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Previewing The 2025-26 Free Agent Class: Right-Handed Relief

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A number of teams (and their fanbases) have already turned their attention towards the offseason. Identifying free agent targets is a big part of that prep work, so it’s worth taking a look at the players who’ll be available at each position.

The group of right-handed relievers is a real mixed bag, as usual. There are established closers, guys looking for bouncebacks and plenty of other wildcards. Ages listed are for the 2026 season.

Previous entries in this series: catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, center field, corner outfield, designated hitter

Closers Expected To Opt Out

Díaz has the ability to opt out of his deal and he should do so. He would be walking away from $38MM over two years but he should be able to beat that, even after rejecting a qualifying offer. The best relievers generally get around $20MM on multi-year deals. Díaz himself got $102MM over five years on his current deal, plus the opt-out. Josh Hader got $95MM over five. Tanner Scott got $72MM over four. Liam Hendriks got $54MM over three.

While Díaz isn’t quite as good as he was a few years ago, he’s still one of the best relievers around. He struck out 50.2% of batters faced in 2022 just before getting his last deal. He then missed the entire 2023 season due to right knee surgery. His 2024 and 2025 seasons have seen his strikeout rate down a bit below 40%, a big drop from 2022, but still with excellent results overall.

Over the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Díaz tossed 120 innings with a 2.48 earned run average, 38.4% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 46.4% ground ball rate. He earned 48 saves in that span. Among pitchers with at least ten innings pitched over those two years, only Mason Miller had a higher strikeout rate. Díaz allowed fewer walks and got more grounders than Miller. He missed time in 2024 due to a shoulder impingement and a sticky stuff suspension but he stayed on the roster throughout 2025 and posted a 1.63 ERA on the year. He’s a few years older than last time but still young enough to get a strong multi-year deal.

Suarez can also walk away from two guaranteed years and has a strong case to do so. He tossed 69 2/3 innings for the Padres this year with a 2.97 ERA. He struck out 27.9% of batters faced and only gave out walks at a 5.9% clip. He racked up 40 saves, his second straight year with at least 36.

His deal only pays him $8MM annually for the next two seasons, meaning he would be walking away from just $16MM by opting out. He should be able to beat that guarantee but might still be limited to two years offers on account of his age. It’s possible that the Padres won’t issue him a qualifying offer. $22.025MM on a one-year deal would be a lot for a closer who is pretty good but not elite. That’s especially true for the Friars, given their perennially tight payroll. Assuming he doesn’t get tagged with a QO, that will help his market.

Big Helium Guy

Keller spent a bunch of years as a decent groundball starter for the Royals. Some of those years were okay. Others were not. He had surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome late in 2023. He didn’t do much in 2024 and had to settle for a minor league deal with the Cubs coming into 2025.

That deal worked out tremendously for both sides. Keller was used as a reliever and was able to average about 97 miles per hour on his fastball, up a few ticks from his time as a starter. He gave the Cubs 69 2/3 innings with a 2.07 ERA. His 27.2% strikeout rate was about 10 points higher than his earlier rotation work. He didn’t sacrifice any of the ground balls, as his 56.1% rate this year was actually a career high. His 8% walk rate was around average. He worked his way into a leverage role with the Cubs, earning three saves and 25 holds.

This is just one season after some time in the injury wilderness and with some mediocre results prior to that. However, pitchers have been able to ride this kind of momentum to nice multi-year deals before. Jeff Hoffman and Robert Stephenson are some recent examples of guys who didn’t pan out as starters before reinventing themselves as relievers. Both signed deals worth $33MM over three years.

Hoffman had two strong relief years, compared to Keller having just one. Stephenson was only good for about half a year before his deal but his level of dominance in that span was more extreme. The Stephenson deal has blown up on the Angels since he’s been hurt since signing, but Hoffman became Toronto’s closer and has just helped them to the World Series.

