesn’t seem like the Mariners will let let him get away. “I don’t see a scenario where we don’t keep him in our organization,” general manager Justin Hollander said to Divish. “He’s a right-handed bat with power and there aren’t a ton of them available.”
The Mariners are surely not just making this call based on his 33-game sample this year. Many years ago, Davis was one of the top prospects in the sport. He was a second-round pick of the Cubs in 2018 and hit his way up to the top minor league level in 2021. Baseball America ranked him the #16 prospect in the league going into 2022.
Injuries derailed his progress from there. As Divish notes in his column, it was initially thought that Davis had a herniated disc in his back in 2022, but surgery found a cluster of blood vessels pushing against his sciatic nerve. Subsequent seasons saw him deal with a core muscle strain, a stress reaction in his back and a broken ankle. Around those injuries, he only played 229 minor league games in the four years from 2022 to 2025, producing a .215/.329/.404 line in that time.
The Cubs added Davis to their 40-man roster in November of 2022, to prevent him from being available in the Rule 5 draft. He never got called up to the majors, apart from a stint on the injured list in 2024. Davis got a few days of big league service from that but didn’t get to appear in a game. He was designated for assignment after that 2024 season and then non-tendered. He spent 2025 with the Yankees on a minor league deal while still recovering from ankle surgery in 2024. He returned but then missed more time due to a crash into an outfield wall, per Divish.
It’s been quite an odyssey but Davis now seems to finally be both healthy and performing up to his abilities. Based on his numbers and the comments from Hollander, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s added to the 40-man soon. There may not be playing time available in Seattle immediately, as they have Julio Rodríguez, Randy Arozarena, Luke Raley, Dominic Canzone, Rob Refsnyder and Connor Joe in their outfield mix.
Davis burned two options while on the Cubs’ roster in 2023 and 2024 but still has one remaining. That means the Mariners could give him a 40-man spot and keep him in Tacoma for the time being, unless they want to bump someone else off the active roster.
Photo courtesy of Rick Scuteri, Imagn Images
2026-27 Club Options: AL West
In recent weeks, MLBTR has looked forward to next winter’s option classes. We’ll move now to the AL West, where the Athletics have the two most notable decisions.
Previous: AL East, AL Central
Athletics
- Jeff McNeil, 2B: $15.75MM club option (Mets responsible for $2MM buyout as part of December trade)
The A’s landed McNeil in what amounted to a salary dump trade for the Mets. The A’s needed a second baseman and pivoted to the former batting champion shortly after Ha-Seong Kim declined a four-year free agent offer. They picked up $10MM of McNeil’s $15.75MM salary for this season, with the Mets agreeing to cover the $2MM buyout on a matching club option if the A’s don’t bring him back in 2027.
It’ll probably be a one-year stop in Sacramento for the two-time All-Star. McNeil has a league average .276/.343/.362 batting line across 144 plate appearances. He’s following his usual high-contact approach but only has one home run and nine extra-base hits overall. He’s a league average hitter who plays decent but unexceptional defense at second base. McNeil is still a solid player, but he’s not going to command a near-$16MM salary for his age-35 season.
- Jeffrey Springs, LHP: $15MM club option ($750K buyout)
This one could be a trickier decision for GM David Forst and his front office. The A’s acquired Springs from Tampa Bay over the 2024-25 offseason, assuming the remaining two years and $21MM on his contract in the process. Springs was excellent when healthy with Tampa Bay but had barely pitched between 2023-24 on account of April ’23 Tommy John surgery.
The veteran southpaw has avoided the injured list over his year-plus in Sacramento. He hasn’t been as good as he was back in 2022 with the Rays. Springs has settled in as a mid-rotation arm, a control artist with league average strikeout stuff. He can miss bats with his secondary pitches, especially his changeup, but it’s a hittable fastball. He attacks the top of the strike zone with a 90-91 mph heater, an approach that gets a decent number of weak fly balls but also makes him susceptible to home runs.
That’s especially true at the hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park. Springs has a 4.93 ERA over 20 home starts compared to a 3.36 mark in 21 road appearances with the A’s. He’s certainly not their only pitcher to have a tougher time in Sacramento. The end result is a low-4.00s ERA that makes him a #4 caliber starter.
That has value, especially for an A’s team that could be at a disadvantage in pursuing free agent arms. If Springs stays healthy enough to make 30 starts with league average numbers, the A’s would probably bring him back on what amounts to a $14.25MM decision. They have some younger starters on the way (or in the case of J.T. Ginn, already performing at the big league level) but don’t have many proven innings sources behind Springs and Luis Severino.
