MLB Player News
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Jonathan Loaisiga RP | ARI
Jonathan Loaisiga: Option for 2026 declined
The Yankees declined Loaisiga's (elbow) $5 million option for 2026 on Wednesday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
Loaisiga had another season cut short due to injury in 2025 and posted a 4.25 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 25:10 K:BB across 29.2 innings. He missed most of the final two months of the regular season, first with a back issue and then with a flexor strain. Loaisiga did not require surgery for the latter injury and is expected to be ready for spring training, barring setbacks.
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Tim Hill RP | NYY
Yankees' Tim Hill: Option for 2026 picked up
The Yankees exercised Hill's $3 million option for 2026 on Wednesday, Jorge Castillo of ESPN.com reports.
Hill has made 105 regular-season appearances for the Yankees since 2024, collecting a 2.68 ERA and 55:25 K:BB over 111 innings. The southpaw reliever posted a 63.7 percent groundball rate and held left-handed batters to a .181/.224/.220 line during the 2025 regular season.
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Kyle Hart SP | SD
Kyle Hart: Padres decline option
The Padres declined Hart's $5 million club option for 2026 on Tuesday, Jeff Sanders of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Hart pitched in the majors for the first time in five years in 2025, though he accumulated a 5.86 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 43 regular-season innings. His poor performance made it easy for San Diego to decline giving the 32-year-old a $4 million raise, so he'll instead receive a $500,000 buyout and look to free agency for his next opportunity.
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Jack Little P | DET
Pirates' Jack Little: Placed on waivers
The Pirates placed Little on outright waivers Tuesday, Danny Demilio of PittsburghBaseballNow.com reports.
The Pirates claimed Little off waivers from the Dodgers in August, but he never made an appearance for Pittsburgh. He posted a 2.79 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 19.1 innings at Triple-A Indianapolis, however, which could be enough for another team to give the 27-year-old reliever a 40-man spot early in the offseason.
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John Rooney RP | TB
Astros' John Rooney: Placed on waivers
The Astros placed Rooney (elbow) on outright waivers Tuesday, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Rooney made his MLB debut in 2025, giving up one run and striking out two batters over 1.1 innings against the Orioles on Aug. 24. All of his other appearances came in Triple-A, where he finished the season with a 2.56 ERA and 1.19 WHIP through 38.2 frames. His year was cut short in September by elbow surgery, and it remains unknown whether he'll be ready for the start of the 2026 campaign.
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Liam Hendriks RP | MIN
Liam Hendriks: Sox decline option
The Red Sox declined Hendriks' (elbow) $12 million mutual option for 2026 on Tuesday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.
Hendriks missed the majority of the season with hip and elbow injuries and posted a 6.59 ERA across 13.2 innings when healthy, so the Red Sox will pay him a $2 million buyout instead of the $12 million he would have been owed next year. The right-handed reliever is set to turn 37 in February, and although he may still receive some interest on the open market despite his injury history, there likely isn't a landing spot where he would have a chance to pitch in high-leverage situations consistently -- at least not right away.
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Randy Dobnak RP | SEA
Randy Dobnak: Option declined
The Tigers declined Dobnak's $6 million option for 2026, Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press reports.
He'll be given a $1 million buyout instead. Dobnak's inclusion in the deadline trade that also sent Chris Paddack from the Twins to the Tigers was a way for Minnesota to offload additional salary. The 30-year-old is now a free agent after spending nearly all of 2025 at the Triple-A level, where he posted a 5.84 ERA over 18 starts and eight relief appearances.
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Brandon Waddell RP | NYM
Mets' Brandon Waddell: Back with Mets
The Mets re-signed Waddell to a one-year contract Tuesday.
Waddell held a 3.45 ERA and 22:11 K:BB over 31.1 innings for the Mets in 2025. He was used primarily as a starter this season at Triple-A Syracuse, where he posted a 5.02 ERA and 63:25 K:BB in 75.1 innings. Waddell does not have minor-league options remaining, so he would have to be passed through waivers in order to be sent to the minors if he doesn't make the Opening Day roster.
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Andrew Kittredge RP | BAL
Orioles' Andrew Kittredge: Traded back to Orioles
The Orioles acquired Kittredge from the Cubs on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.
Kittredge was dealt from the Orioles to the Cubs at the trade deadline and is now headed back to Baltimore. The Orioles have a $9 million option on Kittredge for 2026, which they will now presumably exercise. Kittredge posted a 3.40 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 64:11 K:BB over 53 regular-season innings between the Orioles and Cubs in 2025. Baltimore has an opening at closer for 2026 and Kittredge could be the current favorite to fill it, though the team is likely to add additional relievers this offseason.
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Nathan Wiles P | ATL
Nathan Wiles: Released by Atlanta
Atlanta released Wiles on Tuesday, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.
Wiles was knocked around in his lone appearance with Atlanta in 2025, allowing three runs over one inning of work in his major-league debut. The 27-year-old pitched well at Triple-A Gwinnett, collecting a 3.04 ERA and 105:34 K:BB across 112.2 frames. Wiles has experience as a starter and as a reliever.