NEW YORK (AP) — Boston third baseman Alex Bregman and right-hander Lucas Giolito, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Díaz and New York Yankees outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger were among the players who turned down player options or exercised opt outs and become free agents Tuesday.
San Diego pitcher Robert Suarez also turned down his option and went free on the third day of the five-day free agent window.
A total of 153 players have become free agents following the end of the World Series and several dozen more potentially can go free through Thursday, depending on whether team, player and mutual options are exercised.
Bregman and the Red Sox agreed to a $120 million, three-year contract in February and he gave up $80 million for 2026 and ’27, of which half each year would have been deferred and payable through 2036. He gets $40 million for his one year with Boston, of which he received $20 million this year. He also gets a $5 million signing bonus payable on Jan. 15, 2028, and $20 million payable in annual $2 million installments each June 15 starting in 2035.
He hit .273 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs in 114 games. A 31-year-old three-time All-Star third baseman, Bregman was sidelined between May 23 and July 11 by a strained right quadriceps.
Giolito, a right-hander, declined a $19 million mutual option with a $1.5 million buyout, ending a contract that paid him $38.5 million for two seasons. The 31-year-old returned on April 30 from elbow surgery in March 2024 and was 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 26 starts and 145 innings.
Alonso received $30 million for one season under his $54 million, two-year deal and declined a $24 million salary for 2026. The five-time All-Star first baseman, who turns 31 next month, batted .272 with 38 homers, 41 doubles and 126 RBIs.
Díaz earned $64 million for three seasons in the $102 million, five-year contract he agreed to in November 2022, including $7.35 million in deferred payments due through 2039. The three-time All-Star gave up salaries of $18.5 million in both 2026 and 2027 that were in his player option. If he had exercised his option, the Mets would have had a $17.25 million team option for 2028 with a $1 million buyout.
A 31-year-old right-hander, Díaz had 28 saves in 31 chances and was 6-3 with a 1.63 ERA. He missed the 2023 season after tearing his right patellar tendon while celebrating a Puerto Rico win at the World Baseball Classic.
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New York exercised a $4.75 million option on left-hander Brooks Raley rather than pay a $350,000 buyout, declined a $2 million option on right-hander Drew Smith and said right-hander Frankie Montas and left-hander A.J. Minter had exercised player options.
Montas has a $17 million salary for next season as part of a $34 million, two-year deal and Minter an $11 million salary as part of a $22 million, two-year contract.
Montas, 32, was 3-2 with a 6.28 ERA in seven starts and two relief appearances, limited by a right lat strain that delayed his season debut until June 24 and then cut short by a torn elbow ligament that led to Tommy John surgery on Sept. 9. Minter, 32, had a 1.64 ERA in 11 relief appearances, the last April 26 before a left lat strain ended his season.
Bellinger, acquired by the Yankees from the Chicago Cubs last December, earned $57.5 million from the $80 million, three-year contract he reached in February 2024. He declined a $25 million option for 2026 and instead will receive a $5 million buyout payable in equal installments on Jan. 15 in 2026 and 2027. A 30-year-old outfielder and first baseman, he batted .272 with 29 homers and 98 RBIs — including .302 with 18 homers and 55 RBIs at Yankee Stadium.
Suarez gave up $16 million from his $46 million, five-year contract, declining $8 million player options for 2026 and 2027. The 34-year-old right-hander, a two-time All-Star, was 4-6 with a 2.97 ERA and an NL-high 40 saves in 45 chances.
Atlanta infielder Ha-Seong Kim declined a $16 million player option from the $29 million, two-year contract he agreed to in February with Tampa Bay, a deal that paid him $13 million. The 30-year-old batted .234 with five homers and 17 RBIs for the Rays and Braves, who claimed him off waivers on Sept. 1. Kim didn’t make his season debut until July 4 because of right shoulder surgery in late 2024.
Arizona declined a $1.35 million option on right-hander Elvin Rodríguez, who was claimed off waivers from Baltimore on Sept. 5. Rodriguez started the season with Milwaukee, then was claimed by the Orioles on July 16. He was 0-2 with a 9.15 ERA over seven games in the major leagues this year.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
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