Houston Astros
- Ryan Weiss, RHP: $5MM club option ($500K buyout)
Houston signed Weiss to a $2.6MM free agent deal over the winter. The 29-year-old righty hadn’t pitched in MLB but was coming off an excellent season and a half with the Hanwha Eagles in Korea. Weiss had turned in a 2.87 ERA over 30 starts while ranking fourth among KBO pitchers with 207 strikeouts last year.
The Astros brought him in to compete for a spot at the back of a wide open rotation. Weiss instead landed in long relief and has struggled to throw strikes, walking 15% of opponents en route to a near-8.00 ERA through his first 26 MLB innings. He has fanned 23% of batters faced and is averaging 95 mph on his fastball, but the walks and early home run issues led the Astros to option him to Triple-A last week. He worked 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts in his first start for Sugar Land.
The $5MM option is affordable enough that Weiss could still get the front office’s attention if he dials in the command. This addition hasn’t started the way the Astros had hoped, though, and it’s likelier he’ll be bought out.
Isaac Paredes’ arbitration deal includes a $13.35MM club option for 2027. He’d be eligible for arbitration for a final time even if Houston declines the option.
Los Angeles Angels
- Robert Stephenson, RHP: $2.5MM club option (no buyout)
Stephenson’s three-year, $33MM contract has been almost a complete wash. The Angels bet on the righty’s monster second half of the 2023 season, adding what they hoped to be a late-inning weapon. Injuries have unfortunately wiped out essentially all of the last three years.
The former first-round pick blew out during Spring Training ’24 and underwent Tommy John surgery that April. He was unable to make his team debut until May 2025. Stephenson immediately went back down with biceps inflammation and was out into August. He came into Spring Training healthy but suffered yet another elbow ligament injury and underwent season-ending surgery last month.
Stephenson’s contract contained a stipulation that the Angels would get a $2.5MM club option for 2027 if he suffered a serious elbow injury. That’s in play now, but it seems likely the Halos will move on after he was only able to pitch 12 times in a three-year span.
Seattle Mariners
- Andrés Muñoz, RHP: $8MM club option (no buyout)
The Mariners have one of the easiest calls for a team to exercise on Muñoz. Seattle signed him to what became a bargain extension as he completed his rehab from early-career Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing righty has gone on to consecutive All-Star appearances as one of the best closers in the game from 2024-25.
Muñoz has unexpectedly struggled through his first six weeks of the ’26 season. He has blown a couple save opportunities and allowed 11 runs (10 earned) across 17 innings. The strikeout and walk profile is as strong as ever, though, and only three pitchers with at least 10 frames — Mason Miller, Kyle Hurt and Dylan Lee — have a better swinging strike rate than Muñoz does. He should be just fine, and the M’s will have a $10MM option for 2028. The ’27 option has an $8MM base value that’ll climb to $9MM if he finishes 45 games this year.
- Victor Robles, RF: $9MM club option ($500K buyout)
Seattle signed Robles to a two-year, $9.75MM extension in August 2024. He’d only been on the roster for around two and a half months, as the Nationals had released the outfielder that June. Robles went on an absolute tear in his first few months with Seattle, hitting .328/.393/.467 while stealing 30 bags across 77 games.
The extension window has not gone as hoped. Robles injured his left shoulder making an exceptional catch at the wall in April 2025. He suffered a fracture and dislocation that wound up costing him four months (extended slightly by a seven-game suspension when he threw his bat at a Triple pitcher after a hit by pitch while on a rehab assignment).
Robles suffered another injury within the first two weeks of this season. A right pectoral strain has kept him on the IL for the past month. Robles is with Triple-A Tacoma on a rehab stint and should be back within the next week, but he’ll probably be in a fourth outfield role now that Luke Raley has broken out of a late-April funk. This is trending towards a buyout.
Bryce Miller’s arbitration deal contains a $6.075MM club option with a $15K buyout. He’d remain eligible for arbitration even if Seattle declines the option.
Texas Rangers
- Kyle Higashioka, C: $7MM mutual option ($1MM buyout)
The Rangers have built in a few mutual options, which essentially never get picked up by both parties. They just delay the payment of a portion of the guarantee in the form of an option buyout. Higashioka will collect a $1MM buyout to conclude his two-year, $13.5MM free agent contract signed over the 2024-25 offseason.
The veteran catcher played pretty well in the first year of the deal but is out to a .203/.271/.266 start in 20 games this season. The Rangers signed Danny Jansen to a similar two-year contract last offseason and will probably look for a cheaper catching partner for him in 2027. They should decline their end.
- Jakob Junis, RHP: $5MM mutual option ($1.25MM buyout)
Texas built their bullpen with a bunch of cheap one-year free agent pickups for a second straight offseason. It’s working well again, thanks in no small part to Junis. The 33-year-old has allowed just four runs through his first 19 innings, collecting five holds and three saves without giving up a lead.
