Exercise or Decline? Predictions for Every MLB Player with a 2024 Contract Option

MLB free agency gets underway in just a couple of weeks with players eligible to start signing with new teams five days after the final game of the World Series.

However, the first gigantic step in the free-agency circle of life is finding out what will become of the 62 club/player/mutual options on the table this year.

A lot of them are pretty obvious decisions. Scott Kingery's last base hit came in April 2021, and we're fairly sure Philadelphia won't be picking up his $13 million club option. On the flip side, Minnesota will gladly pay $10 million for one more year of Max Kepler's services.

A good chunk of these are tough calls, though, and we'll do our best to go a perfect 62-for-62 with these predictions.

Some of the names on this list are much bigger deals than others, and we've singled out the 11 players with options who are most worthy of monitoring this offseason. We'll discuss them in more detail first before wrapping up with a more rapid-fire approach on all the other options, broken up into AL and NL.

All contract info courtesy of Spotrac.

Players listed in alphabetical order by last name.

(Note: Vested options for Arizona's Miguel Castro and Toronto's Yimi García are not included. Those relievers made enough appearances to satisfy the clauses in their contracts to turn those vesting options into guaranteed money for 2024. Also, Max Scherzer had a player option for this coming offseason, but he already exercised it as part of the trade from New York to Texas, so that won't be mentioned here, either.)

2023 Stats: .245/.286/.296, 1 HR, 25 RBI, 13 SB, -2.0 bWAR

Career (2016-23): .282/.312/.422, 98 HR, 338 RBI, 117 SB, 16.2 bWAR

The Option: White Sox have a $14 million club option or a $1 million buyout

Heading into the season, Tim Anderson returning to Chicago in 2024 on a $14 million salary seemed like one of the biggest no-brainers imaginable.

He was an All-Star in both 2021 and 2022. He was an MVP candidate in 2020. He won a batting title in 2019. And he plays a position (shortstop) where four of the best in the business were given a combined total of $957 million in free agency last offseason.

The figure of $14 million for one year of his services seemed like highway robbery seven months ago.

But in his age-30 season, Anderson was—at least by Baseball Reference's measurement of wins above replacement—the least valuable hitter in the majors.

There was a stretch of about two weeks after the All-Star Break when it looked like he was finally coming around, batting .351 over the course of 14 games. But he went right back to being unable to hit the broad side of a barn, recording almost twice as many strikeouts (29) as hits (16) in August.

It's plausible he returns to the White Sox for one more season as they wait for their top prospect, 2021 first-round pick Colson Montgomery, to be ready for the big leagues. But they are going to decline the $14 million option before possibly trying to bring him back for about half of that price.

Verdict: Chicago declines club option

2023 Stats: .222/.267/.325, 9 HR, 59 RBI, 12 SB, 0.7 bWAR

Career (2014-23): .256/.298/.447, 175 HR, 591 RBI, 102 SB, 26.7 bWAR

The Option: Báez can opt out of the remaining four years, $98 million on his contract and choose free agency

When the Tigers signed Javier Báez to his six-year, $140 million contract two years ago, they knew they were getting a free swinger who would never rank among the league leaders in on-base percentage.

However, they were willing to live with the strikeouts in exchange for a Gold Glover (2020) and a Silver Slugger (2018) who had averaged one home run for every 20 trips to the plate from 2017-21.

But that version of Báez never arrived in Detroit.

After posting an .815 OPS in his last five seasons in the National League, he put up a .671 mark in 2022 and a woeful .593 OPS this season. Among qualified hitters, the only one with a worse OPS is the one we just discussed: Tim Anderson's was .582.

Báez went from one home run for every 20 plate appearances to 1-in-35 last year and 1-in-60 this year.

And care to guess who leads the majors in errors committed since the beginning of last season? It's Báez with 45. Trea Turner (39) is the only other player with at least 35, and Philadelphia's high-priced shortstop has logged 504 more innings than Báez.

Long story short, the 30-year-old would have to be plain daft to opt out of his contract.

Even in a free-agency cycle devoid of quality middle infielders, there's no chance he gets anything close to $24.5 million per year on the open market given his performance over the past two seasons.