They are not perfect analogies but the point is Keller could have big earning power, even with just one really strong season. It’s also possible some clubs want to stretch him back out. Clay Holmes got $38MM over three years, with the Mets hoping his ground balls could help him eat some rotation innings. That bet largely worked out after one year, with Holmes posting a 3.53 ERA in 2025.

Veteran Closers

Finnegan has racked up 112 saves over the past five seasons, mostly with the Nationals, but he also notched a few with the Tigers this year after a deadline deal. His rate stats have been more good than great. From 2021 to 2024, he had a 3.62 ERA, 23.3% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 47.2% ground ball rate. Ahead of the 2025 season, the Nationals non-tendered him instead of paying him a projected $8.6MM salary for his final year of club control.

After lingering on the market for a while, Finnegan returned to the Nats in early March, a $6MM guarantee with some deferrals. He pitched okay and got flipped to Detroit at the deadline, when his results ticked up. The Tigers had him throw his splitter way more, at the expense of his fastball. In 18 innings after the deal, he had a 1.50 ERA, 34.8% strikeout rate and 6.1% walk rate. He also made six postseason appearances but without the same level of dominance.

The track record of being a passable closer is already pretty good. Last time he was a free agent, he didn’t have a ton of juice, but perhaps some clubs will be intrigued by the extra gear he showed down the stretch with the different pitch mix. That could get him into multi-year deal territory.

Iglesias has a pretty lengthy track record of reliability in the closer’s role. He racked up 28 saves with the Reds back in 2017 and has reached double digits in each full season since then. He was a free agent four years ago and secured a four-year, $58MM deal from the Angels, though he was traded to Atlanta in the first season of that pact.

He’s now older and coming off an uneven year. He had a 4.42 ERA but settled down with a 1.76 ERA in the second half. Altogether, he tossed 67 1/3 innings with a 3.21 ERA, 27.4% strikeout rate and 6% walk rate. His age could limit him to one-year offers but a second year isn’t totally out of the question. In recent years, pitchers like Blake Treinen, Chris Martin, Adam Ottavino and Mark Melancon have received two-year deals worth $14MM or more for their age-37 seasons. Iglesias will be one year younger than that.

Jansen is one of most successful closers in baseball history. He now has 476 saves, fourth on the all-time list. He’s still miles away from Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman but he’s only two saves away from tying Lee Smith in the number three spot.

Due to his age, he’s been signing short-term deals lately. He got a one-year pact with Atlanta in 2022, two years with the Red Sox for 2023-24, then one with the Angels for 2025. He just wrapped up another good season. He gave the Halos 59 innings with a 2.59 ERA, 24.4% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. He’s not as dominant as he once was but still racked up 29 saves. Another solid one-year deal should be out there for him somewhere.

Pagán has been in the big leagues for years with a pretty consistent profile. His strikeout and walk rates are good but he gives up too many home runs. Despite the flaws, he was a free agent two years ago and secured a two-year, $16MM guarantee with an opt-out.

That deal was with the Reds, a club with one of the most homer-friendly ballparks in the majors. Predictably, the first year didn’t go well. Pagán missed a couple of months with a lat strain and posted a 4.50 ERA. He decided not to trigger his opt out, staying in Cincinnati for 2025.

Surprisingly, that worked out. Pagán logged 68 2/3 innings this year with a 2.88 ERA, 30% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. He seemingly had a bit of help from a .200 batting average on balls in play and 76.5% strand rate. Regardless, his 3.72 FIP and 3.18 SIERA suggest he would have done okay even with less luck from the baseball gods. He took over the closer’s role and racked up 32 saves.

The under-the-hood numbers will give clubs some pause but Pagán had enough interest to get a nice multi-year deal the last time he was out there. He’s obviously older now but is perhaps heading back to the market with some nice juice after some success in the ninth inning.