The market rarely seems to buy into Junis’ slider-heavy approach. He sits in the 91-92 mph range on his fastball and has one of the lowest swinging strike rates (6.4%) in MLB. Junis nevertheless has made a career of outperforming modest expectations. He has topped 60 innings in four straight seasons and carries a 3.13 ERA over 238 2/3 innings going back to the start of 2023.
There’s only a $3.75MM difference between the option value and the buyout price. That’s similar to his respective $4.5MM and $2.75MM salaries of the past two seasons. There’s an argument that both sides should be happy with their end of the mutual option, but history suggests at least one will opt for the buyout. Junis’ camp might hold out hope he’ll follow the Phil Maton path and find a two-year deal, or the Rangers could cut him loose despite a seemingly reasonable salary — as they did with Jacob Webb in arbitration last winter.
- Joc Pederson, DH: $18.75MM mutual option
Texas will have an easy call to decline their end of Pederson’s mutual option. That’ll conclude his two-year, $37.5MM free agent signing. Pederson has rebounded slightly from a dismal first season in Texas but is still hitting at a below-average level this year. He has a .190/.296/.331 line over 424 plate appearances as a Ranger.
A’s Acquire José Suarez, Designate Junior Perez For Assignment
The Athletics acquired left-hander José Suarez from the Mariners in exchange for cash, the teams announced Thursday. Seattle designated Suarez for assignment earlier in the week. In a corresponding move, the A’s designated outfielder Junior Perez for assignment. Since Suarez is out of minor league options, he’ll jump right onto the Athletics’ big league roster.
Suarez opened the season with Atlanta but was designated for assignment earlier in the month. The Mariners scooped him up but gave him only one appearance (two innings, one run allowed) before jettisoning him from their own 40-man roster. Overall, the 28-year-old has a grisly 6.38 ERA in 18 1/3 frames this season.
Suarez has missed bats at a far loftier level than usual but has also displayed the worst command of his career this season. His 26.7% strikeout rate and 13% swinging-strike rate are both well north of his respective career marks of 20.9% and 11.7%. However, Suarez has walked 15.6% of his opponents — six percentage points higher than his career 9.6% mark. He’s also hit a batter and tossed a pair of wild pitches.
Back in 2021-22, Suarez looked to be emerging as a quality fourth starter in Anaheim. He gave the Halos 207 1/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA with a slightly below-average strikeout rate but a walk rate that was a bit better than average. The wheels came off in 2023, due in no small part to a shoulder strain that sent him to the injured list for several months. He posted an 8.29 ERA in 33 2/3 innings that season and was only marginally better in 52 1/3 frames the following season (6.02 ERA). He had decent results in a small sample with the Braves last season but generally has not gotten back to that 2022-23 form — or come particularly close — over any meaningful period of time.
Suarez is making $900K this season. That’s only $120K north of league minimum, but the A’s are now on the hook for the remainder of that sum. He’s worked as both a starter and reliever in the past but seems ticketed for manager Mark Kotsay’s bullpen — at least for now. The A’s presently have Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs, Aaron Civale, Jacob Lopez and J.T. Ginn in the rotation, although Lopez (today’s starter versus the Cardinals) has been hit extremely hard in 2026.
As for Perez, he was only selected to the 40-man roster back in November. A mid-May DFA would have seemed far-fetched at the time. The A’s were understandably unwilling to risk letting Perez go unprotected ahead of the Rule 5 Draft after he’d slashed .231/.348/.478 with 26 homers, 27 steals and a 14.8% walk rate between Double-A and Triple-A in 2025.
Impressive as that ’25 showing was, Perez’s age-24 season has gotten out to a miserable start. He’s tallied 154 plate appearances in Triple-A and turned in a gruesome .210/.273/.384 batting line with a diminished 8.4% walk rate against a concerning 33.1% strikeout rate. He’s made contact on only 68.9% of his swings against Triple-A pitching — nowhere close to the major league average of 76.8%. The gap between his 79% in-zone contact rate and the major league average 86.3% is about the same size.
Perez is a right-handed hitter with plus speed and above-average power. He’s capable of playing all three outfield spots and has spent the bulk of his minor league tenure in center field, where scouting reports peg him as serviceable. There are clear hit tool concerns with him — he also fanned at a 28% clip in 2025 — but the power/speed/defense combination and a full slate of minor league options feels like it should be enough to garner interest from another team. That, plus the fact that the A’s are extremely deep in outfielders, perhaps contributed to him being bumped from the 40-man roster. It’s feasible that another club with far less outfield depth could offer up a low-level prospect to take a chance on the toolsy Perez, this year’s struggles notwithstanding.