Verdict: Báez opts in on four more years with Detroit

2023 Stats: .247/.325/.419, 22 HR, 74 RBI, 0.4 bWAR

Career (2016-23): .260/.347/.453, 152 HR, 542 RBI, 9.4 bWAR

The Option: Bell has a player option for $16.5 million

Cleveland typically doesn't make big splashes in free agency, but they invested in Josh Bell last offseason with a one-year, $16.5 million deal that includes a player option for the same amount in 2024.

Unfortunately, he did not deliver in his 97 games with the Guardians and had been traded to Miami by the time he finally came alive at the plate.

From August 1 onward, Bell hit 11 home runs and slugged .480—nowhere near the MLB leaders in either department, but a respectable run on par with how well he hit from 2017-22 to get that contract in the first place.

Because of his play over those last two months—plus going 4-for-8 at the plate in Miami's short stay in the postseason—it's much less of a sure thing that he'll opt in on the second year of his contract.

Bell probably wouldn't be able to improve his 2023 salary by opting out, but maybe the 31-year-old first baseman could get something like $36 million on a three-year deal, considering the only other free-agent first basemen worth eight-figure salaries are Cody Bellinger (primarily a center fielder) and Rhys Hoskins (missed all of 2023 with a torn ACL).

I suspect he opts out and ends up with a "one year plus a player option" contract similar to the one he inked a year ago, perhaps even signing it with Miami.

Verdict: Bell declines his player option

2023 Stats: .307/.356/.525, 26 HR, 97 RBI, 20 SB, 4.4 bWAR

Career (2017-23): .258/.335/.493, 178 HR, 519 RBI, 82 SB, 22.1 bWAR

The Option: Mutual option for $12 million in 2024, with a $5.5 million buyout if either side declines

Verdict: Cody Bellinger declines his half of the mutual option

There's no sense in saving the verdict until the end on this one, because there's no chance Bellinger opts in.

Even if there was no buyout on the table, this would be an obvious decision. He is worth way more than $12 million in free agency, with Spotrac putting his estimated contract (market value) at five years, $112.6 million.

Because of the buyout, though, it's actually a $6.5 million decision for Bellinger instead of a $12 million one, making an already easy call that much simpler.

The big question here is where does the 28-year-old, 2019 NL MVP, surefire 2023 Comeback Player of the Year land this winter?

With the definite exception of Shohei Ohtani and possibly Matt Chapman, Bellinger is going to be the most coveted hitter in free agency. And because he's a former Gold Glove center fielder who's also comfortable playing first base, he could fit just about anywhere he can be afforded.

If he doesn't re-sign with the Cubs, at the very least Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toronto and the Yankees would all be interested, deep-pocketed suitors.

2023 Stats: 131.1 IP, 9-9, 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.3 bWAR

Career (2016-23): 788.0 IP, 60-39, 3.45 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 17.5 bWAR

The Option: Mutual option for $12 million in 2024, with a $4 million buyout if either side declines

From 2017-20, Mike Clevinger was one of the most underrated pitchers in the majors. He was never an All-Star and never received a Cy Young vote, but he had a 2.96 ERA and averaged better than 10 K/9.

However, after missing all of 2021 while recovering from Tommy John surgery and not pitching nearly as well in 2022 (4.33 ERA), there wasn't much of a demand for his services. Ultimately, he landed with the White Sox on a one-year, $8 million deal with a mutual option for a second season.

Even though he's now a year older (33 in December), the demand should be greater this offseason, given how well he pitched down the stretch.

Clevinger did end with a dud (6 ER in 1.2 IP vs. San Diego) and also got shelled by Detroit over Labor Day weekend, but he went at least six innings and allowed fewer than two runs in seven of his last 10 starts.

Take out that final appearance against the Padres and he had a 3.00 ERA, fighting the good fight for a team that had already thrown in the towel on the season.

It was a solid audition for his impending free agency.

Verdict: Clevinger declines his half of the mutual option

2023 Stats: .239/.334/.384, 15 HR, 58 RBI, 0.7 bWAR

Career (2015-23): .253/.353/.457, 147 HR, 454 RBI, 16.3 bWAR

The Option: Conforto has a player option for $18 million

Two months into the season, Michael Conforto was as good as gone.

After missing all of 2022 with a shoulder injury, he got a 1+1 "prove it" deal with the Giants. And he sure seemed to prove it in May, clubbing seven home runs while posting a .916 OPS.