Notable Bounceback Candidates

The injury bug has been on Harvey for the past year-plus. The Royals acquired him from the Nationals in July of 2024. Unfortunately, mid-back tightness put him on the injured list for most of the remainder of that season. In 2025, a teres major strain and a right adductor strain wiped out most of the season. He only made 18 appearances for the Royals despite being with them for about a year and a half.

There will be some natural uncertainty with Harvey after those absences but the numbers are good. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has thrown 161 1/3 innings with a 3.07 ERA, 27.4% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 43.1% ground ball rate. He earned 11 saves and 58 holds in that time. There’s some health risk but Harvey makes for an intriguing buy-low opportunity, likely on a one-year deal.

One year ago, Helsley seemed on track to be one of the top relievers of this winter’s class. That is no longer the case. He finished 2025 with a 4.50 ERA. He was particularly bad after being traded to the Mets at the deadline, with a 7.20 ERA after that swap.

That performance obviously cuts into his earning power, but some clubs may be able to find some glimmers of hope. The pre-2025 track record is great. From 2022 to 2024, he logged 167 2/3 innings with a 1.83 ERA while striking out 34.6% of batters faced. It’s been suggested that his struggles this year were the result of him tipping his pitches, so his results could come back with a minor adjustment. His velocity is mostly still there, as he averaged 99.3 mph this year, only a slight drop from his 99.7 mph peak.

The more pessimistic perspective is that Helsley has been trending in the wrong direction for a while now. His strikeout rate peaked at 39.3% in 2022 but has been dropping since. It was 35.6% in 2023 and 29.7% last year. Here in 2025, he dropped to 26.1% with Cards and then to 23.2% after being traded to the Mets. There are likely clubs who can see a way to reverse the trends but he might be limited to one-year pillow offers. It’s possible the velocity gets enough interest that he commands a two-year deal with an opt-out.

Hendriks was one of the top closers in baseball from 2019 to 2022 but he’s mostly been in the wilderness since. He missed time early in 2023 while getting treatment for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was able to beat cancer and get back on the mound that summer but then required Tommy John surgery in August.

He signed a two-year deal with the Red Sox for 2024 and 2025 but missed all of 2024 while recovering. The Sox were surely hoping for a fully healthy season from Hendriks in 2025 but didn’t get it. He was on and off the IL all year due to elbow/forearm issues, making 14 appearances for the big league club. He underwent a right elbow ulnar nerve transposition surgery at the end of September. His health status for next season isn’t clear.

Kopech never really made it as a starter but a bullpen move in 2024 seemed to be the right path for him. Between the White Sox and Dodgers that year, he tossed 67 2/3 innings with a 3.46 ERA. His 12.2% walk rate was high but he punched out 31.5% of batters faced. He racked up 15 saves and nine holds on the year.

2025 was mostly a lost season, however, as he only logged 11 innings. Reports of forearm inflammation popped up way back in January. He started the season on the IL due to a shoulder impingement, reportedly due to him trying to quickly ramp up for the Tokyo Series after the forearm stuff. He was off the IL in early June but was back on the shelf later than month due to right knee inflammation. He underwent surgery to address a torn meniscus in July. He came off the IL at the start of September but inflammation in that knee put him back on the IL a few weeks later. Even as the Dodgers have pushed into the World Series, there’s been no suggestion that Kopech is getting close to rejoining the roster. The injuries probably limit Kopech to a one-year deal but there’s perhaps some intriguing upside based on his 2024 breakout.

Leclerc spent the 2016 to 2024 seasons with the Rangers. He tossed 360 1/3 innings with a 3.27 ERA. His 13.2% walk rate was high but he also punched out 31.2% of batters faced. He was a key part of the club’s 2023 World Series run.

The Athletics gave him a one-year, $10MM deal for the 2025 season, but that investment turned into a bust. Leclerc only tossed nine innings for the A’s before requiring season-ending shoulder surgery. It’s unclear if he’s expected to be healthy by the start of next season.

