Braves Select Luke Williams
The Braves announced a quartet of roster moves today, including the news that Michael Harris II has been placed on the team’s paternity list. Utilityman Luke Williams‘ contract has been selected from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Harris’ spot on the active roster, and Atlanta moved left-hander Danny Young from the 15-day IL to the 60-day injured list to create a 40-man roster spot. Right-hander Daysbel Hernandez was also reinstated from the 15-day IL and optioned to Gwinnett.
Williams has played for five different teams over his 221 career big league games, but he has spent the better part of the last three seasons (and his last 80 MLB games) with Atlanta. Though he has hit only .151/.213/.209 over 95 plate appearances in those 80 games, Williams has been utilized in a super-sub role, seeing time at all four infield positions, in left field, and even a few pitching appearances in a mop-up capacity.
Harris figures to be back in a few days after celebrating the new arrival to his family, so Williams will likely find himself designated for assignment in short order. Williams is out of minor league options, which is why the Braves had to outright Williams a few times last season in order to send him back to Triple-A.
Young had Tommy John surgery last May, and subsequently isn’t expected to be available to pitch until at least July. The Mets non-tendered Young in November and the Braves signed the southpaw to a split contract, with an eye towards eventually moving him to the 60-day IL once a 40-man spot needed to be opened. Hernandez began the season on Atlanta’s 15-day IL due to a sebaceous cyst in his throwing shoulder, and he’ll now continue to work at Triple-A until a need develops in the big league bullpen.
Mets Designate Richard Lovelady For Assignment
The Mets announced that Craig Kimbrel‘s minor league contract has been selected to the active roster, as reported earlier today. To create space on the 26-man roster, the Mets have designated left-hander Richard Lovelady.
This is the ninth time Lovelady has been DFA’ed in his career, with five of those transactions coming from the Mets in a relationship that began when New York first signed the lefty to a big league deal last June. Lovelady is out of minor league options, which is why the Mets and other teams have had to first expose him to waivers before outrighting him off a 40-man roster.
During the offseason, the Mets signed Lovelady to a split contract that pays him $1MM when on an active roster, and $350K while in the minor leagues. Lovelady would have to give up this guaranteed salary if he clears waivers and declines an outright assignment in favor of free agency, which makes it more likely that he’ll stick around in the Mets organization. It shouldn’t be assumed that Lovelady will clear waivers, however. The Nationals claimed the southpaw last January after the Mets’ last DFA, but New York then claimed him back in March after the Nats also designated Lovelady for assignment.
After all of these comings and goings, Lovelady made the Amazins’ Opening Day roster and at least got himself a few weeks of time in the bigs. Lovelady has a 3.68 ERA and a 54.5% grounder rate over 7 1/3 innings and six appearances for New York this season, with a modest 18.8% strikeout rate and 12.5% walk rate. Most of the damage (.958 OPS) has come from right-handed batters, while Lovelady has limited left-handed batters to a .545 OPS.
Lovelady’s career splits are pronounced enough that it is worth wondering if he came along in the wrong time — Lovelady made his MLB debut a season before the league instituted the three-batter rule, basically ending the era of the lefty specialist. The Mets clearly like what Lovelady offers as a depth arm for their ever-rotating bullpen, even if the team perpetually views him as an expendable roster piece.
Angels Designate Jeimer Candelario For Assignment
The Angels announced that infielder Jeimer Candelario has been designated for assignment. The move creates roster space for fellow infielder Vaughn Grissom, who has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list.
Candelario signed a minor league contract with Los Angeles during the offseason, and earned himself a spot on the Opening Day roster due to a few factors. The veteran’s big Spring Training numbers helped him stand out from some other infield candidates like Christian Moore and Kyren Paris, and Grissom was also lost to a wrist sprain. Unfortunately, Candelario couldn’t keep his Cactus League performance going into the regular season, as he hit only .111/.200/.222 over 20 plate appearances.
The cold start continues the downward slide that began after Candelario signed a three-year, $45MM free agent deal with the Reds prior to the 2024 season. Candelario hit only .225/.279/.429 over 463 PA in the first season of his contract, and Cincinnati released him last June after he batted .113/.198/.213 in his first 91 PA of the 2025 campaign. Injuries such as knee tendinitis and a lumbar spine strain certainly contributed to that falloff over the last two seasons, but Candelario was thought to be healthy heading into 2026.
The Yankees signed Candelario after his release from the Reds but didn’t use him at the MLB level, and his struggles didn’t stop the Angels from taking a flier on the 32-year-old this past winter. Another team may feel Candelario still has something in the tank, and he would cost only a prorated Major League minimum salary for any time spent on a team’s active roster, as the Reds are still responsible for the $15MM still owed on his contract.
