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  • Orioles Acquire Andrew Kittredge From Cubs
  • Shota Imanaga Becomes Free Agent
  • White Sox Exercise Club Option On Luis Robert Jr.
  • Braves Name Walt Weiss New Manager
  • Astros Receive PPI Pick For Hunter Brown’s Top Three Cy Young Finish
  • Brewers Exercise Option On Freddy Peralta; Brandon Woodruff Declines Option
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Diamondbacks Decline Elvin Rodriguez’s Club Option

By Mark Polishuk | November 4, 2025 at 9:32am CDT

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

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

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

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

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Arizona Diamondbacks Transactions Elvin Rodriguez

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Shota Imanaga Becomes Free Agent

By Nick Deeds | November 4, 2025 at 8:12am CDT

Left-hander Shota Imanaga has become a free agent, according to a report from Jesse Rogers of ESPN. The Cubs declined their three-year, $57MM club option on Imanaga’s services for 2026-28, and Imanaga subsequently declined his $15MM player option for 2026.

It’s an outcome that would’ve seemed unthinkable just a few months ago. Signed out of Japan to a deal that was on paper a four-year, $53MM contract during the 2023-24 offseason that had the aforementioned complex option structure set to kick in after the 2025 campaign, Imanaga was nothing short of sensational for Chicago in his first year as an MLB pitcher last year. In 29 starts, he pitched to a 2.91 ERA with a 25.1% strikeout rate across 173 1/3 innings of work that earned him an All-Star appearance and a fifth-place finish in NL Cy Young award voting last year.

While that strong rookie campaign seemed to portend a long stay near the front of Chicago’s rotation for Imanaga, things started to unravel this year. Early in the season, he managed to get strong results despite shoddy peripherals, with a 2.82 ERA through eight starts despite a 4.59 FIP and a strikeout rate that had plummeted to just 18.8%. His season was abruptly put on hold by a hamstring injury that cost him nearly two months, and when he returned his strikeout rate continued to dip. He did manage to fire off seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts during his first start after the All-Star break, but from there he began a downward spiral where his results started to match his lackluster peripherals.

From July 25 through the end of the season, Imanaga made 12 starts where he surrendered a 5.17 ERA with a 5.42 FIP across 69 2/3 innings of work. His strikeout rate actually recovered a bit during this stretch, creeping back up to 23.2%, but he allowed an eye-popping 20 home runs in that stretch. Imanaga has always had trouble with the long ball, and even in his excellent 2024 campaign he allowed the tenth-most homers among qualified starters. This year, his 31 homers allowed were the fourth-most in all of baseball despite him pitching just 144 2/3 frames. That’s fewer innings than anyone else in the top 20 besides Tyler Anderson, who allowed 28 homers in 136 1/3 innings of work.

In spite of his lackluster season, a poll of MLBTR readers on September 10 suggested that more than 91% believed the Cubs should exercise his club option. From that point onward, what seemed at the time like a borderline call became more clear as he posted an 8.04 ERA in his final three regular season starts before posting an 8.10 ERA in the postseason and ultimately being passed over for a winner-take-all Game 5 start against the Brewers in the ALDS despite him being on regular rest. By that time, this outcome seemed far more likely. MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes took a guess at Imanaga’s future in our Offseason Outlook coverage of the Cubs on October 22, and settled on the sides both declining their options and Imanaga heading into free agency.

From the Cubs’ perspective, moving on from Imanaga is understandable for a handful of reasons. By picking up his option, the Cubs would be counting on Imanaga to rebound into at least mid-rotation form for his age-32, -33, and -34 seasons. That might not seem like a bad bet to make, but it’s worth noting that Wrigley Field is notoriously fickle in terms of park factors thanks to the wind. In 2024, when Imanaga was at his best with the Cubs, Wrigley suppressed home runs at the fifth-highest rate in all of baseball according to Statcast. This year, that inverted to make the Friendly Confines the 11th-friendliest ballpark in baseball to home run hitters.

Perhaps Imanaga will be able to return to form elsewhere, particularly if he signs in a park with more consistent homer-suppressing tendencies, but it’s not hard to see why the Cubs wouldn’t want to commit to him long-term given that reality. That doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility that he’ll return to the Cubs at all; Rogers reports that it’s not yet clear if Chicago intends to extend Imanaga the qualifying offer. Recouping draft pick compensation for Imanaga if he departs would surely be attractive to the Cubs, and him accepting the QO may be preferable to having kept him on a three-year deal at a lower annual cost due to the short-term nature of the arrangement. With that said, the market has plenty of mid-rotation or better starters available this winter, and the Cubs might prefer to not risk Imanaga accepting the offer so they can reallocate those dollars to a starter they feel better fits their roster.