However, after suffering a minor heel injury at the end of that month and a pair of hamstring injuries later in the summer, he missed 30 of San Francisco's final 106 games, hitting just four home runs with a .653 OPS the rest of the way.

The 30-year-ols did heat up for a bit in mid-August, batting .424 during the 11-game stretch before a three-week trip to the IL. That brief run coupled with the more prolonged display of occasional dominance in May was probably enough to net him a multi-year deal should he choose free agency.

Don't expect a spike in salary, though.

If he declines the $18 million player option, Conforto might actually make less than that in 2024. But something like $15-$16 million annually on a three- or four-year deal would be much better for him than returning to San Francisco and running the risk of a bad/injured season.

Verdict: Conforto declines his player option

2023 Stats: 183.2 IP, 13-11, 5.73 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, -0.8 bWAR

Career (2011-23): 1889.0 IP, 136-95, 3.74 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 29.7 bWAR

The Option: Dodgers have a club option for $18 million or a $1 million buyout

Normally, an $18 million club option on a pitcher who was worth wins below replacement would be an instant "thanks but no thanks."

In the case of Lance Lynn, though, he turned a corner after getting traded from Chicago to Los Angeles.

His overall numbers with the Dodgers (4.36 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) were just OK, but that's because of a two-game hiccup in the middle of an otherwise impressive run. He gave them seven quality starts, playing a huge role down the stretch for a pitching staff that was being held together by chewing gum and dental floss.

And there are major question marks for this rotation heading into next season.

Is Clayton Kershaw coming back? Will Walker Buehler be healthy/effective? Can they possibly get anything out of Dustin May (UCL surgery in July) or Tony Gonsolin (Tommy John surgery on Sept. 1) in 2024? Are the likes of Michael Grove, Ryan Pepiot and Gavin Stone ready to be regulars in the rotation?

Lynn did get shelled for 44 home runs this season, not including the four he gave up in the span of six batters in the NLDS against Arizona. That put him in a tie with 2004 Jamie Moyer for the sixth-most home runs allowed in a single season in MLB history; the most since Bronson Arroyo allowed 46 in 2011.

At least he's durable, though. That alone might be worth $18 million to the Dodgers next season, unless they are confident Kershaw will return and/or they know they can land some multiple-pitcher combination of Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery, Sonny Gray and Yoshinobu Yamamoto in free agency.

Verdict: Los Angeles exercises the club option

2023 Stats: 152.2 IP, 13-9, 3.30 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, 3.5 bWAR

Career (2015-23): 1100.1 IP, 82-53, 4.03 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 9.1 K/9, 17.6 bWAR

The Option: Rodriguez can opt out of the remaining three years, $49 million on his contract and choose free agency

Two weeks before giving Javier Báez the aforementioned six-year contract in which he could opt out of the final four years, the Detroit Tigers gave Eduardo Rodriguez a similarly structured deal where he now gets to decide between free agency or reupping for another three years in Detroit.

And, unfortunately for the Tigers, it's likely they'll lose Rodriguez while getting stuck with Báez's contract. (That would not be unfortunate news for the Guardians, though, against whom Rodriguez went 4-0 with an 0.63 ERA this season. They are decidedly on board with him leaving the division.)

Despite missing more than a month of action with a tendon injury in his pitching hand, the 30-year-old just had the most productive campaign of his career. He made 14 quality starts, six of which were of the "super-duper quality" variety, going at least seven scoreless innings.

Considering he hasn't pitched enough innings to qualify for an ERA title since 2019, teams might be a bit reluctant to give the southpaw a fully guaranteed deal for four or more seasons. As such, the contract that he could get in free agency isn't going to drastically exceed the offer already on the table with Detroit.

That said, barring some Carlos Correa sort of medical history saga, it's difficult to imagine E-Rod gets less than $49 million for three years, given the contracts Taijuan Walker (four years, $72 million) and Jameson Taillon (four years, $68 million) got last offseason after 2022 campaigns not as good as what Rodriguez did this year.

He might as well find out just how much he's worth.

Verdict: Rodriguez declines the player option

2023 Stats: 136.2 IP, 10-9, 3.95 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 7.8 K/9, 1.6 bWAR

Career (2014-23): 1303.2 IP, 77-76, 3.65 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 21.7 bWAR

The Option: Stroman has a player option for $21 million

As was the case with Michael Conforto, Marcus Stroman's 2024 player option might as well have been torn to shreds in the first half of the season.

