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Mariners Exercise Andres Munoz’s 2026 Club Option

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The Mariners exercised their $6MM club option on Andres Munoz’s services for the 2026 season, according to reporter Francys Romero.  The total value of the option is actually $7MM, as Munoz unlocked four $250K bonuses based on his number of games finished in 2025.

There was zero suspense in the Mariners’ decision, as Munoz has become one of baseball’s top closers.  An All-Star in each of the past two seasons, Munoz posted a 1.73 ERA and 32.7% strikeout rate over 62 1/3 innings while recording 38 saves.  While he has a penchant for issuing walks, that’s the only blemish on an otherwise excellent resume for the hard-throwing righty.

The four-year, $7.5MM extension Munoz signed with the Mariners back in November 2021 has proven to be quite a bargain for the team.  The guaranteed portion of the extension is now through, but the M’s still control Munoz through 2028 via three club option years.  The 2027 option is worth $8MM and the 2028 option is worth $10MM, with more bonus money available based on games finished.

Between exercising Munoz’s option and declining their end of Mitch Garver’s mutual option yesterday, the Mariners have already completed a pretty easy slate of club-related options.  The one remaining option outside of the team’s hands is Jorge Polanco’s $6MM player option for 2026, and it is expected that Polanco will choose to re-enter free agency on the heels of a strong season.

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

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The Mets have exercised their $4.75MM club option on left-hander Brooks Raley for the 2026 season, according to MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo.  New York also declined its $2MM club option on right-hander Drew Smith for 2026, as per an MLBPA media release that listed Smith as a new entry to the free agent market.

Raley and Smith were each working on one-year contracts with the Mets in the wake of Tommy John surgeries.  Raley underwent his procedure in May 2024 and didn’t officially sign until last April, inking a deal that paid him $1.5MM in salary for 2025 plus the $4.75MM club option for 2026 (with a $300K buyout).  Smith’s deal from last February paid him $1MM for the 2025 season, and there was no buyout on his $2MM club option.

Raley also earned himself a $250K roster bonus for making it back to New York’s active roster before the 2025 campaign was out, as the southpaw was able to return just after the All-Star break.  In even better news for all parties, Raley looked sharp in posting a 2.45 ERA, 25.3% strikeout rate, and a 6.1% walk rate over 25 2/3 innings out of the Amazins’ bullpen.

While a .212 BABIP contributed to Raley’s success and his K% was below the 29% mark he’d posted in five seasons with the Mets, it was still a very good showing for a 37-year-old pitcher coming off such a major arm surgery.  As such, it was expected that New York would exercise Raley’s option to officially bring the reliever back into the fold.  The Mets will have to address a lot of rotation and bullpen needs this winter, but Raley’s return at least checks off one box.

Smith underwent a hybrid Tommy John surgery/brace procedure in July 2024 that ended up costing him the entirety of the 2025 campaign.  The righty’s rehab process went as far as some live batting-practice sessions, but Smith didn’t log any game action even in the minors.  Given the timing of Smith’s surgery and the fact that it is the second TJ procedure of his career, it isn’t surprising that Smith wasn’t able to make it back onto the field before season’s end.

It could be that another health issue has emerged that will delay Smith’s return even further, or the declined option could represent the Mets wanting a bit of extra flexibility.  Even if $2MM is a drop in their payroll bucket, the Mets might prefer keeping a 40-man roster spot open for now, and exploring another contract with Smith later in the winter.  Other teams could swoop in to negotiate with Smith in the interim, of course, but it could that Smith and the Mets have some sort of handshake deal to revisit talks once the Rule 5 Draft protection deadline is passed.

Smith has spent all six of his Major League seasons in a Mets uniform, posting a 3.48 ERA, 24.5% strikeout rate, and 9.3% walk rate over 196 1/3 career innings.  His control was becoming an issue over his last two seasons, yet in general, the 32-year-old Smith has been a solid bullpen arm capable of eating innings and providing reliable results.

Mets Acquire Joey Gerber

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The Mets have acquired right-hander Joey Gerber in a trade with the Rays, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports.  Tampa Bay will receive cash in return for Gerber, who was one of six players the Rays designated for assignment yesterday.

After making his big league debut in the form of 17 games and 15 2/3 innings of 4.02 ball with the Mariners in 2020, Gerber then missed virtually all of the next three seasons due to back surgery and a Tommy John surgery.  He resurfaced to pitch in the Yankees’ farm system in 2024, and a subsequent minor league deal with the Rays last winter paved the way for his return to the Show.  Gerber appeared in two games (4 1/3 innings) for the Rays in September, posting a 2.08 ERA.

There is still a bit of a “work in progress” aspect to Gerber’s performance in the wake of such an extended layoff, as reflected by his 6.23 ERA over 43 1/3 innings with Durham last season.  An inflated .351 BABIP and a lot of home run problems contributed to Gerber’s ERA, but he has a 26.74% strikeout rate over 57 1/3 total frames at the Triple-A level.

It was enough to pique the Mets’ interest, and president of baseball operations David Stearns has long had a reputation for seeking out undervalued relievers with intriguing stuff.  Gerber has a minor league option remaining, which gives the Mets some extra roster flexibility if he does happen to make the team.

Diamondbacks Decline Elvin Rodriguez’s Club Option

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

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

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

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

Shota Imanaga Becomes Free Agent

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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.

White Sox Exercise Club Option On Luis Robert Jr.

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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.

The Opener: Orioles, Rockies, Padres

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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.

Braves Name Walt Weiss New Manager

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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 reportedly signed a three-year contract with an option for 2029.

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.

David O’Brien of The Athletic reported the three-year deal with the option. Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images

Royals’ Alec Marsh Undergoes Labrum Surgery

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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.

Rays Hire Ozzie Timmons As Assistant Hitting Coach

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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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