Even if another club has interest in Candelario, however, they might not be willing to devote a 40-man roster spot to him, so it seems likely that the infielder will clear waivers. He has enough MLB service time to reject an outright assignment and then elect free agency, so Candelario can test the market again for another minor league contract.
Grissom is now set to make his Angels debut, and get his first big league action of any kind since the 2024 season. Grissom has yet to live up to the promise of his impressive 2022 rookie season with the Braves, as he struggled in 2023 and then was a bust with the Red Sox after being dealt for Chris Sale during the 2023-24 offseason. While Sale resurrected his career in Atlanta, Grissom didn’t hit in Boston, battled injuries, and soon found himself supplanted by several other up-and-coming infield prospects.
Griffin Conine To Miss 6-8 Weeks After Hamstring Surgery
TODAY: Conine will undergo surgery next week and is expected to be sidelined for 6-to-8 weeks, MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola writes.
APRIL 10: Marlins outfielder Griffin Conine has a torn left hamstring and will likely require surgery, reports Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Marlins haven’t yet provided any specific estimates for his recovery but it seems fair to assume Conine will miss significant time. He has been placed on the 10-day injured list with infielder Deyvison De Los Santos recalled in a corresponding move. It was reported yesterday that De Los Santos would likely be replacing Conine on the roster.
It’s brutal news for Conine, as he was looking to get back on track after an injury-marred 2025 season. He dislocated his shoulder on April 19th last year and ultimately required surgery. That was expected to be a season-ending procedure but he managed to get back to the big league club in late September, getting into four games before the season was done. Now, almost exactly one year after his previous injury, he is once again facing surgery and a significant absence.
In the short term, the Marlins will have to work around a few notable absences in their outfield. Kyle Stowers and Esteury Ruiz were both on the injured list and now they have three outfielders on the shelf, four if you count Christopher Morel. Stowers is starting a rehab assignment tonight, so he could be back in the mix soon, though he missed a lot of spring training and may need a few weeks to get back into game shape. The others are progressing and might not be too far behind Stowers.
For the time being, the Marlins are left with one fewer outfielder. They have been platooning Owen Caissie and Austin Slater in right with Jakob Marsee in center, along with a platoon of Conine and Heriberto Hernández in left. De Los Santos doesn’t have any outfield experience and is a righty bat, so he won’t be able to take up Conine’s role. The Marlins may have to opt for either Hernández or Slater to start against some righties, at least until Stowers gets back. Javier Sanoja is another right-handed option for some left field time.
For Conine, he’ll be focused on his recovery for the time being. If he does require surgery, or even if he doesn’t, he may be a candidate for the 60-day injured list when the Marlins need a 40-man spot.
Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Twins Place Royce Lewis, Cody Laweryson On Injured List
TODAY: The Twins officially announced the IL placements, with Laweryson retroactive to April 9 and Lewis to April 10. Kreidler and right-hander Andrew Morris were called up to take Lewis and Laweryson’s places on the active roster, and the 24-year-old Morris will be making his big league debut whenever he appears in his first game for Minnesota.
Morris was a fourth-round pick for the Twins in the 2022 draft, and he has a 3.78 ERA, 21.45% strikeout rate, and 7.27% walk rate over 135 2/3 innings at Triple-A. Morris started 28 of his 30 Triple-A appearances, though the scouting reports at both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America view Morris perhaps more as a swingman or multi-inning at the Major League level. Pipeline and BA each rank Morris as the 13th-best prospect in Minnesota’s system, and he has a five-pitch arsenal highlighted by a 55-grade slider and a fastball that can reach 99mph but usually sits in the 95-96mph range.
APRIL 10: The Twins will make a couple roster moves before tomorrow’s game at Rogers Centre. Manager Derek Shelton said tonight (relayed by Twins TV’s Audra Martin) that third baseman Royce Lewis and reliever Cody Laweryson are each headed to the injured list. Lewis has a left knee sprain, while Laweryson suffered a right forearm strain. Shelton didn’t specify return timelines for either player.
Lewis suffered his injury during Thursday’s win over Detroit. He came up limping after a swinging strike in his final at-bat of that game. Lewis was able to gut out the plate appearance and hit an infield single. He finished the contest but felt more discomfort today. Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star-Tribune writes that Lewis went for imaging this evening that revealed the sprain.
This will be the ninth injured list stint of Lewis’ four-year MLB career. He has twice torn the ACL in his right knee, once before his big league debut, and battled various left leg injuries. That included a pair of hamstring strains last year. Lewis narrowly topped 100 games for the first time in his career.