After 16 starts—14 of them quality starts—he had an NL-best 2.28 ERA and was on the fast track to start the All-Star Game.

Near the end of that run of dominance, we put together some way-too-early projections for the biggest contracts to be given to free agents this offseason and had Stroman near the top of the list, earmarked for a four-year, $112 million deal.

But then he completely fell apart.

In his remaining 11 appearances—separated in the middle by a 45-day IL stint for a rib fracture—Stroman had an 8.29 ERA and made just one quality start over the course of Chicago's final 88 games.

In the span of three months, he torpedoed from "one of the five most coveted impending free agents" to "maybe taking that $21 million player option wouldn't be such a bad idea."

Stroman will turn 33 next May, which is still young enough to potentially get a three- or four-year deal next offseason should he return to Chicago and pitch well in 2024. (Chris Bassitt got a three-year, $63 million deal at a similar age last winter.)

It's just a question of whether he wants to hope for the best on that front or opt out now for what would likely be a lower salary but more overall income on something like a three-year, $50 million deal.

Our guess is that he declines the option, but this one could go either way.

Verdict: Stroman declines the player option

2023 Stats: .276/.345/.455, 23 HR, 96 RBI, 2.1 bWAR

Career (2009-23): .288/.363/.465, 187 HR, 759 RBI, 36.5 bWAR

The Option: Turner has a player option for $13.4 million with a $6.7 million buyout

Similar to Cody Bellinger's option/buyout situation, Justin Turner's decision will boil down to whether he wants to remain in Boston for one more year for $6.7 million, as he is going to get half of that $13.4 million even if he re-enters free agency.

There's also a third option on the table with Turner: Retirement. The longtime third baseman turns 39 next month, and each of the four other hitters of his age or older who played this season—Nelson Cruz, Miguel Cabrera, Joey Votto and Yuli Gurriel—posted a negative bWAR in 2023.

However, considering he just had an .800 OPS while setting a new single-season career high for plate appearances (626), Turner probably isn't in any rush to hang up his cleats for good.

Operating under the assumption that he will be back in 2024, though, it probably won't be on the current contract.

Even if he wants to stay in Boston, he should opt out for a better salary. Because if a 41-year-old Cruz was worth $15 million to the going-nowhere-fast Washington Nationals two offseasons ago, surely Turner is worth more than $7 million after the impressive year he just had.

But if he declines the option only to discover no one wants to pony up that kind of money for his services, getting paid $6.7 million to retire is one heck of a backup plan.

Verdict: Turner declines his player option

2023 Stats: 134.1 IP, 14-4, 3.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 8.3 K/9, 2.4 bWAR

Career (2014-23): 1288.0 IP, 88-54, 3.96 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 8.0 K/9, 13.0 bWAR

The Option: San Diego Padres have a two-year, $32 million club option. If declined, Wacha would have three separate player options in the amount of $6.5 million in 2024, $6 million in 2025 and $6 million in 2026.

One year removed from a big bounce-back year with the Boston Red Sox—in which he went 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA—Michael Wacha was even better in his first (and perhaps only) season with the Padres.

If they did decline their club option on Wacha, there is no question he would also decline his player option for 2024. Because rather than sticking around San Diego for three years to get another $18.5 million, the 32-year-old righty, fresh off one of the best seasons of his career, could enter the free-agent pool and possibly get $18.5 million in 2024 alone.

And with reports coming out in late September of San Diego wanting to reduce its payroll by about 20 percent before the start of next season, Wacha's $16 million salary represents low-hanging fruit, even if he is worth arguably a bit more than that on the open market.

As was also mentioned in regard to Eduardo Rodriguez's impending free agency, there are some durability concerns with Wacha. He logged 134.1 innings this season which A) isn't many for a starting pitcher, but B) is the most he has pitched in a season since 2017. It's why it took until mid-February 2023 for him to sign his current, multiple-options, games-started-escalators contract, and why his next deal will probably have some vesting options.

(The Padres also have basically the exact same $32 million club-converting-to-player option for Nick Martinez, which they will likely decline. Maybe that one saves them enough money to keep Wacha?)

