MLB Opt-Outs, Club Options and 2026 Gold Glove Winners
Episode 381 in brief: Nick and Harrison sort through the first wave of MLB offseason decisions: who opted in, who opted out, and which club options got picked up. That includes Drew Rasmussen’s $20 million option, the largest in Rays history. They react to the 2026 Gold Glove winners as they were announced live and break down Mike Hazen’s hint that Ketel Marte could be traded. Then they spend four rounds debating the lockout: spending, free agency timing, homegrown stars, and what competitive balance should actually look like. The show also unveils the new roundingthirdmedia.com and closes with a zero-home-run edition of baseball trivia.
The episode opened with the launch of the Rounding Third Media Network’s new home. The website shows the live stream at the top of the homepage when a show is on air. It also has the latest episodes, a 10-question baseball trivia quiz, a page for every show on the network, contributor blogs, and a merch shop that has moved off Etsy and onto the site.
Fans can reach the hosts directly through the community page to share a take, send in a trivia question, or ask a question between shows. A private members group is in the works, with bonus shows, trivia, and fan debates.
The About page also honors two people who helped build the show: Sean Bogue, who co-founded Rounding Third with Nick and Harrison in 2021, and Kapin, the show’s first superfan, who wore the very first Rounding Third T-shirt.
Which MLB Players Opted In or Opted Out of Their Contracts?
Opt-ins: Bichette, Burnes, Helsley and Imai
None of these surprised the hosts. Bo Bichette was never getting more money on the open market. Harrison pointed out that no team was going to take on his contract with a big player option sitting on the back end. Corbin Burnes is coming off an injury and wants to stay in Arizona. Ryan Helsley and Tatsuya Imai both had down years. In every case, the safe move was to take the guaranteed money and try again next year.
Opt-out: Michael King leaves San Diego
Michael King was the surprise. Harrison thought King had a fair deal and wanted to stay with the Padres, and he wondered whether the clubhouse environment had something to do with it. Nick’s view is simpler: King is one of the best pitchers in baseball, and he’ll get paid on the open market.
Which Club Options Were Exercised This Offseason?
Braves: Ronald Acuña Jr. and Ozzie Albies. Both were easy calls. Harrison gave Alex Anthopoulos credit for structuring both deals with affordable, team-friendly options that keep Atlanta flexible.
Marlins: Sandy Alcantara. After a bounce-back season, he’s still very affordable.
Mariners: Andrés Muñoz. Nine million dollars for a back-end bullpen anchor. Harrison joked that whoever sent the paperwork may have been the receptionist.
Rays: Drew Rasmussen, $20 million. It’s the largest option the Rays have ever exercised, and both hosts called it a no-brainer.
Are the Rays Changing How They Spend?
Harrison thinks so. Tampa Bay has historically let players go once they got expensive. New ownership, a new stadium on the way, and a fresh trip to the World Series point to a team trying to keep its anchors and run it back while the American League is weak.
Declined club and mutual options
Mutual options almost never get exercised by both sides. Carlos Estévez, Jeff McNeil, Bryce Miller, Victor Robles, Jeffrey Springs, Trevor Stephan, Nick Martinez, Cedric Mullins, Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta, Luis Robert Jr. and Sonny Gray all hit the market. Gray still collects a buyout reported at around $5 million.
Harrison’s picks to make an impact elsewhere:
Sonny Gray on a one-year deal.
Nick Pivetta after whatever he figured out in San Diego.
Nick Martinez after one of the best seasons of his career.
Nick likes Bryce Miller as a bounce-back candidate. Miller is only 28, and Harrison noted he hasn’t been fully healthy for two straight years. In the right pitching lab, Miller could be a real piece.
Will the Diamondbacks Trade Ketel Marte?
Mike Hazen told reporters the Diamondbacks want to “shake the team up a little bit” when asked about Marte. Nick believes Marte’s midseason absence cost Arizona a playoff spot. Harrison reads Hazen’s comment as an open invitation for teams to call, with one problem: the whole league knows the situation, so Arizona isn’t trading from a position of leverage.
