Orioles hope to get Luis Robert Jr. back in 10 days

Stephenson’s three-year, $33 million deal with the Angels gave the team some protection due to injury in the form of a $2.5 million option for 2028 if he missed a certain amount of time. However, the Angels decided against bringing him back even at that greatly reduced rate as he rehabs from April surgery to repair his UCL and flexor tendon. Stephenson, signed after a breakthrough stint with the Rays in 2023, pitched just 10 innings for the Angels, all of them in 2025.

Gray gets a $10 million buyout for declining the option, so this was always the way it was going to go down. The Red Sox figure to have considerable interest in bringing him back, but he’ll be very popular around the league.

The 30-year-old Martin made his major league debut in September, going 0-for-2 with a walk before finishing the year on the IL with a hamstring strain.

With Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ becoming free agents, the Cubs will have plenty of room for an out-of-options Alcántara to make an impact next year. Still, there hasn’t been anything to suggest that they have much faith in him, and there’s a decent chance he’ll be traded this winter. Alcántara hit .260/.350/.502 with 20 homers in 82 games for Triple-A Iowa last season. He’s been as productive as anyone in the Dominican Winter League so far, going 11-for-27 with three homers through eight games.

That’s quite a showing for his first ever winter league appearance. Malloy, who hit .209/.311/.346 in 123 games for the Tigers between 2024 and ’25, is coming off a pretty disastrous season in the Rays system in which he missed time due to injury and hit just .167/.309/.285 in 65 games for Triple-A Durham. He’s still technically with the Rays now, but he’s about to become a minor league free agent.

Profar is 5-for-11 in three games. He obviously really needs to get some at-bats after his half-season PED ban in 2025 and full-season suspension in 2026. It’s unclear if the Braves, who have him under contract for one more year, are going to give him another shot, but if he’s released, some other team will probably pick him up for the minimum and let him play.

Bericoto is hitting .417 with just one strikeout over 45 plate appearances in Venezuela. Injuries prevented him from getting as long of a look from the Giants as he might have received last season, and he didn’t excel in hitting .241/.267/.420 in 116 plate appearances. However, he still has a chance to help as at least a platoon starter against lefties.

Zuber recently underwent internal brace surgery that could keep him out for all of next year. Navarreto spent the final three-plus months of the season on the roster as a backup to Joe Mack, but he didn’t play much, hitting .135/.193/.250 in 61 plate appearances.

Alcantara will make $21 million, plus an extra $1 million if he’s traded at any point, in the final year of his deal with the Marlins. The 31-year-old went 13-11 with a 3.87 ERA while leading the majors with 214 innings pitched last season. On the other hand, both his 17 percent strikeout rate and his 42 percent groundball rate were career lows. His value in fantasy leagues next year will rather significantly hinge on whether the Marlins continue to give him chances to close games in between starts.

Like most mutual options, this wasn’t designed to be exercised. Martinez will get a $4 million buyout and return to free agency after a stellar 2026 that saw him go 15-6 with a 3.10 ERA and make his first All-Star team.