The former first overall pick had been out to a nice start. Although he’s only hitting .222, he has taken eight walks and collected four extra-base hits (two doubles and homers apiece). Lewis was at the hot corner for 12 of Minnesota’s first 14 games. Utilityman Tristan Gray has gotten the other two starts and projects as the regular there for the time being. Gray has a homer and a double in the early going but is a .220/.279/.394 hitter over 53 career contests.
Laweryson made his first Opening Day roster this year. The 27-year-old righty made five appearances last season as a September call-up. He has worked 6 1/3 frames of four-run ball (three earned) with eight strikeouts in five outings this year. Laweryson has a save and a hold as part of a wide open Minnesota bullpen.
Minnesota will announce their corresponding call-ups tomorrow. Ryan Kreidler and Eric Wagaman are on the 40-man roster as depth infielders. Kreidler offers more defensive value and is hitting better in Triple-A to begin the season. Zak Kent, who was optioned earlier in the week, seems likeliest to take the bullpen spot if the Twins don’t want to designate anyone for assignment.
Mets To Select Craig Kimbrel’s Contract
Craig Kimbrel is returning to the big leagues, as the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Mets will be selecting the veteran reliever’s contract. The Mets have two open spots on their 40-man roster, but will need to make a corresponding transaction to create space for Kimbrel on the 26-man active roster.
As per the terms of the minor league contract Kimbrel signed in January, the SportsMeter client will now earn $2.5MM by being added to the active roster. Kimbrel had more than enough service time to qualify as an Article XX(B) free agent, and thus his minors deal contained three built-in opt-out dates (five days before Opening Day, May 1, June 1). While New York didn’t include Kimbrel on its Opening Day roster, Kimbrel agreed to pass on his first opt-out opportunity and bide his time in the minors, which consisted of a single inning of work for the Mets’ A-level affiliate in St. Lucie.
Forty-six different players pitched for the Mets in 2025. That eye-popping number reflects both the team’s injury problems last year, and the Mets’ habit of cycling fresh arms up into the bullpen from Triple-A, and sending other relievers either to the minors (if they have options) or to DFA limbo.
Huascar Brazoban and Tobias Myers are the only pitchers in New York’s current bullpen who have minor league options remaining, and Myers tossed 36 pitches last night in a long relief outing after starter Clay Holmes left due to hamstring tightness. If Myers isn’t sent down, Richard Lovelady could be a candidate to be designated for assignment to make way for Kimbrel.
Once Kimbrel makes an in-game appearance for the Mets, it will officially make it 10 different teams over 17 Major League seasons during the reliever’s storied career. A nine-time All-Star and the owner of 440 career saves, Kimbrel has still managed to show some flashes of his prime form in recent years, but he has had trouble sustaining solid results over a full season. Pitching with the Dodgers in 2022, Kimbrel struggled later in the year and ended up both losing the closer’s job and being left off Los Angeles’ playoff roster entirely. A rough 5.33 ERA season with the Orioles in 2024 resulted in Kimbrel being designated for assignment and released before the end of September.
The 2025 campaign saw Kimbrel sign with the Braves and Rangers on minor league contracts, and with the Astros on a big league contract in August after Texas released him. Kimbrel posted a 2.25 ERA and 34.7% strikeout rate over 12 innings in the majors with Houston and Atlanta, but with a gaudy 14.3% walk rate.
Control has been Kimbrel’s largest issue over the back half of his career, and he has also been much more homer-prone than during his All-Star heyday. Kimbrel’s fastball averaged a modest 93.5mph over his 12-inning sample size in 2025, but he has adjusted his repertoire by incorporating a changeup and slider more frequently into his arsenal.
It remains to be seen what Kimbrel still has in the tank as he approaches his 38th birthday next month, or if the Mets’ pitching development staff has perhaps found a fix to help the righty recapture some of his past magic. Devin Williams is firmly locked into the closer role, so Kimbrel won’t likely be garnering many save opportunities.
Given the nature of the Mets’ bullpen churn, it is an open question as to how long Kimbrel might even remain on the active roster. The $2.5MM salary does represent some extra level of commitment, and Kimbrel’s selection adds another boost to the Mets’ already sky-high payroll. Because the Mets have been luxury-tax payors for four years running and are already far over the highest level of luxury tax penalization, Kimbrel’s $2.5MM salary also comes with an additional $2.75MM tax bill.
Wyatt Langford Leaves Game Due To Quad Tightness, Will Undergo MRI
Rangers outfielder Wyatt Langford left Friday’s 8-7 loss to the Dodgers due to tightness in his right quad. Langford told reporters (including Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News) that he felt the injury was “pretty minor,” but he’ll undergo an MRI today to explore the quad issue.