Romano had a three-year run as the Blue Jays closer. From 2021 to 2023, he racked up 95 saves while posting a 2.37 ERA with a 30.3% strikeout rate, 9.2% walk rate and 42.3% ground ball rate. But in 2024, he was on and off the IL with elbow issues and only tossed 13 2/3 innings. The Jays non-tendered him instead of paying a projected $7.75MM salary for his final arbitration season.

The Phils tried for a bounceback, giving Romano $8.5MM. It didn’t pan out. Romano posted an 8.23 ERA across 42 2/3 innings this year. It surely wasn’t quite as bad as that ERA makes it seem. His 49% strand rate in 2025 was tiny. His 25.1% strikeout rate wasn’t as high as his peak but was still pretty good. His 3.66 SIERA would suggest he was extremely unlucky.

Even if luck played a notable role, Romano should have less earning power than a year ago. His 95.5 mph fastball velocity was a couple of ticks below his peak and even below the 96.4 he managed in his injury-marred 2024 campaign.

Sewald racked up double digit saves in each season from 2021 to 2024. In that span, he tossed 229 innings with a 3.18 ERA, 32.5% strikeout rate and 8.2% walk rate. The final year of that stretch wasn’t his best. He battled some injuries and lost the closer’s role in Arizona.

Though he went into free agency on a bit of a down note, the Guardians still gave him a $7MM guarantee on a one-year deal. He technically has a mutual option for 2026 but those provisions are almost never picked up by both sides. The Guards twice put him on the IL due to a shoulder strain. He was still on the IL at the deadline when he was flipped to the Tigers, with Detroit absorbing the roughly $2.6MM still to be paid out. He made four appearances for the Tigers late in the year but didn’t crack the playoff roster.

Sewald finished this year with a 4.58 ERA, 24.7% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate. Those aren’t disastrous numbers and it’s perhaps notable that the Guards and Tigers were both willing to spend money on him this year. However, his fastball velocity was down to 90.4 mph this year around the shoulder issues.

Williams came into this year as one of the best relievers alive. From 2020 to 2024, he tossed 222 innings with a minuscule 1.70 ERA. His 12% walk rate was high but he counteracted that by striking out 40.8% of batters faced and keeping 48.9% of balls in play on the ground. After Josh Hader was traded, Williams took over the closer’s role in Milwaukee. He earned 36 saves in 2023, though back issues limited him to just 14 in 2024.

He was traded to the Yankees ahead of the 2025 season and went on to post a 4.79 ERA, eventually losing his grip on the closer’s role. However, most of his underlying stats were still strong. His 34.7% strikeout rate and 44.6% ground ball rate moved in the wrong direction but were both still well above average. His 9.7% walk rate was actually his best in years.

The main reason for his ERA spike seems to be bad luck. His 55.2% strand rate was well below the 72.3% league average and his career rate of 75.8%. ERA estimators like his 2.68 FIP and 2.67 SIERA suggest he was almost as dominant as before.

There will perhaps be some talk that Williams couldn’t handle the bright lights of New York City but some may ignore that. For any team overlooking the fluky-looking ERA spike, it’s a chance to grab one of the best pitchers in baseball, perhaps with a soft market. A two-year deal with an opt-out could be possible but it’s also feasible that there’s enough faith in his stuff to get him a strong three- or four-year deal.

Yates has been really up and down lately. He had a massive breakout a few years back, including a 41-save season with a 1.19 ERA in the juiced-ball campaign of 2019. Then he was in the injury wilderness for a while but gradually got back on track. He racked up 33 saves for the Rangers in 2024 while posting a 1.17 ERA with a 35.9% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate.

The Dodgers gave him a one-year, $13MM deal for 2025. He spent time on the IL with hamstring and back injuries. Around those, he tossed 41 1/3 innings with a 5.23 ERA. His 29.2% strikeout rate was actually quite good and his 9.6% walk rate acceptable, but 17% of his fly balls left the yard. He finished the season on the shelf with a hamstring strain and hasn’t appeared in the postseason for the Dodgers.

