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2026-27 Club Option Preview: October Edition

Oct 01, 2026 • 5 min read • views

The regular season is now done, which means it’s almost time for decisions to be made on contract options. MLBTR looked at the player options last month. Now let’s turn to the club options. For the sake of streamlining this post, mutual options have not been included, as it’s been over a decade since a mutual option has been picked up by both sides.

Athletics

  • Jeff McNeil, 2B: $15.75MM club option (Mets responsible for $2MM buyout as part of December trade)

The A’s picked up McNeil from the Mets in the offseason. The Mets were mostly looking to dump some salary, while the A’s were hoping to get a veteran utility guy for their young roster. For the most part, that didn’t work out for the A’s. McNeil had a poor season overall, though he was at least trending in the right direction.

On the whole, McNeil stepped to the plate 520 times with a .264/.313/.368 line and 83 wRC+. That splits up as a .226/.290/.302 line and 59 wRC+ in the first half, compared to a .310/.342/.451 slash and 114 wRC+ in the second half. That’s nice momentum but McNeil has still barely been replacement level this year and will turn 35 in April, so the A’s should walk away. Even if they want to bring McNeil back, they should be able to re-sign him for less than the option price.

Springs unquestionably did not have a good year. He posted a 6.18 earned run average across 29 starts. His 17.8% strikeout rate was below average and well below any previous season of his career. Pitching his home games in a minor league park doesn’t help but Springs also had a 5.35 ERA on the road. He just celebrated his 34th birthday last month.

It would normally be an easy call for a team to turn down a club option at that price for a pitcher with those numbers. However, it’s perhaps worth noting that the A’s badly need arms and have trouble signing free agents. Since their current home ballpark is both hitter-friendly and lacking in amenities generally, they have a real hard time convincing pitchers to take their money. Perhaps that would tempt them to lock up a veteran innings eater when they have the chance, even if it would be an overpay.

Atlanta Braves

This one is easy, even if Acuña is having a relative down year. Acuña hit .255/.345/.451 this year for a wRC+ of 120, a low mark for him but still 20% better than league average. His defensive grades were down as well but he has still managed to rack up 20 steals. Even in this “down” season, Acuña produced 1.8 fWAR in 107 games. He is obviously capable of far more, with an MVP award already on his mantle. Given the large buyout price, it’s a $7MM net decision and will be easy for Atlanta to pick up. There’s also a $17MM club option for 2028, with no buyout.

This one is more borderline, as Albies hasn’t been great in recent years. He has a combined .242/.300/.385 line and 89 wRC+ dating back to the start of the 2024 season. That includes a .237/.293/.392 line and 86 wRC+ this year. That production has been held back by a .247 BABIP, so perhaps Albies has deserved better. The trend lines are poor, as he hit .267/.320/.439 in the first half and then .194/.253/.323 after the break, but the second half is where most of the poor batted ball luck lies. He went from a normal-ish .273 BABIP in the first half to .206 in the second.

Albies has been a staple at second base in Atlanta and $7MM isn’t bad for a regular, even one who’s not very exciting. Albies has still been worth 1.1 to 1.4 fWAR in recent seasons, even with his subpar offense. He might have fared better with neutral luck this year. With a question mark at shortstop, perhaps they don’t want to open another middle infield hole. Albies’ struggles have gone on for long enough that it wouldn’t be shocking if they decided it was time to make a change, but even if that were the case, Atlanta could find a willing trade partner.

Baltimore Orioles

Enns had a decent season in 2025 after years overseas. The O’s made a bet on him carrying it forward into 2026 but it hasn’t panned out. In his first 16 innings this year, he walked 15.7% of batters faced, more than double last year’s 7.5% clip. His strikeout rate also fell from 24.5% to 18.6%. His ERA dropped because he didn’t allow any home runs, an unsustainable condition. He was outrighted off the roster in late May. He has a 5.80 ERA in Triple-A since then. He’ll definitely be bought out.

Mountcastle was once a middle-of-the-order threat for the O’s but it’s been a while. He had a down season in 2025, as a hamstring strain limited him to seven homers over 89 games. He was a non-tender candidate coming into 2026 but the O’s brought him back with a deal that paid him $6.787MM this year with a $7.5MM club option for 2027. He has largely been a non-factor, spending most of the season on the IL. Mountcastle has appeared in just eight games. Even if the O’s want to bring him back, they could turn down this option and re-sign him for less.