Somewhat unusually, the injury occurred when Langford hit a home run in the top of the fifth inning. Langford said he “reached down” to make contact with Tyler Glasnow‘s pitch, and in the process created some discomfort in his quad that began to surface as he rounded the bases. Langford remained in left field for the bottom of the fifth, but was replaced by Ezequiel Duran in the bottom of the sixth. Duran, Sam Haggerty, and Andrew McCutchen could all end up seeing time in left field if Langford ends up on the injured list.
Getting hurt on a homer adds to the snake-bitten nature of Langford’s start to the 2026 season. Langford’s first home run was just his ninth hit in 53 plate appearances, as the outfielder is batting .170/.185/.340. His exit velocity and hard-contact numbers are all at least at league average, so a .205 BABIP may be somewhat to blame for Langford’s struggles, though he has also recorded only one walk against 13 strikeouts.
After hitting .247/.335/.423 with 38 homers over his first 1130 PA in the majors, Langford was viewed as a candidate for a true breakout in his third Major League season. Obviously there’s still plenty of time for Langford to heat up at the plate, though if Friday’s quad tightness lands Langford on the IL, it will mark the fifth IL stint of his young career. As McFarland notes, the previous four placements were also for soft tissue injuries — a hamstring strain that cost him about three weeks in 2024, and then three separate oblique strains in 2025.
2026-27 Player Option/Opt-Out Preview: April Edition
At the end of each season, certain players will have to decide whether to stick with their current contracts or become free agents. These contract provisions are sometimes referred to as opt-outs and sometimes as player options. Despite the different terminology, they are effectively the same, with the player being the one making the call.
Naturally, the player’s health and performance leading up to the decision will impact which way the player leans. Which players have that decision looming after the 2026 campaign? MLBTR takes a look, in alphabetical order. Player ages in parentheses are for the 2027 season.
- José Berríos (33): can opt out of remaining two years, $48MM
The Blue Jays and Berríos agreed to a seven-year, $131MM extension back in November of 2021. The Jays had just acquired Berríos from the Twins a few months earlier, when he had a year and a half of club control remaining. A few months later, with that control window down to one year, they locked him up to keep him around. He could opt out of the final two seasons of the deal, giving him a chance to hit the open market after his age-31 season, when another long-term deal would still be theoretically possible.
Back then, Berríos was a front-of-rotation workhorse who could be banked on for 3-5 WAR per year. He hasn’t been getting as many strikeouts lately, making him feel more like a veteran innings-eater type. From 2022 to 2025, he posted a 4.14 ERA with a 20.7% strikeout rate, 6.9% walk rate and 41.7% ground ball rate.
Even that has been undercut by some injury concerns in recent months. He finished 2025 on the injured list due to elbow inflammation and has started this year on the IL as well, again due to elbow inflammation. The issue doesn’t appear to be major and he could be back with the Jays in the near future. He would have to come back healthy and pitch really well in the next few months for this opt-out to even be a consideration.
- Bo Bichette (29): can opt out of remaining two years, $84MM, taking a $5MM buyout
Bichette’s recent trip to the open market was an interesting case. He wasn’t the first notable free agent to settle for a short-term deal, but we do know that he could have taken a more traditional long-term pact. The Phillies reportedly offered him a seven-year deal worth around $200MM. That was pretty close to the eight-year, $208MM deal that MLBTR predicted at the beginning of the offseason.
Instead, Bichette went another way. The Mets offered a much higher average annual value on a short-term deal with opt-outs after each season. Bichette can collect $42MM from the Mets for his age-28 season. If he decides to return to free agency, he can take a $5MM buyout on his way out the door, going into his age-29 season.
He would be walking away from a big salary but another $200MM deal might be out there for him if he has another typical Bichette season. Perhaps he would look to lock that in but we have already seen him opt for the bigger salary once. Maybe he would do so again. On the other hand, it’s theoretically possible he can garner better long-term offers this coming offseason. Last time, he had question marks due to his knee injury and uncertain future position. This time, it’s possible he’ll be healthy and have some proof of concept as a third baseman.
Bichette will need to turn things around to even make this a discussion, as he’s off to a .228/.262/.263 start as a Met, but that’s in a small sample size of 61 plate appearances. He has lots of time to heat up.
- Corbin Burnes (32): can opt out of remaining four years and $140MM ($44MM deferred)
Burnes was a free agent after the 2024 season and few expected him to land in Arizona, but the Diamondbacks signed him to a six-year, $210MM deal, with $64MM deferred. The deal gave Burnes the chance to opt out after two seasons, which would be his age-30 and age-31 seasons.