Some ERA estimators consider home runs to be the fault of the pitcher while others consider them to be more random. That perhaps explains the difference between Yates’s 4.76 FIP and 3.33 SIERA this year. Regardless, it wasn’t an ideal season. But he’s shown an elite ceiling in the past, including as recently as last year, so another decent one-year deal could be out there for him.

Veteran Setup Guys

Armstrong has 421 1/3 career innings under his belt with a 3.82 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. The Rangers scooped him up for $1.25MM on a one-year deal for 2025. He gave them 74 innings with a 2.31 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate and 7% walk rate. He earned nine saves and 12 holds. He should get another one-year deal from some club looking to bolster the setup group.

Domínguez has long been a power arm in the big leagues, combining good strikeout and ground ball numbers with some wildness. He has thrown 306 innings with a 3.50 ERA, 27.9% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate and 45.3% ground ball rate. He does have 40 career saves but has never topped 16 in a season. He’s been deployed more as a setup guy, with 78 holds in his career.

The Blue Jays acquired him from the Orioles at the trade deadline. The move came as the two clubs were playing a doubleheader against each other, which allowed Domínguez to swap clubhouses between the two games. He’s been a key part of Toronto’s playoff bullpen, having already made seven appearances.

He’s not the best reliever in this post but there’s a lot to like. His fastball averages almost 98 mph, helping him get those strikeouts and grounders. He added a splitter this year to try to even out his platoon splits, though he still struggled with lefties in 2025. A decent multi-year deal is a possibility.

Martin said a year ago that 2025 would likely be his final season. He hasn’t yet confirmed that, but it’s possible he’s now going to retire. If he wants to come back for one more, he should have interest. He got a one-year, $5.5MM deal from the Rangers for 2025 and delivered solid results. He posted a 2.98 ERA over 42 1/3 innings. He struck out 24.7% of batters faced and continued to show his elite control with a 4.6% walk rate.

Maton always puts up good numbers but the market never really seems to value him, likely due to his middling velocity. He got $6.5MM from the Rays two offseasons ago and just $2MM from the Cards last winter. Between the Cards and Rangers this year, he logged 61 1/3 innings with a 2.79 ERA, 32.7% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 44.4% ground ball rate. Based on precedent, another one-year deal should be a bargain for some club out there.

Rogers has even less velocity than Maton, as his fastballs average in the low-to-mid-80s. However, there’s not really another pitcher like him in the majors. His submariner delivery is incredibly unique. He’s very durable, having never gone on the big league injured list, which has allowed him to toss at least 70 innings in each of the last five seasons. Over those five seasons, he has a 2.71 ERA. His 17% strikeout rate isn’t impressive but his 4.4% walk rate is tiny and his 56.3% ground ball rate is huge. He’s one of the best in the league at staying off barrels and limiting hard contact.

Teams generally prefer to have power pitchers in their setup roles but Rogers appears to be a special case. He reached 30 holds in four of the last five seasons. The Mets made him a key deadline pickup, sending a notable package of talent to the Giants. They then had him in a high leverage role down the stretch. That’s partly due to the struggles of Helsley and others but Rogers also held his own with a 2.30 ERA for the Mets.

It’s one of the harder markets to predict. Will teams overlook the nonexistent velocity and tiny strikeout numbers, focusing more on the control and weak contact? Or will clubs scoff at the profile like with Maton?

Weaver’s career as a starter went through many ups and downs but he finally settled in as a solid reliever in recent years. Going into 2024, the Yankees signed him to a one-year, $2MM deal with a $2.5MM club option for 2025 and performance bonuses. That turned into a bargain for them. Weaver tossed 148 2/3 innings over the course of that pact with a 3.21 ERA, 29.5% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate. He earned 12 saves and 43 holds.

