MLB Player News

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.

Barrero declined an outright assignment from the Orioles and elected free agency Thursday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Barrero went 1-for-6 at the dish in a cup of coffee with Baltimore this season and slashed .202/.305/.400 with 23 homers and 13 steals at Triple-A Norfolk. The 28-year-old is now free to latch on with a new organization.

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.

Pratt went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday.

Coming off his 4-for-5 performance in Game 4 -- including a go-ahead homer in the 12th inning -- Pratt singled in his first two plate appearances Wednesday to give him a hit in six straight trips to the plate, which only ended with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning. The rookie shortstop struggled defensively at times during the playoffs, but he was a consistent contributor at the plate. That was especially the case in the World Series, during which Pratt went 8-for-19 (.421) with two doubles, two homers, a steal, seven RBI and five runs.

Contreras was named the World Series MVP after going 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored during Game 5 against the Rays on Wednesday.

Contreras smacked a double into left field in the sixth inning to drive in Christian Yelich before coming around to score on a sacrifice fly from Cooper Pratt. Several Brewers players made a strong case for series MVP, but Contreras ultimately earned the title after going 8-for-21 with two walks, four RBI, and two runs scored over the five-game set. The 28-year-old's Fall Classic performance capped an overall dominant postseason, in which he posted a .373/.448/.588 slash line across 51 plate appearances.

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.

Caminero (foot) will start at third base and will bat third Wednesday in Game 5 of the World Series against the Brewers.

A sore right foot in extra innings forced the removal of Caminero from the Rays' Game 4 victory. Per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca, manager Kevin Cash noted that Caminero has "been dealing with some lower extremity injuries," but there was no consideration given to excluding the slugger from Wednesday's elimination game. Caminero is slashing .250/.321/.396 with one home run in 13 games this postseason.

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.

Yoshida is unlikely to return to the Red Sox next season, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

Yoshida had a solid showing offensively in 2026 when healthy, slashing .274/.347/.399 with five home runs and a 28:33 BB:K over 87 contests. However, Yoshida is basically unplayable in the outfield, and the Red Sox are already well-stocked with outfielders, anyway. The 33-year-old is owed $18 million in 2027 in his final year under contract, and the Red Sox might be willing to just eat that contract if they're unable to find a trade partner.