Who Are the Diamondbacks’ Untouchables?
Harrison’s list: Geraldo Perdomo, Gabriel Moreno, Corbin Carroll and Corbin Burnes. Everyone else should be available for the right offer. Nick would also keep outfield prospect Ryan Waldschmidt.
Nick floated a creative destination: if the lockout ends with a payroll floor, a low-payroll team like the Pirates could take on Marte’s salary to help reach the minimum.
Who Won the 2026 Gold Glove Awards?
The winners were announced live during the show.
American League Gold Glove winners
Catcher: Dillon Dingler, Tigers
First base: Christian Walker, Astros
Second base: Cole Young, Mariners (as a rookie)
Third base: Caleb Durbin, Red Sox
Shortstop: Taylor Walls, Rays
Left field: Cody Bellinger, Yankees
Center field: Ceddanne Rafaela, Red Sox
Right field: Wilyer Abreu, Red Sox
Utility: Ezequiel Duran, Rangers
Pitcher: Tanner Bibee, Guardians
National League Gold Glove winners
Catcher: Gabriel Moreno, Diamondbacks
First base: Matt Olson, Braves
Second base: Brice Turang, Brewers
Third base: Alex Bregman, Cubs
Shortstop: Geraldo Perdomo, Diamondbacks
Left field: Jackson Chourio, Brewers
Center field: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Cubs
Right field: Corbin Carroll, Diamondbacks
Utility: Mauricio Dubón, Braves
Pitcher: Nolan McLean, Mets
Did any Gold Glove pick surprise the hosts?
Neither host had a problem with the AL list. Both called Dingler the best defensive catcher in the game and Rafaela one of the two best center fielders. In the NL, the debate was right field. Carroll covers huge ground but misplays balls and has an average arm, and viewers made the case for Mets rookie Carson Benge’s elite arm. Both hosts expect Benge to win one soon. The Platinum Gloves are announced later in the week.
Does Baseball Have a Spending Problem or a Refusing-to-Spend Problem?
Both hosts said spending, and that one causes the other. Harrison’s argument: a handful of teams generate so much more revenue that lower-revenue clubs see no point in adding a $30 million player who wins them five more games but still leaves them 10 games back. They aren’t one player away. They’re four players away, and they don’t have $120 million to spend.
Harrison laid out the revenue gap with the 2025 figures he cited on air. The Blue Jays brought in roughly half of what the Dodgers did, and the Cardinals and Brewers trail the Dodgers by hundreds of millions despite loyal fan bases and full ballparks. Nick added the free agency reality: if Milwaukee’s ceiling is $25 million a year for an ace, the Dodgers or Mets can simply offer $40 million.
Will Free Agency Be a Mad Dash Before the Lockout?
Both hosts expect a “snooze fest,” not a Black Friday rush. Depth players will sign, but owners have little reason to make big commitments heading into a work stoppage.
How Would a Salary Cap Change MLB Contracts?
This was Harrison’s biggest point of the night. A 10-year, $500 million deal works today because teams can absorb dead money at the back end. Under a salary cap, teams can’t afford dead payroll, so he expects shorter deals with higher annual salaries: more five-year, $250 million contracts and fewer eight-year, $400 million ones. He also flagged the two biggest obstacles to a working cap in baseball: guaranteed contracts and deferred money.
Should MLB Teams Get an Incentive to Keep Homegrown Stars?
Both hosts said yes, and so did the chat. Teams invest heavily in scouting, drafting and development, and most first-round picks never reach the majors. A team that finds and develops a Bobby Witt Jr. should get an advantage in keeping him.
Harrison pointed to the NBA’s model, where a player’s current team can offer more money or more years than anyone else. That way money is never the only reason a star leaves. The extra money still counts against the cap, so teams have to be able to afford it.