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Chicago Cubs Newsstand Transactions Shota Imanaga

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White Sox Exercise Club Option On Luis Robert Jr.

By Steve Adams | November 4, 2025 at 8:10am CDT

The White Sox are bringing Luis Robert Jr. back into the fold for 2026. Jesse Rogers of ESPN reports that the team is exercising its club option over the center fielder. Robert will make $20MM in 2026, rather being paid a $2MM buyout and heading into free agency. The White Sox hold an additional $20MM club option over him for the 2027 season.

This was always the expected course of action once the White Sox opted not to trade Robert at the trade deadline. General manager Chris Getz has only reinforced that thinking in the months since, stating on multiple occasions that he expects the oft-injured center fielder to be a part of his club moving forward.

Two years ago, when the South Siders were in the earlier stages of their rebuild, Robert seemed like a potential big-ticket trade chip. His 2023 campaign was excellent. Robert made the All-Star team, garnered down-the-ballot MVP votes and won a Silver Slugger after raking at a .264/.315/.542 clip with 38 home runs. He also swiped 20 bags in 24 tries and played plus defense in center field.

At that point, the Sox had two guaranteed years remaining on Robert’s $50MM extension, plus a pair of club options. They didn’t deem any offers that offseason sufficient, and Robert was retained heading into the 2024 campaign. The next two years proved to be something of a worst-case scenario. Robert slashed a combined .223/.288/.372 in 856 plate appearances over the past two seasons and endured multiple trips to the injured list, missing time with a hip flexor strain and a pair of hamstring strains.

The hope heading into 2025 was that a healthier season would build trade value for Robert ahead of the deadline. He had perhaps the worst stretch of his career for the season’s first two-plus months but caught fire in early June. That sparked some trade interest, but not to the point that interested teams were willing to part with top-tier prospect talent. The Sox, not wanting to sell low on a player with All-Star, borderline MVP upside, held onto Robert. He posted middling offensive numbers in August before a hamstring strain late in the month ended his season.

Bleak as Robert’s overall season numbers were, he did post a solid .274/.335/.458 batting line (118 wRC+) with nine home runs, a 19.7% strikeout rate and a 7.6% walk rate in his final 198 trips to the plate. That’s a ways off his 2023 peak, but if Robert could manage that level of performance moving forward, he’d be a fine value at his $20MM price tag. Of course, that’s a colossal “if,” given both his frequent trips to the injured list and the awful 658 plate appearances he logged from Opening Day 2024 through early June 2025.

Robert’s name could well come back up in offseason trade chatter, but it’s hard to imagine the Sox moving him after hanging onto him at the deadline. Offers in July apparently weren’t appealing enough to make a move, and Robert’s .256/.287/.409 post-deadline production and subsequent season-ending hamstring strain didn’t do anything to boost his value.

Assuming Robert indeed heads to spring training as the center fielder for the ChiSox, he currently projects to be flanked by veterans Andrew Benintendi and Mike Tauchman. The Sox would love to find a way to move on from the final two years of Benintendi’s ill-fated five-year, $75MM contract, but that’s not likely unless they simply release him. Tauchman, like Robert, wasn’t moved at the deadline — but he’s a 34-year-old veteran coming off a solid enough season that an offseason trade is possible.

If Robert can turn in a big first half next year, it’s feasible that he could still command a notable trade return. There will always be injury concerns, but few center fielders possess such a dynamic set of raw tools. Center field upgrades are in short supply at any point of the calendar, and a $20MM price tag on both his 2026 season and 2027 option will look plenty reasonable if he’s healthy and productive next summer. There are a lot of ifs, and it’s certainly a risk to pick up his option, but the White Sox have virtually no money on the books and can afford to once again roll the dice on him bouncing back, even if it’s arguable that they should’ve taken the best return available in July and moved on entirely.