The deal has not worked out as hoped so far. Burnes did give the club 11 good starts last year, posting a 2.66 ERA, but then required Tommy John surgery in June. He will be on the shelf for at least half of the 2026 season, if not more.
It is theoretically possible for Burnes to beat the remaining money on his deal. Blake Snell was going into his age-32 season in 2025 when the Dodgers gave him a five-year deal worth $182MM. A couple of years prior, Jacob deGrom did better at an even older age. He was going into his age-35 season when he got a five-year, $185MM deal from the Rangers.
For Burnes to make this a conversation, he’ll probably need to come back and shove for at least a few weeks. One or two starts in September won’t do it. It’s also worth considering that Burnes seemingly turned down larger offers from other clubs because he and his family live in Scottsdale. Even if he thinks there’s a chance of slightly more money out there, he might be happy where he is.
- Kyle Freeland (34) – $17MM player option for 2027 if 170 innings pitched in 2026
Freeland and the Rockies signed a five-year, $64.5MM extension back in April of 2022. The deal runs through 2026 but Freeland can unlock a $17MM player option by getting to 170 innings pitched this year. He hasn’t done that in a while, with 2022 being the last time he hit that mark. Even a minor injury that puts Freeland on the IL for a few weeks would quickly take this off the table.
Presumably, the Rockies don’t want him to trigger this. The deal was signed under the previous front office regime. Even at the time, it was a bit of a head-scratcher. Since it has been signed Freeland’s ERA has mostly been hovering around 5.00. That’s not so bad for a pitcher who plays his home games at Coors Field but the Rockies are now rebuilding and don’t seem likely to be in contention next year.
On the other hand, even without a real eye on contention, they have considered it worthwhile to invest in making the rotation more respectable. After losing 119 games last year, the new front office invested almost $20MM to sign Michael Lorenzen, Jose Quintana and Tomoyuki Sugano. Each of those guys got $8MM or less. Deals like that are probably preferable to spending twice as much on Freeland but it’s not as though that would be back breaking. Freeland is making $16MM this year, so it would be a modest raise.
- Ryan Helsley (32) – $14MM player option
Helsley became a free agent after last year and a pillow deal seemed likely. He had been so dominant at his best but was coming off a poor platform. From 2022 to 2024, he posted a 1.83 ERA with a 34.6% strikeout rate. But in 2025, his ERA jumped up to 4.50. It was an even worse 7.20 for the Mets, who had acquired him from the Cardinals at the deadline. He only struck out 23.2% of batters faced after the deal. There was some talk that he may have been tipping his pitches, as his stuff seemed the same.
The Orioles gave him a two-year, $28MM deal, with even $14MM salaries in each season. Ideally, Helsley would return to form. That would give the O’s a lock-down closer without a lengthy commitment, while Helsley could return to free agency and get a bigger payday.
The early results are mixed. Helsley has thrown 4 1/3 innings for the O’s. His 30.4% strikeout rate is a nice uptick but he has also walked 17.4% of batters faced in that small sample. He still has lots of time but the sooner he locks in, the more it will help him in the coming offseason.
- Clay Holmes (34) – $12MM player option
Holmes spent most of his career as a reliever until he hit free agency, when he drew interest as a starter. The Mets gave him a three-year, $38MM deal and stretched him out. That deal contained an opt-out after two years. That would give Holmes a chance to return to free agency with some proof of concept as a starter, while the Mets would hope to at least get a couple of decent seasons from him.
So far, so good. Holmes is striking out fewer batters as a starter but is still getting plenty of ground balls, leading to good results on the whole. He has thrown 178 1/3 innings as a Met with a 3.38 ERA. His 18.2% strikeout rate is well below his work as a reliever, when he was usually above 25%, but Holmes has induced grounders at a 56.4% clip. He has had a bit of luck from a .273 batting average on balls in play and 75% strand rate, but his 4.09 FIP and 4.39 SIERA suggest he would be a competent back-end starter even with more neutral luck.
A decent starting pitcher can beat $12MM these days, even one in his mid-30s. In the most recent offseason, Nick Martinez got $13MM from the Rays for his age-35 season. Chris Bassitt got $18.5MM from the Orioles for his age-37 season. Merrill Kelly got two years and $40MM from the Diamondbacks starting at age-37. Adrian Houser got two years and $22MM from the Giants beginning with his age-33 campaign, even though he had to settle for a minor league deal a year prior.