What Should Competitive Balance Look Like in Baseball?
Harrison’s definition: line up any two teams for a seven-game series, and either one could win. Teams should win because of how well they build a roster, not how much they can afford to pay. Nick’s version is simpler: all 30 teams operating under the same financial rules, so every fan base starts spring training believing they have a shot.
The 2026 playoff field shows the problem. By Harrison’s count, eight of the 12 playoff teams ranked in the top 10 in payroll. The Brewers, Rays, White Sox and Guardians were the exceptions. Both hosts made clear they aren’t against teams making money. They want the product on the field held to the same rules.
For more on the salary cap fight, check out The Rounding Third Rundown and our Episode 375 debate on whether a small-market World Series changes the lockout.
Zero-Home-Run Trivia: Can You Name These Players?
Nick’s trivia this week was all about strange home run and RBI seasons.
Which Dodgers outfielder played all 162 games with 196 hits and 64 steals and no home runs?
Juan Pierre in 2007.
Which Twins outfielder had 40 steals and zero home runs in a single season?
Ben Revere in 2012.
Which White Sox outfielder hit .311 with 35 steals and zero home runs in 1993?
Lance Johnson.
Which Marlins second baseman hit .302 and stole 50 bases without a home run?
Luis Castillo in 1999.
Which Phillies shortstop collected 162 hits in 159 games without a home run?
Larry Bowa in 1971.
Who drove in the most runs in a season without a home run since 1980?
Ozzie Smith, with 75 RBI in 1987.
Before Shohei Ohtani’s 55-homer, 102-RBI season, who had the fewest RBI in a 50-homer season?
Brady Anderson, with 110 RBI in 1996.
Which Rays catcher had 72 hits in a season, 33 of them home runs?
Mike Zunino in 2021.
Which Cardinal hit 30 home runs with only 59 RBI in 2016?
Jedd Gyorko. He shares the record with Curtis Granderson (2016), Kyle Schwarber (2017) and Cedric Mullins (2021).
Where Will MLB Expand Next?
Both hosts see Salt Lake City as the clear front-runner in the West, with Portland and Sacramento as long shots. In the East, they see Raleigh gaining ground, partly because of reported Braves resistance to Nashville. Neither host wants a third team in Florida.
They also answered a viewer question: minor league games continue during a lockout. Players on a 40-man roster are locked out, though, which will thin out a lot of Triple-A rosters.
What Should the Red Sox Do This Offseason?
Willson Contreras publicly said the Red Sox need more offense and that it’s on the front office to find it. Harrison appreciated the bluntness. Boston ranked near the bottom of the league in most offensive categories, and Harrison thinks the priority has to be a right-handed power bat for Fenway. The roster is also too crowded with left-handed outfielders.
The hosts split on Payton Tolle. Nick would extend him now, calling him a fan favorite across the league whom Boston can’t let get away. Harrison loves Tolle but wants to see another year first, after early extensions for other young Red Sox arms haven’t worked out.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Rays exercise Drew Rasmussen’s option?
Yes. Tampa Bay picked up Rasmussen’s $20 million option for 2027, the largest option in Rays history.
Who won the 2026 AL Gold Glove at shortstop?
Taylor Walls of the Tampa Bay Rays.
Who won the 2026 NL Gold Glove in center field?
Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs.
How would a salary cap change MLB free agent contracts?
Teams would likely offer shorter contracts with higher annual salaries, because dead money at the end of long deals would eat into cap space.
Who hit 30 home runs with only 59 RBI?
Four players share that record: Jedd Gyorko and Curtis Granderson in 2016, Kyle Schwarber in 2017, and Cedric Mullins in 2021.
When does Rounding Third air?
Rounding Third is live Sunday and Thursday nights on YouTube and Facebook. Watch the latest episodes on the Rounding Third show page, read more episode recaps in The Rounding Third Rundown, or explore every show on the Rounding Third Media Network.