Robert has occasionally shown huge upside on the field but not lately. Dating back to the start of 2024, he has a combined line of .223/.290/.379 and a wRC+ of 87. The Mets put him on waivers in August just to save a bit of money. The O’s grabbed him, hoping he could be part of a miracle late-season run, but he almost immediately went back on the injured list.

In a sense, $20MM for a guy who has been subpar for three years now feels rich. But clubs are clearly still intrigued by the ceiling he showed in 2023, when he hit 38 home runs, stole 20 bases and earned 5 fWAR. While the Orioles won the claim, reports indicated the Padres and Rays were also planning to claim Robert. If some team still has faith, the O’s could pick up the option and trade him, but it also feels like he could be sent to free agency and then signed at a lower price point.

Boston Red Sox

This is one of the easiest decisions, as the Sox will definitely pick this up. UCL surgery wiped out most of his 2024 but Whitlock has a 2.03 ERA in 124 1/3 innings since coming back. His strikeout, walk and ground ball rates are all better than average. He has 50 holds and five saves over the past two seasons. There’s another club option for 2028, which only enhances the appeal of picking this one up.

Chicago Cubs

  • Colin Rea, RHP: $7.5MM club option ($1MM buyout)

Rea is wrapping up his second straight year as a solid swingman with the Cubs and fourth overall, as he also played this role with the Brewers in 2023 and 2024. He is capable of being a back-end starter or a serviceable reliever, depending on team circumstances. In those four seasons, he has made at least 19 starts and logged at least 124 2/3 innings. His ERA has always finished in the 3.95 to 4.55 range. This year’s 4.34 mark is a slight bump from last year’s 3.95 but he’s more or less the same guy.

At this time last year, the Cubs were deciding between a $6MM option for 2026 or a $750K buyout. The two sides hammered out a new deal that would guarantee him $6.5MM in the form of a $5.5MM salary this year but with a $1MM buyout on a $7.5MM club option for 2027.

The Cubs seem to value Rea’s contributions and they are about to lose their entire rotation to free agency. Kevin Gausman, Matthew Boyd, David Peterson, Shota Imanaga and Clay Holmes are all headed to the open market. Boyd has a mutual option that won’t be picked up by both sides and Holmes will turn down his $12MM player option for next year. They should be motivated to bring Rea back, either by picking up the option or working out a new deal like they did last time.

Webb was somewhat surprisingly non-tendered by the Rangers after a solid 2025 season. He gave Texas 66 innings with a flat 3.00 ERA. The Cubs scooped him up on a $1.5MM deal with a $2.5MM club option for 2027. This year’s 3.36 ERA is a slight increase from last year but his 25.7% strikeout rate is a four-point bump from last year’s 21.7%. His ground ball rate also ticked up from 31.9% to 40.8%. He did that in a high-leverage role, picking up nine saves and nine holds.

$2.5MM is a fair price to keep a pitcher of that quality but he has been non-tendered two years in a row. He made $1MM with the Brewers in 2024 and had a 3.02 ERA but Milwaukee wouldn’t give him a raise in 2025. Texas gave him $1.25MM last year but another good season led to another non-tender. Despite consistently good numbers, the league doesn’t want to pay Webb for some reason. It feels like the Cubs should pick this up but precedent suggests they might not.

The Cubs hold a $3.3MM club option on RHP Javier Assad. He’ll remain eligible for arbitration through at least 2028 even if the option is declined.

Cleveland Guardians

Clase hasn’t pitched since July of last year due to an ongoing investigation related to pitch-fixing. He has been on unpaid leave all year. There’s a distinct possibility he’ll never pitch in the majors again. It’s unclear if they would have to pay the buyout if they turned down the option.

Stephan put up some good numbers for the Guards from 2021-23. Tommy John surgery wiped out his 2024 and he hasn’t been able to get back on track. In 2025-26, the Guardians kept him in the minors. He has thrown 48 2/3 innings on the farm in that time with a 9.99 ERA. His fastball averaged 92.8 mph in Triple-A this year, almost four miles below the 96.5 mph he averaged in 2022. Stephan is clearly going to be bought out.

Detroit Tigers

Anderson parlayed a strong run overseas into a $7MM guarantee from the Tigers. He was mostly used as a long reliever. After some deadline trades, he got a rotation spot for the latter weeks of the season. On the whole, he tossed 108 innings over 49 appearances with a 3.67 ERA. His 9.4% walk rate was a little high but his 25% strikeout rate and 48.4% ground ball rate were strong figures.