Verdict: Both sides decline their options

Options that surely will be declined

• Miguel Cabrera, DH, Detroit Tigers ($30 million club option with $8 million buyout)
• Eduardo Escobar, 3B, Los Angeles Angels ($9 million club option with $500k buyout)
  
• Corey Kluber, SP/RP, Boston Red Sox ($11 million club option)
  
• Aaron Loup, RP, Los Angeles Angels ($7.5 million club option with $2 million buyout)
• Whit Merrifield, 2B, Toronto Blue Jays ($18 million mutual option with $500k buyout)
  
• Hector Neris, RP, Houston Astros ($8.5 million player option with $1 million buyout)
  
• Joely Rodriguez, RP, Boston Red Sox ($4.25 million club option with $500k buyout)
  
• Drew Rucinski, SP, Oakland A's ($5 million club option)
  

Save for Merrifield's mutual option that Toronto is never going to pay and Neris being certain to pursue an eight-figure deal in free agency after a spectacular campaign, these are all club options for guys who simply weren't good in 2023. At least Detroit only needs to pay Cabrera $8 million next year, though. Maybe the Tigers can finally afford to start turning a corner.

Options that surely will be exercised

• Max Kepler, OF, Minnesota Twins ($10 million club option with $1 million buyout)
• José Leclerc, RP, Texas Rangers ($6.5 million club option with $500k buyout)
  

Two absolute no-brainers here. Kepler has been worth at least 2.0 bWAR in each of the past three seasons and was one of Minnesota's most valuable players in 2023. And though it took almost six months for Bruce Bochy to start to trust Leclerc in high-leverage situations, $6.5 million is small peanuts for a guy who has emerged as a legitimate closer.

Tough decisions and/or complicated contracts

• Chad Green, RP, Toronto Blue Jays (three-year, $27 million club option that converts to a one-year, $6.25 million player option if declined)
• Liam Hendriks, RP, Chicago White Sox ($15 million club option OR $1.5 million deferred to each of the next 10 years)
  
• Carson Kelly, C, Detroit Tigers ($2.5 million club option)
• Jorge Polanco, 2B, Minnesota Twins ($10.5 million club option with $1 million buyout)
  
• Andrew Heaney, SP, Texas Rangers ($13 million player option with $500k buyout)
  

Tackling these in the listed order, Toronto will decline Green's three-year option, but he will probably exercise his one-year player option. With Hendriks, it's just a question of when they want to pay the $15 million, and they'll probably get it all out of the way in 2024. And $2.5 million for a catcher who was a starter for the bulk of 2019-22 isn't bad, but I'm not sure Kelly's option is a slam dunk to be exercised by Detroit.

Polanco and Heaney are the two tough calls here.

Polanco is almost certainly worth the $10.5 million as a free agent. But to small-market Minnesota, which discovered a breakout second baseman this season in Edouard Julien? It might exercise the option before trying to trade him.

And while Heaney was far from great this season (4.15 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, much lower K rate than last year), he probably did enough to be worth about $13 million per year in free agency. He'll likely go that route, looking for another multi-year deal.

Options that surely will be declined

• Matt Barnes, RP, Miami Marlins ($9 million club option with a $2.75 million buyout)
• Brad Boxberger, RP, Chicago Cubs ($5 million mutual option with an $800k buyout)
• Andrew Chafin, RP, Milwaukee Brewers ($7.3 million club option with a $750k buyout)
• Johnny Cueto, SP, Miami Marlins ($10.5 million club option with a $2.5 million buyout)
• Jarlin Garcia, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates ($3.3 million club option)
• Brad Hand, RP, Atlanta Braves ($7 million mutual option with a $500k buyout)
• Daniel Hudson, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers ($6.5 million club option)
• Joe Kelly, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers ($9.5 million club option with a $1 million buyout)
• Scott Kingery, 2B, Philadelphia Phillies ($13 million club option with a $1 million buyout)
• Collin McHugh, RP, Atlanta Braves ($6 million club option with a $1 million buyout)
• Mark Melancon, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks ($5 million mutual option with a $2 million buyout)
• Alexander Reyes, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers ($3 million club option)
• Victor Robles, OF, Washington Nationals ($3.3 million club option)
• Jorge Soler, DH, Miami Marlins ($9 million player option)
• Blake Treinen, RP, Los Angeles Dodgers ($7 million club option)
• Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds ($20 million club option with a $7 million buyout)
• Justin Wilson, RP, Milwaukee Brewers ($2.5 million club option)
• Kirby Yates, RP, Atlanta Braves ($5.8 million club option with a $1.25 million buyout)

Not a great year for relief pitchers with club options. Of particular note, the Braves (three) and the Dodgers (four) have a combined seven relievers in this group. The NL's two regular-season kings will both be in the market for multiple bullpen arms in free agency.