Holmes hasn’t been getting as many strikeouts as Kelly or Bassitt but he was comparable to Martinez and Houser last year, with far more grounders than anyone in that group. He’s not an ace but there could be a path to something better than what will be left on his deal.
- Tatsuya Imai (29) – can opt out of remaining two years, $36MM
Imai is just making his major league debut. Coming from Japan at the end of last season, there seemed to be big divisions in how he was viewed by major league teams. Some saw him as a viable mid-rotation guy but others felt his future would be as a leverage reliever.
Some, including us, thought that a team would bet on the upside. MLBTR predicted Imai to land a six-year deal worth $150MM. It seems no club was willing to go to that length, at least not yet. Imai signed a three-year, $54MM deal with the Astros. Opt-outs after each season give him a chance to return to free agency, ideally with a track record of success as a major league starter. He is still relatively young, turning 28 in May, so he should still be able to secure a long-term deal in the future if the results are there.
It has only been two starts but the numbers have been mixed. Imai has a huge 35.1% strikeout rate but a massive 18.9% walk rate. That lack of control is one of the worries with Imai. He got his walk rate down to 7% in his final NPB season but was above 11% from 2019 to 2023. Beating two years and $36MM would be easy if he’s a 29-year-old mid-rotation starter but he will probably stay if he doesn’t quite cement himself or gets pushed to the bullpen.
- Michael King (32) – can opt out of remaining two years, $58MM for a $5MM buyout
Not too long ago, King looked to be on his way to a nine-figure deal. He got a rotation chance with the Yankees late in 2023 and made the most of it. The Padres acquired him and put him into their starting group. King responded with an excellent 2024. He kept that going into 2025 until some injury issues popped up. From August 24th of 2023 until May 18th of 2025, King tossed 267 2/3 innings with a 2.72 ERA, 28.4% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. FanGraphs credits him with 6.7 WAR for that span. The only six pitchers ahead of him on that leaderboard are Tarik Skubal, Chris Sale, Zack Wheeler, Logan Webb, Cole Ragans and Dylan Cease.
But King wasn’t able to carry that all the way into free agency. A pinched nerve in his shoulder sent him to the IL for a while. He returned but then quickly went back on the IL with left knee inflammation. He made a few starts in September but wasn’t as dominant as before.
Due to that unimpressive finish, he seemed likely to get a short-term deal with opt-outs, and that indeed came to pass. The Friars brought him back with a three-year deal worth $75MM. It’s a bit backloaded, a team preference since the Padres have been working with some payroll restrictions. King gets a $12MM signing bonus, $4MM annually, but he’ll get all of that even if he opts out. It’s a $5MM salary in the first season and then a $5MM buyout if he walks. Then there’s a $28MM salary in 2027 and $30MM for the final season.
He can easily beat that if he’s back in top form. As mentioned, he was pitching like an ace a year ago and was on a path to something well over $100MM. Even with the injuries, he almost got to nine figures. Through three starts, he has a 3.24 ERA. His 22.1% strikeout rate and 11.8% walk rate aren’t amazing but it’s a very small sample size.
- Yuki Matsui (31) – can opt out of remaining two years, $13.5MM
After years working as a closer in Japan, Matsui came over to North America ahead of the 2024 season. The Padres signed him to a five-year, $28MM deal. That pact allowed him to opt out after three years, as long as he didn’t have a major injury in the first two.
Matsui stayed healthy and has generally given the Padres solid relief work. He made more than 60 appearances and logged more than 60 innings in both 2024 and 2025. On the whole, he has a 3.86 ERA in 126 innings thus far. However, his 11.3% walk rate is high and his 24.6% strikeout rate is only about two ticks above average for a reliever. He hasn’t really been in a leverage role, with just one save and 12 holds. He began the 2026 season on the IL with a groin strain.
Two years and $13.5MM isn’t a massive amount of money in baseball terms but Matsui won’t beat that if he’s a low-leverage reliever. Those types of guys usually get one-year deals worth a few million. He would have another chance to opt out after 2027.
- Emilio Pagán (36) – $10MM player option
Pagán’s profile is well known at this point. He gets a lot of strikeouts but also allows lots of home runs. That leads to big swings in his ERA, depending on how many fly balls are leaving the yard. He had a 4.43 ERA with the Twins in 2022, then dropped that to 2.99 in 2023. The Reds signed him to a two-year deal with an opt-out. His ERA spiked to 4.50 in the first season and he decided to stay. He then had a 2.88 ERA in 2025.
He returned to free agency and the Reds re-signed him to basically the same deal as before. The first was $16MM over two years. The second deal gave him a slight bump to $20MM. Pagán has already allowed two home runs through 7 1/3 innings this year, leading to a 6.14 ERA. This one literally depends on which way the winds will be blowing this summer.