His ERA was better from the rotation, with a 2.61 as a starter compared to 4.63 as a reliever, but that’s mostly a mirage. From the bullpen, he had a 26.8% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate. From the rotation, his 22.9% strikeout rate and 11% walk rate were significantly worse but he allowed fewer runs because of a lucky .246 BABIP and 88.6% strand rate. His 4.46 FIP as a starter was higher than his 4.11 as a reliever.

On the whole, it was a decent season. $10MM is a bit high for a veteran swingman but not by much. Since there’s no buyout, the Tigers could let him walk and then try to re-sign him at a lower rate, but picking it up is also possible if they just want the certainty of having an extra arm on the staff.

Jansen isn’t quite as dominant as he was at his peak but is still finding ways to get the job done in his late 30s. He gave the Tigers 45 innings this year with a 3.20 ERA. His 12.8% walk rate was more than four ticks higher than last year’s but he also increased his strikeout rate by a similar amount.

There are reasons for skepticism. He just turned 39 years old and finished with a BABIP under .200 for a second straight season. This year’s 4.46 FIP and 3.96 SIERA are not as nice as his ERA. If the Tigers think he can pull off this magic trick one more time, then they could pick it up. They gave Jansen $9MM last offseason and now face a net $10MM decision. But if they think the bottom is about to fall out, they could walk away.

Houston Astros

  • Ryan Weiss, RHP: $5MM club option ($500K buyout)

Weiss has a nice showing in the KBO over a couple of seasons and the Astros thought he could be a low-cost rotation upgrade for them. They gave him a $2.6MM guarantee to cross the Pacific and return to affiliated ball. It didn’t work out. Weiss posted a 7.62 ERA in 26 innings before being outrighted. He had a 5.42 ERA in Triple-A. General manager Dana Brown is now gone. It’s not exactly clear who will be making these decisions for the Astros but it should be an easy call to walk away from this option.

Isaac Paredes’ arbitration deal includes a $13.35MM club option for 2027. He’d be eligible for arbitration for a final time even if Houston declines the option.

Kansas City Royals

2026 was a nightmare season for Estevez. He made one bad appearance to start the year, allowing six earned runs in a third of an inning. He spent the rest of the season on the injured list, meaning he finished the campaign with an awful ERA of 162.00. He underwent shoulder surgery last month and has an unclear timeline. Even before this injury-marred year, there were concerns. While he posted a 2.45 ERA in 2025, his strikeout rate was way down at 20.1%. It’s an easy call for the Royals to let Estevez walk.

Gonsolin has been in the injury wilderness for a while. Due to various woes, including Tommy John surgery, he only made eight appearances over the 2024-26 seasons. That includes one outing for the Royals late this year. Gonsolin was a steady rotation member for the Dodgers once upon a time, with a 2.51 ERA in 572 2/3 innings from 2019 to 2022. The option price is modest but it’s hard to know what to make of Gonsolin after so much time off. It’s a reasonable gamble if the Royals think he’ll be healthy next year.

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels gave Stephenson a three-year, $33MM deal going into 2024 but injuries basically wiped out that whole contract. He missed all of 2024, made ten appearances in 2025, and then missed all of 2026. The one upside for the Angels is that all the time missed unlocked this club option for them. But after so much missed time, they might prefer to just walk away. Stephenson had elbow surgery in April, a ligament and flexor repair surgery. It’s unknown what his expected timeline is from here.

Miami Marlins

Alcantara is not quite the ace he was a few years ago but is still a very serviceable pitcher. He logged 214 innings this year over 33 starts and then three relief appearances late in the campaign. He had a 3.87 ERA for the year, though his 17.1% strikeout rate and 41.9% ground ball rate were low for him. The Marlins clearly love him and reports have already indicated that they want him to stay. An intriguing subplot of the club’s season is that they might have their starters pitch as relievers in between starts more often. Alcantara seems on board to experiment with that. There’s no chance they’re declining his option.

Milwaukee Brewers

Senzatela flamed out as a starter with the Rockies but a move to the bullpen this year yielded good results, at least initially. Senzatela’s early-season performance was enough to attract attention and he was dealt to the Brewers at the deadline. Unfortunately, his numbers have tanked since changing jerseys. He had a 3.61 ERA and 21% strikeout rate with the Rockies this year. With the Brewers, his ground ball rate has shot up but he has only punched out 15.2% of opponents and posted a 5.14 ERA.