The deal ended on a sour note, as Weaver allowed five runs over three postseason appearances, recording just one out. But from a wider viewpoint, it was two years of solid setup man results. Those kinds of guys can often find solid multi-year pacts, with recent examples including Jordan Hicks, Clay Holmes, Rafael Montero, Taylor Rogers and Reynaldo López. Some of those guys were signed to be stretched out as starters, something that Weaver hasn’t closed the door on.

Swing Types

Junis has worked as both as a starter and a reliever throughout most of his career, though he was exclusively used as a reliever in 2025. The Guardians gave him a one-year, $4.5MM deal coming into the season. He gave them 66 2/3 innings with a 2.97 ERA. His 20.1% strikeout rate was subpar but he limited walks to a 6.6% clip. It was mostly low leverage work, as he earned only six holds and no saves. He should be able to secure another one-year pact for a low-leverage relief role or a gig as a swingman.

Martinez has shown a decent ability to be shuttled back and forth between the rotation and bullpen. His relief work is better but his starting work is passable and teams seem to value that flexibility. The Reds surprisingly made him a $21.05MM qualifying offer a year ago, which he accepted. He gave them 165 2/3 innings over 26 starts and 14 relief appearances. His 4.45 ERA wasn’t amazing, nor was his 17% strikeout rate, but he only walked 6.1% of batters faced and did a good job limiting hard contact. He had a 2.61 ERA in his relief outings this year, though while only striking out 11.1% of opponents.

Prior to accepting this QO, he was able to secure multi-year deals with opt-outs, seeming to have a strong willingness to bet on himself and repeatedly return to the market. He’s getting older now but it wouldn’t be a shock to see him get another multi-year pact.

Is Soroka a starter? The question seems to always go unanswered. After many years in the injury wilderness, he had an intriguing 2024 season with the White Sox. He didn’t pan out as a starter but finished the year strong as a multi-inning reliever. He logged 36 frames over his final 16 appearances with a 2.75 ERA and 39% strikeout rate, though the 13% walk rate was ugly.

The Nats gave him a one-year, $9MM deal and an opportunity to start again. He started for them 16 times with a 4.87 ERA, 25.4% strikeout rate, 7% walk rate and 42.6% ground ball rate. Those are decent numbers but it’s still not clear if he should be facing hitters multiple times. He held opponents to a .193/.250/.329 line when facing them the first time but gave up a .218/.302/.395 line the second time through. Hitters facing him a third time slashed .319/.467/.574.

He was traded to the Cubs ahead of the deadline but made just one more start before a shoulder strain sent him to the IL. He was able to come off the shelf late in the year but was kept in the bullpen. If he wants another shot at starting, he should be able to find one since a relief role is a decent fallback, though there’s enough uncertainty that he’ll likely still be limited to another one-year deal.

Options/Opt-Outs

The Reds signed Barlow to a one-year, $2.5MM deal last offseason. That came in the form of a $1.5MM salary and a $1MM buyout on a $6.5MM club option. He gave them 68 1/3 innings with a 4.21 ERA, basically in line with the 4.25 ERA he had with Cleveland the year prior. However, his strikeout rate dropped from 28.2% to 24.8%, his walk rate climbed from 12.9% to 14.9% and his grounder rate fell from 47.1% to 42.9%. With the needles moving in the wrong direction, the Reds should cut their losses, which would leave Barlow looking for another one-year deal.

Fairbanks can be retained via an $11MM club option with a $1MM buyout. His strikeout rate isn’t quite what it once was, but he’s still getting decent results. He just gave the Rays 60 1/3 innings with a 2.83 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate, 7.4% walk rate and 45.1% ground ball rate. He recorded 27 saves, his third straight season with at least 23. The net $10MM decision is justifiable enough for the Rays to pick it up, though they will probably trade Fairbanks to a club with a bigger payroll.

