Player and team options are still being sorted through, with one day left until free agency can officially begin. The reigning American League champions will retain former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber for the 2026 season, while the Braves will hold on to their own Cy Young winner, as well.
Sale sticking with Braves
Chris Sale’s $18MM club option was reportedly picked up by the Braves (h/t ESPN).
The move wasn’t unexpected. Sale, the 2024 NL Cy Young Award winner, was fantastic when healthy this season. The 36-year-old struck out 166 over 125.2 IP. He missed time this season with a rib injury.
Bieber opts in with Blue Jays
The Blue Jays will retain Shane Bieber, as the former Cy Young winner opted into his $16MM deal for the 2026 campaign, per reports.
Bieber was traded from Cleveland, the only organization he knew before the deal, to Toronto in July. At the time, Bieber was in the Minors rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old pitched well overall, as he struck out 37 over 40 innings during the regular season, and logged 18.1 IP during the postseason.
The right-hander received that option when Bieber re-signed with Cleveland last winter.
Flaherty to stay in Detroit
The Tigers will retain Jack Flaherty for the 2026 campaign. Detroit announced on November 4 that Flaherty opted in. His deal came with a $10MM option that escalated up to $20MM since Flaherty made 31 starts (he hit the escalator at 15 starts).
Flaherty’s numbers in 2025 weren’t as stellar compared to 2024. While he gave up roughly the same number of home runs (23 in 2025, 24 in 2024) across innings pitched, the strikeouts were down, while his well-hit contact metrics went south. Still, he struck out 188 batters over 161 frames.
Other news
The Mariners announced that the club picked up Andres Munoz’s club option for 2026. Munoz has two options left, both of which are club options that would keep him in Seattle through 2028 if exercised.
The MLBPA officially announced nine new free agents on November 5. Among them include Brewers pitcher Jose Quintana and first baseman Rhys Hoskins, Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks, Kyle Hart & Elias Diaz of the Padres, plus Phillies outfielder Harrison Bader.
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