Exercise or Decline? Predictions for 10 MLB Players with a 2026 Contract Option
Many contract options are obvious, either because the player involved has tipped their hand already, or the option is so friendly to one side that it's certain to be exercised.
Pete Alonso (one year, $24 million remaining), Cody Bellinger (one year, $25 million remaining) have already said they plan to opt out of the final years of their contracts and test free agency.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. (one year, $18 million remaining), Ha-Seong Kim (one year, $16 million remaining), Tyler O'Neill (two years, $33 million remaining) and Frankie Montas (one year, $17 million remaining) have all struggled with injuries enough that it wouldn't make sense for them to opt out.
The respective employers of Ozzie Albies ($7 million club option for 2026), Pete Fairbanks ($7 million club option for 2026), Freddy Peralta ($8 million club option for 2026), Salvador Perez ($13.5 million club option for 2026) and Chris Sale ($18 million club option for 2026) are overwhelmingly likely to exercise their club options.
But there are some options—whether player, club, or mutual—that are a bit less certain. Here are predictions on 10 outstanding options for the 2026 season.
Harrison Bader, Philadelphia Phillies
1 of 10
The Phillies would love to have Harrison Bader pick up his side of his $10 million mutual option for 2026, but don't expect this to be the rare mutual option that gets exercised.
First of all, Bader will be paid a $3 million buyout if either side declines the option, and that alone is probably enough of a reason for the veteran outfielder to decline it.
Beyond that, coming off of a season where he posted a .796 OPS and 13 defensive runs saved between the Phillies and Minnesota Twins, he figures to get at least $10 million per season over a multi-year deal.
Bader may well wind up re-signing with the Phillies, but they'll have to fend off other suitors in free agency, ones who will be willing to offer the 31-year-old at least two years, if not three.
Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox
2 of 10
A right quad strain limited Alex Bregman to 114 games in 2025, but he was so good when he played that it's still going to be a no-brainer for the three-time All-Star to opt out of the final two seasons of a three-year, $120 million deal and return to free agency.
Over 114 games, he tallied 28 doubles, 18 home runs, 62 RBI and an .821 OPS. For years, he wore out the Crawford Boxes in Houston and proved to be a great fit playing his home games at Fenway Park as well.
Bregman remains a strong defender at third base—one who also has an ability to slide over to second base—and is one of the most respected clubhouse leaders in the sport as well.
With no qualifying offer attached to him this time, Bregman should have no problem getting a lucrative five-year deal in free agency. Will he remain with Boston, or will this be an Adrian Beltre-esque one-year detour with the Red Sox in his early-30s?
Edwin Díaz, New York Mets
3 of 10
Between missing the entire 2023 season and having an uneven 2024, the five-year, $102 million deal Edwin Díaz signed with the Mets following his historically-dominant 2022 season has been a mixed bag.
However, he was again elite in 2025, converting on 28 of 31 save attempts while posting a 1.63 ERA over 62 appearances.
Díaz can opt out of the final two seasons of his deal—which also includes a $17.25 million club option for 2028—and based on how he pitched this past year, he probably will.
Beyond how important Díaz is to the bullpen, his closer intro has become part of the experience of going to Citi Field. There are multiple reasons for Steve Cohen and David Stearns to ensure the 31-year-old remains in Queens for the foreseeable future.
Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs
4 of 10
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand outlined the complicated scenarios facing both Imanaga and the Cubs this offseason:
"The four-year, $53 million deal he signed prior to the 2024 season can go in a number of directions. First, the Cubs can trigger a three-year, $57 million club option that would pay Imanaga $20 million in 2026 and 2027, then $17 million in 2028. If Chicago declines that, Imanaga can exercise a $15 million player option for 2026; if that happens, the Cubs can add two more years and $42 million to his deal for 2027-28, or Imanaga would have another $15 million player option for 2027."
Across his first two MLB seasons, Imanaga is 24-11 with a 3.28 ERA over 54 starts. He may not match finishing fifth in NL Cy Young Award voting in his rookie season, but the lefty is unquestionably a quality starter the Cubs want to keep atop their rotation moving forward with Cade Horton and Matthew Boyd.
The Cubs picking up the three-year, $57 million club option for the 32-year-old would be the cleanest option for all parties involved.
Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
5 of 10
One of the arguments the White Sox made for not trading Luis Robert Jr. for a middling prospect at the trade deadline was that they were content to exercise his $20 million club option for 2026 if they didn't get a return they deemed fair for the former All-Star.
Well, the rubber is about to meet the road.
According to Spotrac, the White Sox are only projected to have $69.4 million in total payroll allocations in 2026. So, they can afford to exercise the option for him.
But Robert has a lengthy injury history, and he has hit .223 with a .660 OPS since the start of the 2024 season. It would be such a bad investment that even on a team without a ton of high-priced players, it's hard to think the White Sox will actually pick up his option. If they decline it, they'll instead have to pay a $2 million buyout.