Johnson’s deal contains a $7MM club option with a $250K buyout. His strikeout rate dropped to 24.8% in 2025, after being around 30% in prior seasons. On the other hand, his control improved. His walk rate landed at 8% this year after being in the 10-13% range for many seasons before that. The result was a 3.05 ERA, 16 holds and one save. He’s not elite but Atlanta has plenty of bullpen questions and probably picks this up.

Despite being out of contention at the deadline, Atlanta acquired Kinley from the Rockies, presumably because they wanted to bolster their 2026 bullpen without having to wait for the offseason. Kinley’s contains a $5.5MM club option with a $750K buyout. After getting away from Coors Field, he gave Atlanta 25 innings with 0.72 ERA, 23.4% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. It would be a surprise if he’s not back in the Atlanta bullpen next year.

Kittredge signed a one-year, $10MM pact with the Orioles last winter. That came in the form of a $9MM salary and $1MM buyout on a $9MM club option for 2026. A left knee injury kept him out of action until mid-May but he got back on track and was dealt to the Cubs at the deadline. Between those two teams, he tossed 53 innings with a 3.40 ERA, 30.8% strikeout rate, 5.3% walk rate and 49.2% ground ball rate. He made Chicago’s playoff roster and made five more appearances in the postseason.

Given his continued strong results, $8MM feels like a fair price to keep Kittredge around. That’s especially true for the Cubs, who seem to prefer to avoid lengthy and expensive investments in the relief corps.

Loáisiga has some talent but hasn’t been able to stay healthy for a lengthy period of time lately. He started this season on the injured list, recovering from UCL surgery. He came off the IL but had to head back there due to back tightness. While on the IL, he suffered a flexor strain that ended his season. Even when on the mound, his 18.5% strikeout rate was well below the mid-20s rates he had in his earlier seasons. There’s a $5MM club option, with no buyout, but the Yanks should be able to walk away. Even if they want to give him another shot, they should be able to get him back for less than that.

Muñoz is one of the best closers in baseball. The club option is only for $7MM and there are two affordable club options for 2027 and 2028. This is definitely getting picked up.

Smith required UCL surgery in July of 2024, just a few months before reaching free agency. The Mets signed him to a one-year deal with a $1MM salary in 2025 with a $2MM club option for 2026. He didn’t pitch at all in 2025 but the $2MM price point is fair if the Mets expect him to be ready for a full healthy season in 2026. From 2021 to 2024, he tossed 161 1/3 innings with a 3.35 ERA, 26.2% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate.

Established Japanese Arms

Norimoto had a long run as a successful starter for the Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He moved to the bullpen in 2024, his age-33 season, and has spent the past two seasons as the Eagles’ closer. A 3.23 ERA and 48 saves in 53 tries through 108 2/3 frames as closer looks solid enough, but Norimoto’s strikeout rate has fallen to around 18%. His fastball was still touching 98 mph in 2024, but MLBTR spoke to a scout who clocked him 92-94 mph during the current season. Norimoto’s track record might get him a big league deal, but it’d probably be a cheap deal along the lines of those signed by countrymen Yoshihisa Hirano (two years, $6MM) and Hirokazu Sawamura (two years, $3MM) when they jumped to the majors in their mid-30s. A non-roster deal is also possible, and Norimoto could probably earn decent money staying in Japan if MLB offers aren’t enticing.

The Seibu Lions are expected to post Takahashi this offseason. The right-hander has a 3.39 ERA in nearly 1200 innings at Japan’s top level. He’s coming off a 3.04 mark over 148 innings. While the run prevention is solid, Takahashi doesn’t have the bat-missing stuff that’d generate huge big league interest. He struck out just 14% of opponents this past season. An MLB deal is possible, but he’s unlikely to command more than a couple million dollars. There are some similarities between Takahshi and Shinnosuke Ogasawara, who signed a two-year, $3.5MM deal and pitched in a swing role for the Nationals.

Depth Types

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images

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