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Chicago White Sox Newsstand Transactions Luis Robert

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The Opener: Orioles, Rockies, Padres

By Nick Deeds | November 4, 2025 at 8:06am CDT

Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:

1. Orioles introducing Albernaz:

The Orioles are poised to officially introduce Craig Albernaz as their new manager later today in a press conference at Camden Yards. Albernaz was serving as the associate manager in Cleveland under Stephen Vogt prior to being hired by Baltimore, and will now take over a club that entered 2025 with high expectations but left the year with a last place finish in the AL East. The press conference is scheduled for 11am local time this morning and will feature both president of baseball operations Mike Elias and club owner David Rubenstein in addition to Albernaz himself. The presser could provide Orioles fans a peek into their club’s plan for the offseason in addition to introducing Albernaz, given the presence of all the team’s top decision makers in one place.

2. Rockies back to square one in their GM search:

As the Rockies look for a new head of baseball operations, they’ve hit a bit of a roadblock as the two people previously viewed as finalists for the job (Diamondbacks assistant GM Amiel Sawdaye and Guardians assistant GM Matt Forman) are no longer under consideration for the job. It’s unclear exactly where the club will go from here or under what timeline a decision is expected to be made at this point, but one surprise candidate could be Adam Ottavino. Ottavino pitched in the majors as recently as earlier this year, but reportedly spoke to the Rockies about the job despite having just exited his playing career. He’d certainly be an unconventional hire, however, and it remains to be seen how seriously he might be considered for the role.

3. Padres still on the hunt for a manager:

The Braves hired from within to replace Brian Snitker yesterday, promoting bench coach Walt Weiss to the top job. That leaves just one managerial vacancy left to be filled, at least until the Rockies hire a front office leader who can decide on interim manager Warren Schaeffer’s fate. That vacancy is in San Diego, where Mike Shildt made the decision to step away from the dugout shortly after the Padres were eliminated in the Wild Card series. It was just last week that a trio of finalists for that job were reported: pitching coach Ruben Niebla, Rangers special assistant Nick Hundley, and future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols. The possibility of a fourth finalist alongside those candidates wasn’t ruled out, as well. At the time, a hiring was expected to be made by the end of last week, so it’s at least possible that process has it an unexpected snag. The Padres are surely hoping to have a manager in place by the time the offseason gets into full swing, however, so a decision could be made any day now.

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The Opener

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Braves Name Walt Weiss New Manager

By Darragh McDonald | November 3, 2025 at 11:55pm CDT

The Braves have a new manager and it’s an internal hire. The club announced today that Walt Weiss is the club’s new skipper. Weiss has been the club’s bench coach for many years but now gets a chance to take on a bigger role.

Weiss, 61, played in the majors from 1987 to 2000. The final three seasons of his playing career were spent in Atlanta. After hanging up his spikes, he pivoted into other roles with the Rockies, first as a special advisor to the front office. He then moved into the manager’s chair and was the skipper in Colorado for four years, beginning in 2013. The club had a losing record in all four of those campaigns, finishing each with between 66 and 75 wins, before Weiss resigned.

Going into the 2018 season, Atlanta hired Weiss to the bench coach position, working as top lieutenant to manager Brian Snitker. That was actually a few days before it was reported that Alex Anthopoulos would be the club’s new front office leader. Atlanta had been rebuilding for the previous few years but they emerged as contenders in that 2018 campaign. They went 90-72, their first of what would eventually be six straight National League East division titles. They won the World Series in 2021.

After the 2022 season, Weiss got some reported interest from the Marlins for their managerial vacancy, though he turned down an interview request. He stayed in Atlanta, continuing to work under Snitker. Snitker announced about a month ago, just before his 70th birthday, that he would not be returning for another season as manager. The club kept their managerial search pretty close to the vest, leading mostly to speculation about who might replace Snitker.

Weiss will now be tasked with turning the club around after a rough patch. After those aforementioned six straight division titles, they slipped to second place and a Wild Card berth last year. Here in 2025, they dropped all the way down to 76 wins and a fourth-place finish.

Expectations will continue to be high, as there is still a lot of talent on the roster. The poor results in 2025 involved several notable injuries and a PED suspension for Jurickson Profar. The club still has a core featuring Ronald Acuña Jr., Matt Olson, Austin Riley, Chris Sale and many others. President of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos will surely look to bolster the club for a return to form in 2026.

Anthopoulos has surely gotten to know Weiss well over the past eight years and feels he is the man to skipper the club back to greatness. What remains to be seen is if Weiss will shake up the coaching staff, but hiring a new bench coach to replace himself should be one item on the to-do list.

Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

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Atlanta Braves Newsstand Walt Weiss

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Royals’ Alec Marsh Undergoes Labrum Surgery

By Anthony Franco | November 3, 2025 at 11:45pm CDT

Royals starter Alec Marsh underwent labrum surgery, reports Anne Rogers of MLB.com. The right-hander did not pitch at all this season because of recurring shoulder issues. He’s going to miss most or all of the 2026 season as well. Rogers suggests it could be a yearlong rehab process.