The best thing that could happen for Robert—even if he'll be $18 million poorer—would be for the White Sox to decline the option. He is still only 28 years old. If he goes to a stable organization, it could help him to stay healthier and rediscover the offensive prowess that allowed him to hit 38 home runs in 2023.
Michael King, San Diego Padres
6 of 10
Even after Michael King was limited to just 15 starts in 2025 because of right shoulder and left knee inflammation, the righty figures to decline his half of a $15 million mutual option for 2026.
First of all, if he declines the option, the Padres will have to pay him a $3.75 million buyout. There's a real chance they could extend the $22 million qualifying offer to him, and he might be inclined to take it. If he did that, he would make around $25.75 million next season and be ineligible to receive the QO a second time next winter.
If they don't give King the qualifying offer, he'll make out well in free agency, whether it's returning to the Padres or going elsewhere. Across 247 innings over two seasons in San Diego, he went 18-12 with a 3.10 ERA and 3.66 FIP. He'll be coveted by teams looking to add a No. 2 or No. 3 starter.
Either way, it should be a fruitful offseason for the 30-year-old.
Jack Flaherty, Detroit Tigers
7 of 10
After pitching two scoreless innings in relief during the Tigers' 15-inning ALDS Game 5 loss to the Seattle Mariners, Jack Flaherty was non-committal about whether he'll pick up his $20 million player option for 2026.
"I love these guys, man. I came back here for a reason, to be with these guys, play with them, and be part of this team. I didn't want to leave it last year [before the trade to LA]," he told MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
"We've got a chance to do something special. We've got Skub. You see what Javy did with a resurgent year and what he did in the playoffs. You go around the diamond. Riley Greene's special. Tork is all the way back. I'm really happy for that guy, after what he went through last year ... We've got some arms. It's incredible what Troy Melton showed in this series. Casey was an All-Star this year ... It's an incredible group. You take that all in."
What Flaherty will also take in as he decides on his option is that he went 8-15 with a 4.64 ERA over 31 starts this season for the Tigers. His 3.85 FIP and and 4.03 expected ERA suggest he was somewhat unlucky, but this wouldn't be a great contract year for the soon-to-be 30-year-old to try to get paid after.
Flaherty will likely opt in for 2025 with the Tigers, setting him up to make $20 million and then try to get his big deal next winter.
Shane Bieber, Toronto Blue Jays
8 of 10
Shane Bieber will have a $16 million player option for 2026. Considering he only made seven starts in his first season back from Tommy John surgery, he might be inclined to exercise his option.
To be fair, in the seven regular-season starts after the former AL Cy Young Award was traded from the Cleveland Guardians to the Blue Jays, he posted a 3.57 ERA. But his 4.58 expected ERA and 4.47 FIP paint a less impressive picture. Seven regular-season starts, even with a few more postseason appearances, aren't enough to really draw any conclusions.
If the 30-year-old declines his $16 million player option, he will be paid a $4 million buyout. Even then, he would be looking at a one-year deal in free agency, and he might be hard-pressed to get more than the $12 million he would need to equal the $16 million option.
The Blue Jays do have Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer set to become free agents after the season, so Bieber would give them an arm in their 2026 rotation if he picks up the option.
Lucas Giolito, Boston Red Sox
9 of 10
In his first year back from an internal brace procedure on his right elbow, Lucas Giolito went 10-4 with a 3.41 ERA across 145 innings for the Red Sox. He pitched well enough that he'll likely decline his half of a $19 million mutual option for 2025.
The Red Sox could then extend the qualifying offer—likely to be around $22 million—to the 31-year-old. There would be risk in that, though. He missed all of 2024 recovering from elbow surgery and then was unavailable to throw this postseason because of an elbow injury. He may well accept it.
Also possible is the Red Sox think it's too much of a risk to give Giolito the qualifying offer, and they pass on doing that. If he doesn't have a QO attached to him, he figures to get more than $19 million in total value, even if it comes over multiple seasons.
No matter what, it makes sense for Giolito to decline his half of the mutual option.
José Alvarado, Philadelphia Phillies
10 of 10
José Alvarado has a 4.00 ERA across 94 appearances since the start of the 2024 season, and he missed 80 games during the 2025 season serving a performance-enhancing drug suspension.
There would be a level of risk in picking up his $9 million club option for 2026.
With that said, you don't tend to get sure relievers for a one-year, $9 million commitment. For example, the Phillies signed Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million deal last offseason after the Toronto Blue Jays non-tendered him following a season where he made just 15 appearances because of elbow trouble. He ended up being arguably the worst pitcher in baseball in 2025, posting an 8.23 ERA over 49 appearances.
Alvarado, 30, isn't a sure thing, but he still averaged 99.6 mph on his fastball this past season. The best-case scenario of him being the top set-up man for Jhoan Duran is compelling enough for the Phillies to exercise the option, as opposed to declining it and paying a $500,000 buyout.