- Wandy Peralta (35) – $4.45MM player option
Peralta got a four-year, $16.5MM deal from the Padres going into 2024, with the final three seasons all being player options. That was a surprise at the time but the Friars like deals like this, seemingly because of their financial situation. The extra years lower the average annual value and therefore the hit to the competitive balance tax. If the player has a good season and opts out, that’s a loss to the roster but the Padres get him off the books.
With Peralta, he has mostly been a ground ball specialist in his career, getting opponents to pound the ball into the dirt at a 53.8% clip. His 19.1% strikeout rate is below average but he’s still been able to have some good seasons. His first two campaigns in San Diego were fine but weren’t enough for him to trigger either of his first two opt-out chances. He had a 3.99 ERA in 2024 and a 3.14 ERA last year. He has a 3.60 ERA in the early going in 2026.
$4.45MM isn’t a ton of money but veteran relievers can sometimes get squeezed. Andrew Chafin keeps having to settle for minor league deals, for instance. Peralta should probably just stick with San Diego for 2027 unless he has a surprisingly dominant season.
- Nick Pivetta (34) – can opt out of remaining two years and $32MM
The Padres signed Pivetta to a four-year, $55MM deal ahead of the 2025 season. Due to San Diego’s aforementioned payroll crunch, they backloaded the money. Pivetta got a $3MM signing bonus and $1MM salary in 2025. He is making $19MM this year, followed by two player options worth $14MM and $18MM. The 2027 option becomes a club option if Pivetta misses 130 days for a major injury.
The first season of the deal was the best of Pivetta’s career. He took the ball 31 times and posted a 2.87 ERA, though that may have been a bit fluky. His strikeout and walk rates held fairly steady compared to prior seasons. He went into 2025 with a 15.5% home run to fly ball rate but only 9.7% of his fly balls went over the fence last year. If his home run rates revert back to previous levels, his ERA would likely jump back to his usual range of the low 4.00s.
Two years and $32MM is beatable as a decent 34-year-old. Sonny Gray and Nathan Eovaldi both got three-year deals worth $75MM in recent years. Eovaldi was actually one year older, going into his age-35 campaign. Bassitt got three years and $63MM from the Blue Jays a few years back. Yusei Kikuchi got the same deal from the Angels. As previously mentioned, Kelly got $40MM over two years going into his age-37 season.
- Luis Severino (33) – $22MM player option
Severino signed a three-year, $67MM deal with the Athletics ahead of 2025. The A’s were desperate for pitching. Luring big leaguers there was going to be tough since they were going to be playing in a minor league park from 2025 to 2027. They also needed to spend a bit more to avoid putting their status as a revenue sharing recipient at risk. The Severino deal surpassed expectations and the industry consensus is that the A’s realized they had to overpay someone.
Though Severino accepted that job and has 67 million reasons to feel good about it, he also has a few reasons to feel annoyed and went public with those. It’s possible he’s eager to move on and maybe the opt-out was put into the contract so that he would have the ability to do so.
Last year’s results weren’t amazing, as he posted a 4.54 ERA. The minor league park played as hitter-friendly and may have hurt him, as he had a 6.01 ERA there compared to a 3.02 ERA on the road. However, that road ERA was helped by a tiny .249 BABIP. He only struck out 17% of batters faced in away games, so it’s not as though he was dominating. His 4.34 home FIP and 3.87 road FIP were much closer than the ERA splits.
Unless he really dominates in 2026, sticking with the A’s may be best financial decision. In the most recent offseason, decent starters got less than the $22MM Severino would be turning down. Zac Gallen got $22.025MM but with deferrals that knocked the net present value below $19MM. As mentioned, Houser got $22MM on a two-year deal. Steven Matz got $15MM over two. Bassitt got $18.5MM, Martinez got $13MM and Dustin May got $12.5MM via one-year deals. His 2026 results will play a role but his desire to get out of that minor league park may also be a factor.
Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images
Lucas Giolito Throwing Roughly 75 Pitches In Side Sessions
Lucas Giolito is the most notable unsigned player in MLB. The veteran right-hander went unsigned throughout the offseason. There hasn’t been much in the way of public rumors, as reported ties to the Braves and Padres were rather quickly downplayed.
Giolito finished last season with the Red Sox on the injured list due to flexor irritation. That has led some fans to speculate about health as a potential explanation for his remaining unsigned. The free agent starter has maintained he’s fully healthy going back to November, however. He reiterated as much in an appearance on The Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast with WEEI’s Rob Bradford this week, saying he simply hasn’t found what he considers a worthwhile contract offer.