The only player option in this bunch is Jorge Soler, who had a big-time bounce-back season with 36 home runs and the first All-Star honor of his career. With few legitimate sluggers hitting free agency this year, he's easily worth more than $9 million. He might get something on par with the three-year, $43.5 million deal Mitch Haniger got last winter, or the four-year, $53 million deal Avisail Garcia got two years ago.

Options that surely will be exercised

• Jon Berti, IF, Miami Marlins ($3.625 million club option with a $25k buyout)
• Matt Carpenter, DH, San Diego Padres ($5.5 million player option)
• Alex Cobb, SP, San Francisco Giants ($10 million club option with a $2 million buyout)
• Yan Gomes, C, Chicago Cubs ($6 million club option with a $1 million buyout)
• Sean Manaea, SP, San Francisco Giants ($15 million player option)
• Charlie Morton, SP, Atlanta Braves ($20 million club option)
• Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers ($14 million club option)
• Omar Narvaez, C, New York Mets ($7 million player option)
• Adam Ottavino, RP, New York Mets ($6.75 million player option)
  
• Ross Stripling, SP, San Francisco Giants ($15 million player option)

Three Giants starters/long relievers on this list, one of whom they'll definitely be happy about bringing back. One more year of Cobb (if he's anywhere near as good again next year) will somewhat offset the cost of needing to allocate $30 million to Manaea and Stripling.

The only somewhat questionable one here is Morton, but the only questionable part is whether the soon-to-be 40-year-old wants to pitch for another season. If he's committed to coming back, Atlanta will find a way to get him his $20 million.

Tough decisions and/or complicated contracts

• Mark Canha, OF, Milwaukee Brewers ($11.5 million club option with a $2 million buyout)
• Curt Casali, C, Cincinnati Reds ($2.5 million mutual option with a $750k buyout)
• Kyle Hendricks, SP, Chicago Cubs ($16 million club option with a $1.5 million buyout)
• Seth Lugo, SP, San Diego Padres ($7.5 million player option)
• Nick Martinez, SP/RP, San Diego Padres (two-year, $32 million club option which converts to a two-year, $16 million player option if declined)
• Wade Miley, SP, Milwaukee Brewers ($10 million mutual option with a $1 million buyout)
• Brooks Raley, RP, New York Mets ($6.5 million club option with a $1.25 million buyout)
• Eddie Rosario, OF, Atlanta Braves ($9 million club option)

What the Brewers decide to do with Canha and Miley could be a great early indicator on whether they'll be willing to trade away Corbin Burnes and/or Willy Adames. With Brandon Woodruff undergoing shoulder surgery that could keep him out for all of 2024, it might be in Milwaukee's best interest to start thinking about the future. That would include declining these options on guys who had solid 2023 campaigns.

On the Padres front, we mentioned in the Michael Wacha discussion that they're looking to shed salary. They'll almost certainly decline their option on Martinez, but I suspect he'll opt-in on his two-year player option. I also suspect Lugo will go elsewhere for more money after proving this season that he can be a solid No. 3/4 starter.

The Mets will probably decline their option on Raley, but that's a tough call. Same goes for Atlanta with Rosario, though they may well turn around and re-sign him for a little bit cheaper.

Casali staying in Cincinnati as a relatively inexpensive, veteran, back-up catcher actually makes a lot of sense. Mutual options rarely get exercised by both parties, but that could be an exception to the rule.

And the toughest call of these 36 "other" National League options is what the Cubs do with Hendricks. He wasn't great this season, but he recovered to some extent from rough 2021 and 2022 campaigns. And he has been a staple in the starting rotation for this franchise for a decade now. They might be able to decline the $16 million club option and still bring him back for something like $10 million instead.