A second-round pick in 2019, Marsh debuted as a swingman four years later. He held a rotation spot for most of the ’24 season, tossing 129 innings over 26 appearances. The Arizona State product put up a 4.53 ERA with slightly better than average strikeout and walk rates. He averaged 94 MPH on a four-seam fastball that headlined a six-pitch mix. Marsh looked like a fine fifth starter and would have battled for a spot at the back of Matt Quatraro’s rotation had he been healthy.

The 27-year-old is now in line for a second straight mostly lost season. There’ll be uncertainty about how well he’ll bounce back until the team finally sees him on the mound. Marsh spent this past season on the 60-day injured list. Kansas City reinstated him — along with James McArthur and Kris Bubic — this afternoon. Their roster count sits at 38.

Marsh has a little over two years of major league service. He will not qualify for arbitration until the end of next season and wouldn’t have the body of work to rack up significant earnings, at least in year one. If the Royals keep him on the roster all winter, they can place him back on the 60-day IL at the beginning of Spring Training.

Kansas City will go into 2026 with Cole Ragans, Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo locked into rotation spots. Bubic will be in there as well unless the Royals trade him for a hitter. Noah Cameron projects as the fifth starter, while Ryan Bergert, Stephen Kolek and Luinder Avila are on the 40-man roster and have minor league options. Bailey Falter and Kyle Wright hold 40-man spots for now, but there’s a good chance the Royals non-tender them. It’s a talented group but one that was hit hard by injuries late in the season, so it’d make sense for K.C. to add an innings eater even if the offseason focus is on upgrading the outfield and second base.

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Kansas City Royals Alec Marsh

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Rays Hire Ozzie Timmons As Assistant Hitting Coach

By Anthony Franco | November 3, 2025 at 10:32pm CDT

The Rays hired Ozzie Timmons as an assistant hitting coach on Monday, according to a club announcement. He replaces Brady North, who departed Kevin Cash’s staff at the end of the regular season.

Timmons is back on an MLB staff after spending the 2025 campaign in a special assistant role. The 55-year-old had been on Cash’s coaching staff as a first base coach/assistant hitting coach between 2018-21. The Brewers hired him as one of two co-hitting coaches over the 2021-22 offseason. Timmons spent three years in that position before parting ways with Milwaukee last winter.

A Tampa-area native, Timmons suited up for the Devil Rays in 2000 as part of a brief MLB playing career spread across four teams. He’d worked as their Triple-A hitting coach before getting his first crack on the MLB staff in 2018. He’ll work underneath lead hitting instructor Chad Mottola, who has been the club’s hitting coach for the past nine-plus seasons.

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Tampa Bay Rays Ozzie Timmons

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Astros, Peter Lambert Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | November 3, 2025 at 9:34pm CDT

The Astros are in agreement with right-hander Peter Lambert on a minor league contract, reports Aram Leighton of Just Baseball. The 28-year-old returns stateside after a season in Japan with the Yakult Swallows.

Lambert made 21 starts in his only year in Nippon Professional Baseball. He allowed a 4.26 earned run average across 116 1/3 innings. That’s not an especially impressive number in a pitcher-friendly league. Lambert had the fifth-highest ERA among the 47 NPB pitchers to toss at least 100 frames. He fanned 20.5% of opponents — a solid mark in a league where hitters are more focused on putting the ball in play than they are in MLB — but issued walks at a 10.2% clip. That’s the highest rate among the aforementioned group of 47 pitchers.

A former second-round pick of the Rockies, Lambert pitched parts of four seasons with Colorado. He started 19 games as a rookie back in 2019 and worked in a swing role after that. Lambert’s most recent big league action came in 2024, when he allowed 5.72 earned runs per nine over 61 1/3 innings. He has a 6.28 ERA with a 16.4% strikeout rate over his big league career.

The Astros are likely to stockpile upper minors rotation depth. They’ll almost certainly non-tender Luis Garcia (who is again out for the season after another Tommy John procedure) and will have each of Hayden Wesneski, Ronel Blanco and Brandon Walter on the injured list after they underwent elbow surgeries. They’re expected to let Framber Valdez walk and Lance McCullers Jr. shouldn’t be locked into a rotation spot. Houston already took a $1.35MM flier on former top prospect Nate Pearson to allow him to compete for a starting role. Lambert seems likelier to open the season at Triple-A Sugar Land.