“I just want to play for close to what my value is,” Giolito told Bradford. “Everything is based on these models now. Everyone uses projection and models. My agency (CAA) does the same thing. When you look at models and projections (for value), it’s like ‘alright cool, give me something that’s relatively close to that.’ Let’s go and get it. I’m ready to go.”
The righty said he never felt particularly close to signing over the winter. “The last few months have been very strange. Talks seem like they’re heating up, then it’s like ‘ok never mind,'” he added. The full conversation is worth a listen, as Giolito discusses his free agent process and current training regimen.
He’s working at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida, as he has throughout the winter. He’s throwing around 75 pitches in each of his bullpen sessions. He implied he’s essentially in game shape and wouldn’t need much more of a buildup once he signs. “When I get the opportunity, do you want me to throw a game in Triple-A to get ready or put me right in (the majors) for five innings,” he asked rhetorically. “I’ll do whatever. I’m happy to do whatever once I get the opportunity to help a team.”
That has some parallels to the Blue Jays’ recent signing of Patrick Corbin. The southpaw was reportedly working around 80 pitches in his individual side sessions before Toronto picked him up last Friday. Corbin consented to an optional assignment and made one tuneup start in Low-A. The Jays recalled him today for his team debut. He started and went four innings and 85 pitches in his first MLB appearance.
Giolito could seemingly follow a similar path. It appears to be a financial hangup. Corbin signed a $1MM guarantee, barely north of the league minimum. If Giolito were willing to do that, he’d have been signed months ago. He’s surely not interested in signing for that little after posting a 3.41 ERA across 145 innings for Boston last season.
The former All-Star said he believes that early-season injuries and struggles around the league could increase interest, though he predictably declined to go into detail about which teams might be involved. The Astros, A’s, Angels, Padres and Tigers are among the teams that have had wobbly performances and/or health concerns in the early going.
Speculatively, Houston probably makes the most sense on paper. They’ve started 6-7 despite scoring the most runs in MLB. They’re down their top two starters, Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier, for multiple weeks due to shoulder strains. Tatsuya Imai hasn’t thrown strikes in his first three MLB starts. They’re moving to a six-man rotation despite having Mike Burrows and Lance McCullers Jr. as their two most reliable healthy starters. The Astros are around $12MM below the competitive balance tax threshold.
Padres Place Jeremiah Estrada On Injured List
The Padres placed reliever Jeremiah Estrada on the 15-day injured list minutes before tonight’s game against the Rockies. Jason Adam takes his place in the bullpen, as he has been reinstated from his own IL stint. Estrada is battling elbow tendinitis.
It’s the first roster move of the regular season for the Padres. San Diego’s Opening Day 26-man roster had been unchanged until tonight. They’ll swap out righty setup men at the back of Craig Stammen’s bullpen.
Estrada has been one of the better relievers in MLB over the past couple seasons. He combined for 134 frames of 3.22 ERA ball between 2024-25. Estrada fanned 36.3% of opposing hitters over that stretch, the sixth-best rate among relievers with at least 50 innings. Mason Miller, Edwin Díaz, Josh Hader, Aroldis Chapman and Devin Williams were the only pitchers who recorded higher strikeout rates. Estrada doesn’t get the same level of fanfare, in part because he hasn’t had many save opportunities, but he tied for fifth in MLB with 30 holds a year ago.
The righty hasn’t been as sharp this year. Estrada has allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits and walks apiece across seven innings. He has recorded eight strikeouts but his swinging strike rate has dropped four percentage points. Estrada’s average fastball has tumbled from 98 mph to 95. He indicated last night that he’d felt fine physically (link via Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune). The tendinitis diagnosis buys them some time to see if they can get him right physically and mechanically.
Adam is back from last year’s season-ending quad surgery. The righty suffered a tendon rupture in his left quad at the beginning of September. He’d hoped to make it back for Opening Day. Adam didn’t make his spring debut until a few days before the start of the regular season. The Padres shelved him to begin the year but immediately sent him on a rehab assignment to Triple-A El Paso. He fired five scoreless innings during his ramp-up, albeit with just one strikeout and a diminished 92.9 mph average fastball.
The IL swap delays a tough roster decision in an excellent San Diego bullpen. Ron Marinaccio is their eighth reliever on paper, but he’s out of options. He has tossed 7 2/3 frames of two-run ball to begin the season and would probably get claimed off waivers. Assuming they want to keep Kyle Hart in long relief, they’d either have needed to DFA Marinaccio or option one of David Morgan or Bradgley Rodriguez to create a bullpen spot for Adam.