Even when things were going well for Senzatela earlier this year, a $14MM salary seemed rich. With his recent downturn and the lack of a buyout, Senzatela is bound for free agency.

Milwaukee holds a $14.5MM club option on C William Contreras for his final season of arbitration. He’ll remain under team control if Milwaukee declines.

San Diego Padres

  • Kyle Hart, LHP: $2.5MM club option ($200K buyout)

Hart had a nice season in the KBO in 2024, leading the Padres to take a $1.5MM flier on him for 2025. It didn’t work out, as Hart posted a 5.86 ERA in 43 innings. Still, the Padres had enough faith to try again, bringing him back for 2026 on a $1.2MM deal. This one worked out a bit better. Hart’s 4.92 ERA wasn’t great but he induced grounders on 50% of balls in play. His 22% strikeout rate and 9.7% walk rate were close to league average. He was hurt by a tiny 58.9% strand rate. His 3.63 FIP and 3.94 SIERA suggest he deserved better.

Despite some positive trends, Hart was optioned to the minors a few times and didn’t crack San Diego’s playoff roster. He will be out of options next year, which will make it harder for him to hold a roster spot. He will turn 34 years old next month. The Padres clearly like him but picking up the option would effectively double his salary. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he was back in San Diego next season but on a lesser deal.

Pivetta’s contract initially gave him the decision-making power. The pact ran through 2028 and Pivetta had opt-out chances after 2026 and 2027. However, there was a provision in the deal which converted 2027 to a club option if Pivetta met certain injury criteria. This year’s flexor strain kept him on the IL for long enough to unlock that club option.

It seems likely the Padres will pick it up. Despite all the missed time, Pivetta is back and posting good numbers. He made four starts in September with a 1.45 ERA, 24.3% strikeout rate and 2.7% walk rate. He started yesterday’s clinch game against the Cubs and allowed one run in 3 1/3 innings.

The Padres have a lot of rotation uncertainty going into 2027. Michael King can opt out of his deal. Joe Musgrove has hardly pitched in the past two years. Walker Buehler, Robbie Ray, Casey Mize, Griffin Canning and Lucas Giolito are impending free agents. Randy Vásquez had some good outings but it’s hard to have faith in him going forward after he was unable to sustain the early-season spike in his strikeout rate. There’s some risk with Pivetta on heels of his injury but he’s healthy now and has a good track record.

San Francisco Giants

  • Rowan Wick, RHP: $800K club option ($100K buyout)

Wick had a good run as a reliever in NPB in 2024 and 2025, posting a 1.75 ERA in 87 2/3 innings. He required Tommy John surgery in November of 2025 and was slated to miss all of 2026. The Giants signed him to a big league deal that paid him a guarantee of $880K. He made the $780K league minimum this year. The buyout gives him a chance to add a bit more to his bank account.

The Giants were hoping that this small investment in 2026 would pay off in 2027. The club option is cheap and might even be below next year’s league minimum, as that still needs to be determined by the ongoing collective bargaining negotiations. It’s possible there’s a provision in the contract that would bump the $800K figure to the new minimum, if it ends up higher than $800K.

There isn’t any public information about Wick’s progress this year. If his health is on track, the Giants will presumably stick to the plan of seeing what he’s got post-surgery. If they no longer feel bullish about his chances in 2027, they could cut him loose for cheap.

Seattle Mariners

  • Andrés Muñoz, RHP: $9MM club option (no buyout; salary was originally $8MM but increased via escalators)

Muñoz is coming off the worst season of his career but it might not have been as bad as it seemed. His 4.24 ERA isn’t great but his numbers under the hood were all still strong. Muñoz’s 37.1% strikeout rate was his best since 2022. His 10% walk rate was a bit high but his personal best since 2023. His 49.6% ground ball rate was down for him but only by a few ticks (and it was still well above average).

The extra runs were caused by a few factors. Muñoz allowed a .316 BABIP, above league average and his career rate. He also surrendered nine home runs. His previous high was six. His 3.34 FIP and 2.41 SIERA feel he deserved far better.

It’s entirely possible that Muñoz bounces right back next year. His track record is quite strong. From 2021 to 2025, he posted a 2.28 ERA in 236 1/3 innings. A reliever with that résumé could get more than $9MM even off a down year. Last winter, Ryan Helsley got $28MM over two years with an opt-out, for instance. Muñoz is still a bargain at $9MM even with this year’s struggles. There’s another club option for 2028, which gives the Mariners even more incentive to bring him back for 2027.