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Houston Astros Transactions Peter Lambert

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Reds Bench Coach Brad Mills Retires

By Anthony Franco | November 3, 2025 at 8:54pm CDT

The Reds announced a handful of changes to Terry Francona’s staff. Most notably, bench coach Brad Mills has retired. Mills was one of two bench coaches this year, so the Reds could stick with Freddie Benavides (who also has the title of field coordinator) without making an outside hire.

Cincinnati has made three additions to the staff. Mike Napoli gets the title of assistant bench coach after spending this past season in a nebulous “staff assistant” role. The Reds have also promoted Willie Harris to third base coach and hired Bill Haselman as their catching coach.

Mills, 68, has enjoyed a longtime relationship with Francona. He worked on Francona’s staffs in Philadelphia, Boston and Cleveland going back to the 1990s. He spent most of that time as the bench coach. Mills got a two-plus year managerial run of his own with the Astros between 2010-12, though a rebuilding Houston team won only 38.4% of their games over his tenure. He had not been on an MLB staff for a few seasons before returning last offseason when Francona came out of retirement to take over in Cincinnati.

Harris spent this past season managing Cincinnati’s Low-A affiliate in Daytona. He’s back on a major league staff in the same position he held with the Cubs between 2020-24. Cincinnati’s previous third base coach, JR House, left to take the same position with the Diamondbacks last month. Haselman is a former MLB catcher whose coaching career began with Francona’s Red Sox in the mid-2000s. He has ample minor league managerial experience and was most recently on a big league staff with the Angels in 2023.

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Cincinnati Reds Bill Haselman Brad Mills Freddie Benavides Mike Napoli Willie Harris

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Offseason Outlook: Los Angeles Dodgers

By Darragh McDonald | November 3, 2025 at 8:05pm CDT

The Dodgers have won back-to-back World Series. They aren't losing any major contributors to free agency, so they'll go into the winter with a really strong roster and the ability to bolster it further.

Guaranteed Contracts

  • Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH: $560MM through 2033 ($68MM of salary deferred annually)
  • Yoshinobu Yamamoto, RHP: $260MM through 2035 (deal includes multiple opt-out chances, beginning after 2029 or any season in which he is traded)
  • Mookie Betts, SS: $235MM through 2032 (includes $40MM of signing bonus still to be paid out; $10MM of salary deferred annually in 2026-27, $11MM annually 2028-32)
  • Blake Snell, LHP: $104MM through 2029 ($13.2MM of salary deferred annually; deal includes conditional club option for 2030)
  • Will Smith, C: $83.45MM through 2033 ($5MM of salary is deferred annually)
  • Tyler Glasnow, RHP: $81.5625MM through 2028 (2028 is either $21.5625MM player option or $30MM club option)
  • Tanner Scott, LHP: $56MM through 2028 (includes $15MM of signing bonus still to be paid out; $5.25MM of salary deferred annually; deal includes 2029 conditional option)
  • Freddie Freeman, 1B: $54MM through 2027 ($12MM of salary deferred annually)
  • Tommy Edman, IF/OF: $52MM through 2029 (includes $3MM buyout on $13MM club option for 2030; $6.25MM of salary deferred annually)
  • Teoscar Hernández, OF: $33MM through 2027 (includes $6.5MM buyout on $15MM club option; deal also includes conditional 2029 option; $8MM of salary deferred annually)
  • Blake Treinen, RHP: $13.5MM through 2026 (includes $2.5MM of signing bonus still to be paid out)
  • Hyeseong Kim, IF/OF: $9MM through 2027 (including $1.5MM buyout of $10MM two-year club option for 2028-29)

Other Financial Commitments

  • Owe $4MM buyout to released IF/OF Chris Taylor

Option Decisions

  • Team has $10MM club option on 3B Max Muncy with no buyout
  • Team has $3.65MM club option on LHP Alex Vesia with $50K buyout (Vesia would remain controllable via arbitration even if option is declined)

2026 guarantees (assuming both options are picked up): $283.15MM ($127.7MM deferred)
Total future commitments: $1.559 billion ($792.55MM deferred)

