Angels decline to exercise option on Stephenson

After three years in indy ball, Klobosits had a 3.51 ERA in 33 1/3 innings for the Cubs’ Triple-A Iowa affiliate last season. His lone major league experience came with the Nationals in 2021, when he had a 5.56 ERA in 11 1/3 innings out of the pen.

Roh, 25, hit .283/.360/.505 with 29 homers in 127 games for Hanwha last season. His best season came in 2023, when he finished with a .929 OPS that was more than 200 points better than the league average in the KBO. The last two years, he’s been about 120 points better than the league average, and his strikeout rate has increased; in 2026, he fanned 25.7 percent of the team in a league with a 19.5 percent strikeout rate overall. He’s also not viewed as a particularly strong defender at third base. His power is intriguing, but he might fall short of being a quality MLB regular.

Curry, who could have become a minor league free agent, gets a spot on the 40-man after posting a 4.93 ERA and a 128/55 K/BB in 104 innings between three levels in 2026, with about two-thirds of his innings coming in Double-A. He has a starter’s arsenal and plenty of ability to miss bats, but he’s still probably going to be a reliever in the majors until his command takes a big step forward.

Both Sabean and Minaya joined the Yankees as advisors to Brian Cashman prior to the 2023 season. Sabean, the Giants’ GM from 1997-2014, had previously worked with the Yankees as a scout and later director of scoring before getting the Giants job. Minaya was previously a GM with the Mets and Expos. Sabean is 70 and Minaya turns 68 in a couple of weeks, so it’s hard to say if either will be eager to pursue other jobs.

This one comes as a mild surprise, as they’ll have to pay him a $1.25 million buyout anyways and Junis did a nice job out of the Rangers’ bullpen in 2026 — registering a 3.64 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and a 38/18 K/BB ratio over 54 1/3 innings while notching six saves. Perhaps they had already been informed that Junis planned to decline his side of the option. Either way, it shouldn’t be hard for the 34-year-old right-hander to find a new gig on the open market.

The 36-year-old backstop will receive a $1 million buyout on his way to the free agent market. Higashioka provided a major offensive boost once he took over the backup catcher role for the Rangers in 2025, but he wasn’t able to recapture that magic in 2026 — slashing an anemic .218/.306/.370 with seven homers and 18 RBI in 186 plate appearances. He’ll likely have to settle for a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp.

The news had been broken shortly before the announcement by Ken Rosenthal, Katie Woo and Chandler Rome of The Athletic. The 51-year-old executive had spent the previous 11 seasons in the Cardinals’ organization — the last six of those working as their assistant general manager and director of scouting.

This one seemed like a no-brainer given Soroka’s success in 2026. He’ll receive a $1 million buyout and will hit free agency where he should be able to land a highly lucrative multi-year deal. The 29-year-old hurler made 21 starts for the Diamondbacks in 2026, posting a strong 3.41 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and a 114/29 K/BB ratio across 116 innings. He’ll have no shortage of teams vying for his services on the open market.

The 27-year-old southpaw is now safe from being plucked in the Rule 5 draft. Pinazzi had a breakout 2026 season where he registered a scintillating 0.84 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and a 103/33 K/BB ratio over 64 innings across four minor league levels. He should get an opportunity to pitch out of the Angels’ bullpen at some point in 2027.

The expectation is that the 31-year-old backstop will refuse the assignment and elect free agency, though that hasn’t happened yet. Knizner appeared in 29 games for the Giants in 2026, slashing .219/.288/.356 with a pair of home runs and four RBI in 80 plate appearances. He’ll have no problem latching on somewhere as extra catching depth if he decides to hit the open market.