Robles was once one of the top prospects in the sport but his major league performance has been all over the place. After the Nationals let him go in 2024, the Mariners scooped him up. His initial results were good enough that the M’s thought they were getting a breakout. They gave Robles a two-year, $9.75MM deal for 2025 and 2026 with a club option for 2027.

That hasn’t worked out, as Robles has mostly been injured or ineffective during the course of that deal. He only appeared in 98 games over the past two years and hit just .251/.300/.318 in those. He has some wheels and is a good defender but it should be an easy call for Seattle to cut bait.

Bryce Miller’s arbitration deal contains a $6.075MM club option with a $15K buyout. He’d remain eligible for arbitration even if Seattle declines the option.

St. Louis Cardinals

Stanek has elite velocity but it hasn’t really translated into results. Throughout his career, he has generally had a good-not-great strikeout rate and walked too many batters. That continued to be the case this year. He gave the Cards 62 2/3 innings with a 4.02 ERA. Stanek struck out 24.3% of batters faced but gave out free passes at a 12% clip. He was likely available at the trade deadline but the club didn’t find enough interest to pull the trigger.

Though his season was fine enough, the Cards will probably walk away. His contract was a $3.5MM guarantee in the form of a $2.5MM salary and $1MM buyout on the option. Stanek is now 35 years old and didn’t really do anything to warrant a big raise. Even if St. Louis wants him back in 2027, they can probably buy him out and then re-sign him at a lower price point.

Tampa Bay Rays

  • RHP Drew Rasmussen: $20MM club option ($500K buyout; salary was initially $8MM but was increased via escalators)

Rasmussen has always been good but health has eluded him. From 2020 to 2024, he only once surpassed 76 innings in a season. Going into 2025, he and the Rays worked out a modest extension. It bought out his two remaining arbitration seasons at a combined guarantee of $8.5MM, giving Rasmussen some security against another injury absence. The Rays extended their window of control by a year with a club option.

That club option came with a modest $8MM base but allowed Rasmussen to significantly increase it if he could stay healthy. Various escalators allowed him to bump the option price as high as $20MM if he avoided the injured list and kept making starts in 2026. He did just that. Rasmussen took the ball 30 times and cranked the option all the way up to the max. He posted a 2.67 ERA this year with a 26% strikeout rate, 4.8% walk rate and 43.9% ground ball rate.

It’s ace-level production, so $20MM is still a bargain, but it’s possible a team other than the Rays picks it up. Tampa has traded away many players over the years as they have gotten expensive and/or approached free agency.

There are some clear parallels here to Tyler Glasnow. He signed an extension with the Rays while in his arbitration seasons. The deal paid Glasnow $5.35MM in 2023 and then had a massive jump to $25MM in 2024. Before that price increase arrived, he was traded to the Dodgers. Based on that precedent, it’s fair to expect Rasmussen trade rumors.

The Rays hold a $3.1MM club option on shortstop Taylor Walls. He’d remain eligible for arbitration if the team declines.

Toronto Blue Jays

  • CF Myles Straw: $8MM club option ($1.75MM buyout); Guardians paying Toronto $1.75MM at season’s end as part of 2025 trade

The Jays picked up Straw mostly to get international bonus pool money from Cleveland. They hoped to use that to sign Roki Sasaki. That didn’t work out as Sasaki picked the Dodgers, but the Jays ended up getting nice production from Straw as a consolation prize. He’s not much of a hitter but is a fine complementary player thanks to his speed and defense. Straw got into 284 games over the past two years, hitting just .251/.308/.354 but accruing 2.5 fWAR, mostly from his baserunning and glovework.

The Guards sent the Jays $1.75MM to cover the buyout as part of the aforementioned trade. The Jays could pick up the option and put that money towards Straw’s salary, meaning they would only have to cover $6.25MM. That’s still a bit rich for a player with this profile, though Straw appears to be a beloved clubhouse presence in Toronto. Perhaps that tips the scales but the cold analytical move would be to cut him loose. Taking all that into consideration, it wouldn’t be a surprise for the Jays to bring Straw back at a lower price point.

Washington Nationals

The Nationals hold a club option Max Kranick for $850K. Kranick was outrighted off the roster last month and appears ticketed for free agency.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images

Source: Darragh McDonald · https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/10/2026-27-club-option-preview-october-edition.html

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