MLB Player News

Boyd declined his side of a $15 million option for 2027 on Thursday and is now a free agent, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The veteran left-hander will be given a $2 million buyout instead. The Cubs can still negotiate with Boyd for a few days before other teams are allowed to discuss a contract with him. Boyd -- who turns 36 in February -- logged a 3.91 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 96:39 K:BB across 126.2 regular-season innings in 2026.

Holmes declined his $12 million player option for 2027 on Thursday and is now a free agent, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.

The Cubs will have an exclusive negotiating window with Holmes for a few days, and they are reportedly interested in re-signing the righty. However, Holmes is almost surely going to reach free agency and field bids from several clubs. The 33-year-old was limited to 18 regular-season starts due to a fractured fibula, but he posted a 3.29 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 78:42 K:BB over 101.1 innings.

King declined his $28 million player option for 2027 on Thursday and is now a free agent, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.

King will receive a $5 million buyout instead and will now be on the lookout for a multi-year contract this offseason. The 31-year-old right-hander logged a 3.21 ERA and 1.18 WHIP across 32 regular-season starts for the Padres in 2026, though his strikeout rate dipped to 21 percent. King will be arguably the top free-agent starting pitcher after Tarik Skubal.

Rasmussen was charged with the loss in Game 5 of the World Series against the Brewers on Wednesday. He gave up one run on two hits with four strikeouts and no walks over four innings.

Pitching on short rest after Tampa Bay avoided a sweep Tuesday, Rasmussen gave his club a chance in Game 5 with four strong innings, but the Rays offense never found any traction. The right-hander surrendered just seven runs with a 31:5 K:BB across 28.2 innings during the playoffs. Rasmussen has a $20 million club option for 2027, which the Rays are likely to exercise after he posted a 2.67 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 174:32 K:BB over a career-high 172 innings during the regular season.

Misiorowski was removed from Game 5 of the World Series against the Rays on Wednesday due to cramping in his right calf, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Misiorowski made it through 5.2 shutout innings on 86 pitches before his calf suddenly cramped up on him, and he was removed from the game after feeling discomfort while throwing warm-up pitches. The 24-year-old flamethrower isn't lined up to make another start in the World Series for Milwaukee, and if his start Wednesday proves to be his final outing, he will finish the postseason with a 1.89 ERA and 1.11 WHIP alongside a 16:6 K:BB over 19 innings.

Rasmussen will start Wednesday in Game 5 of the World Series against the Brewers, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He'll be taking the ball on three days' rest after throwing 89 pitches over 3.2 innings in Game 2 on Saturday. Rasmussen was knocked around for three runs on six hits and two walks in that outing, but the righty was dominant in his first three starts this postseason in holding a 1.29 ERA with a 23:3 K:BB in 21 frames. He will be opposed by National League Cy Young front-runner Jacob Misiorowski.

Lopez (elbow) is slated to progress to throwing off a mound the third week of November, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

Recovering from an internal brace repair of his right UCL, Lopez began throwing on flat ground Aug. 21 and is a few weeks away from mound work. As long as he's able to progress without any setbacks, the right-hander is expected to be ready in time for Opening Day. Lopez last pitched for the Twins in September of 2025 and will be entering the final year of his four-year, $73.5 million contract in 2027.

May will start for the Brewers on Tuesday in Game 4 of the World Series, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

He'll be pitching on two days' rest after tossing a scoreless inning of relief in Game 2. May has made four appearances this postseason, permitting five runs with a 5:2 K:BB over eight frames. The Brewers have a rested bullpen at their disposal, and they could go to it early and often as they attempt to close out the series.

Peralta took the loss in Game 3 of the World Series against the Brewers on Monday, giving up five runs on seven hits and three walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out four.

The right-hander dealt with traffic all night, allowing 10 batters to reach before departing with two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth inning. All three baserunners came around to score as Milwaukee erupted for an eight-run frame, pushing the lead to 10-0. Peralta had surrendered just two runs across 16.2 postseason innings coming into Monday, though his 12:7 K:BB may have been an indicator of things to come when going up against a Brewers lineup that has chewed up elite starting pitchers all October. Now facing a 3-0 series deficit, the Rays will need to string some wins together for Peralta to have a chance of taking the mound again in 2026.

Gasser earned the win in Game 3 of the World Series at Tampa Bay on Monday, giving up just one hit with three strikeouts and one walk across six scoreless innings.

Yandy Diaz crushed a 115.5-mph single to open the bottom of the first inning for the Rays, but Gasser didn't allow another hit and faced the minimum 18 batters through six frames thanks to a caught stealing and a groundball double play. The rookie left-hander has been Milwaukee's best starting pitcher during the playoffs, as he's surrendered just one run with a 9:3 K:BB over 15 innings.