Flaherty exercises option as more players become free agents

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NEW YORK — Detroit pitcher Jack Flaherty and Toronto pitcher Shane Bieber exercised their 2026 player options instead of entering free agency, while Philadelphia exercised its option on reliever Jose Alvarado.

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San Diego pitcher Wendy Peralta also exercised his option, while Arizona outfielder Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Baltimore outfielder Tyler O'Neill and Texas outfielder Joc Pederson decided not to opt out of their contracts.

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Nine more players became free agents on Wednesday, bringing the total to 162. Teams must decide by Thursday whether to make $22,025,000 in qualifying offers to their eligible former players who have left in free agency.

About 20 more players could potentially be released on Thursday, the final day of the five-day window. That group includes pitcher Andrew Kittredge, whom Baltimore reacquired from the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday. The 35-year-old right-hander and the Orioles agreed in January to a one-year, $10 million contract that includes a $9 million team option for 2026 with a $1 million buyout.

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Flaherty made $25 million this year in his deal with the Tigers and decided to keep his $20 million salary for next season. The 30-year-old right-hander went 8-15, leading the AL in losses, and had a 4.64 ERA in 31 starts.

Bieber earned $14 million this season and has decided to exercise his $16 million option for 2026. A 30-year-old right-hander who won the 2020 AL Cy Young Award, Bieber was acquired by Toronto from Cleveland at the July 31 trade deadline. He returned on August 22 after Tommy John surgery in 2024.

He went 4–2 with a 3.57 ERA in seven starts, helping Toronto capture its first AL East title since 2015. He allowed a Will Smith home run in the 11th inning on Saturday that lifted the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 5-4 victory in Game 7 of the World Series.

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Philadelphia exercised the $9 million option on Alvarado rather than pay the $500,000 buyout as part of a three-year, $22 million contract. The 30-year-old left-hander served an 80-game suspension from mid-May to mid-August for a positive drug test. He went 4-2 with a 3.81 ERA and seven saves in eight chances.

Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader declined a $10 million mutual option for a $1.5 million buyout, ending the one-year, $6.25 million deal he signed with Minnesota that traded him to the Phillies.

Before the 2024 season, Peralta agreed to a deal that guaranteed $16.5 million over four years. He exercised a $4.25 million option for next season and also has a $4.45 million option for 2027. The 34-year-old left-hander went 6-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 71 games.

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Gurriel, 32, retained a $13 million salary for 2026 and a $14 million team option for 2027 with a $5 million buyout, part of a four-year, $42 million contract he signed before the 2024 season. A 2023 All-Star, he hit .248 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs this year.

O'Neal retained a $16.5 million salary for each of the next two seasons, part of a three-year, $49.5 million contract. The 30-year-old hit .199 with nine homers and 26 RBIs in 54 games, making three trips to the injured list for a sore neck, a sore left shoulder and sore right wrist.

Pederson signed a two-year, $37 million contract in January. He had the right to waive his $18.5 million salary for next year and his $18.5 million mutual option for 2027, but if he had opted out, the Rangers would have had the right to exercise the option for 2026 and 2027 at those salaries. The 33-year-old batted .181 with nine homers and 29 RBIs. He broke his right arm when he was hit by Bryce Wilson of the Chicago White Sox on May 24 and returned on July 27.

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Left-hander Tim Hill's $3 million option was exercised by the New York Yankees, who declined a $5 million option on right-hander Jonathan Loaisiga.

Cincinnati declined a $6.5 million club option on right-hander Scott Barlow in favor of a $1 million buyout, a $3 million club option on left-hander Brent Suter in favor of a $250,000 buyout, and a $12 million club option on outfielder Austin Hayes in favor of a $1 million buyout.

Catcher Elias Diaz's $7 million mutual option was declined by San Diego for a $2 million buyout, ending a one-year, $3.5 million contract. The Padres declined a $5 million option on left-hander Kyle Hart, who will receive a $500,000 buyout as part of a one-year, $1.5 million contract. San Diego also declined a $1 million team option on infielder Tyler Wade, resulting in a $50,000 team buyout. He was sent straight to Triple-A El Paso in August.

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