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

  • Brusdar Graterol (5.167): $2.8MM
  • Tony Gonsolin (5.152): $5.4MM
  • Evan Phillips (5.136): $6.1MM
  • Alex Vesia (5.078): $4.1MM (Dodgers hold a $3.65MM club option with a $50K buyout)
  • Anthony Banda (4.135): $1.7MM
  • Brock Stewart (4.093): $1.4MM
  • Ben Rortvedt (3.135): $1.3MM
  • Michael Grove (3.031): $800K
  • Alex Call (2.161): $1.5MM

Non-tender candidates: Graterol, Gonsolin, Phillips, Banda, Stewart, Rortvedt, Grove

Free Agents

  • Clayton Kershaw (retiring), Michael Conforto, Kirby Yates, Enrique Hernández, Miguel Rojas, Michael Kopech

The Dodgers have a strong willingness to bet on talent and not worry so much about injury concerns. That is partly due to their almost unlimited budget, which allows them to take risks other clubs may not be able to afford. It's also because the lineup is so good that they are almost guaranteed to make the playoffs each year, which gives them the wiggle room to let their players get healthy as opposed to rushing them back during the regular season.

This has led to some inconsistency in how things end up when October rolls around. In 2023, they were so banged up that they were swept out of the ALDS by the Diamondbacks. In 2024, the Dodgers had just enough of a rotation to win the title. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler were the three traditional starters as the club relied heavily on the bullpen. In 2025, that flipped. The bullpen had been stripped down by injuries but the rotation had Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Shohei Ohtani all healthy. Manager Dave Roberts tried to avoid his traditional relievers as much as possible. He often allowed his starters to pitch deep into games. In Game Seven of the World Series, he used all four of Ohtani, Glasnow, Snell and Yamamoto.

Going into 2026, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Dodgers target more pitching, but the rotation is actually in good shape. The four starters they were using in this year's playoffs are all healthy and under contract. Roki Sasaki wound up in the bullpen due to some shoulder trouble but he could be stretched back out next year. Guys like Emmet Sheehan, Jack Dreyer, Ben Casparius, Landon Knack, Bobby Miller and Justin Wrobleski worked both as starters and relievers in 2025 and could be in the mix for starts again next year. Each of Kyle Hurt, River Ryan and Gavin Stone spent 2025 recovering from surgery but should be factors next year. Top prospect Jackson Ferris now has 33 Double-A games under his belt and should be in Triple-A next year.

Nick Frasso finished 2025 hurt and his current status isn't clear. Tony Gonsolin will likely be non-tendered since he underwent internal brace surgery and will miss at least the first half of 2026, though the Dodgers could afford to pay him and hope for a late-season return if they wanted to. Michael Grove missed all of 2025 due to shoulder surgery and could also be non-tendered, though he can still be controlled for three more seasons.

However it plays out, it's an impressive collection of talent, even with Clayton Kershaw retiring. The club has been very active in adding pitching in recent offseasons. After their aforementioned rough ending in 2023, they added Ohtani. However, he wasn't an immediate upgrade to the staff since he was recovering from surgery at the time, so they also added Glasnow and Yamamoto. Coming into this year, they signed Snell.

With the depth suddenly looking overwhelming, the Dodgers may not be as aggressive on the free agent starting pitching market. In fact, there are so many names on the chart that they could probably trade some away, though they could also opt to hold and just have lots of depth on hand for the inevitable injuries that will arise.

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2025-26 Offseason Outlook Front Office Originals Los Angeles Dodgers

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    Top Stories

    Orioles Acquire Andrew Kittredge From Cubs

    Shota Imanaga Becomes Free Agent

    White Sox Exercise Club Option On Luis Robert Jr.

    Braves Name Walt Weiss New Manager

    Astros Receive PPI Pick For Hunter Brown’s Top Three Cy Young Finish

    Brewers Exercise Option On Freddy Peralta; Brandon Woodruff Declines Option

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    Lucas Giolito Declines Mutual Option

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    Gold Glove Winners Announced

    The 2025-26 Offseason Begins

    Dodgers Win World Series

    Nationals Hire Blake Butera As Manager

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    Recent

    Rockies Decline Mutual Option On Kyle Farmer

    Braves Release Nathan Wiles

    Orioles Acquire Andrew Kittredge From Cubs

    Red Sox Avoid Arbitration With Jarren Duran

    Orioles Sign Josh Walker To Major League Contract

    Reds Sign Keegan Thompson

    Frankie Montas Won’t Opt Out Of Final Year Of Mets Contract

    Mariners Exercise Andres Munoz’s 2026 Club Option

    Mets Exercise Club Option On Brooks Raley, Decline Drew Smith’s Club Option

    Mets Acquire Joey Gerber

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