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Michael King, Michael Lorenzen, Mitch Garver become free agents after mutual options are declined

NEW YORK — Pitchers Michael King and Michael Lorenzen along with catcher Mitch Garver became free agents Monday when their mutual options for 2026 were declined.

King declined his option with San Diego, while Kansas City turned down Lorenzen and Seattle declined Garver.

In addition, Kansas City said outfielder Randal Grichuk declined his mutual option and became eligible for free agency.

King was guaranteed $7.75 million under a one-year contract with San Diego that included a $3.75 million buyout of a $15 million option. The 30-year-old right-hander was 5-3 with a 3.44 ERA this year, limited to 15 starts by stints on the injured list for right shoulder inflammation that sidelined him between May 18 and Aug. 9 and left knee inflammation that kept him out between Aug. 9 and Sept. 9.

King was in his second season with the Padres after being acquired in the trade that sent All-Star outfielder Juan Soto to the Yankees.

Lorenzen was guaranteed $7 million in a one-year deal with Kansas City that included a $1.5 million buyout of a $12 million option, and he earned an additional $1 million in performance bonuses for innings and games pitched.

An All-Star in 2023, the 33-year-old right-hander signed with the Royals as a free agent in January and went 7-11 with a 4.64 ERA in 26 starts and one relief appearance. He didn’t pitch for the Royals between July 6 and Aug. 16 because of a left oblique strain.

Garver joined Seattle in December 2023 as a free agent with a $24 million, two-year contract that included a $12 million mutual option with a $1 million buyout. He hit .209 with nine homers and 30 RBIs this year.

Grichuk signed a one-year contract with Arizona as a free agent in February, a deal that guaranteed $5 million, including a $3 million buyout. He was traded to Kansas City on July 26 and earned an additional $750,000: $500,000 in performance bonuses and a $250,000 assignment bonus. The 34-year-old hit .228 with nine homers and 27 RBIs, including .206 with two homers and five RBIs in 43 games for the Royals.

A total of 140 players have become free agents in the two days following the end of the World Series and just under 60 more potentially can go free through Thursday, depending on whether team, player and mutual options are exercised.

Among those with player options or opt outs are Boston third baseman Alex Bregman, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Díaz, New York Yankees outfielder/first baseman Cody Bellinger, San Diego right-hander Robert Suarez, Detroit right-hander Jack Flaherty and Toronto right-hander Shane Bieber.

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Spurs' rookie Dylan Harper expected to miss "multiple weeks" with calf strain

Dylan Harper has shown more than just No. 2 pick talent to start his rookie season, he has been a hand-in-glove fit with Victor Wembanyama and is a key part of why the San Antonio Spurs are off to a 5-1 start.

Which is why the news that he will be out multiple weeks with a calf strain — something confirmed by San Antonio on Monday — comes as a blow.

The good news is this was just a strain, nothing more. There was concern when Harper left Sunday's game, then left the arena in a walking boot, that this could be something more, but there is no structural damage that will keep him out for an extended period, an "MRI on Monday revealed Harper avoided a significant absence," reported Shams Charania of ESPN.

Harper is averaging 14 points, four rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game off the bench for the Spurs, but the raw numbers don't capture how well he has played on both ends of the court. Harper has a smooth game with the ability to get to the rim, and also is shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc. He has not looked like a rookie, what he has looked like is a long-term fit next to Wembanyama.

Harper was injured in the second quarter Sunday trying to stop a post entry pass, then prevent a dunk by Phoenix's Nick Richards. Harper was instantly limping after the play and came out of the game.

Injuries are piling up for the Spurs, who remain without De'Aaron Fox, who has yet to play this season due to a hamstring issue. This will put more on the plate of Stephon Castle until one of he other guards can get healthy.

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Miami Marlins promote Gabe Kapler to general manager amid several front office moves

MIAMI — The Miami Marlins promoted Gabe Kapler to general manager on Monday amid a series of front office moves, the team announced.

Additionally, Frankie Piliere was promoted to vice president of amateur forecasting and player evaluation initiatives, and Vinesh Kanthan was moved to senior director of baseball operations.

Kapler will be the club’s sixth general manager after beginning his tenure with the Marlins in 2024 as an assistant GM focusing on player, coaching and staff development.

This past season, the Marlins’ minor league system made club history with four different affiliates reaching the postseason at their respective levels. That includes Jacksonville, which claimed the Triple-A National Championship.

Kapler spent the previous six seasons as a manager with Philadelphia (2018-19) and San Francisco (2020-23). The Los Angeles-native was also the World Series champion Dodgers’ director of player development from 2015-17, during which he worked with Marlins manager Clayton McCullough.

Miami outperformed many expectations in McCullough’s first season, winning 13 of their final 17 games.

“It is an exciting time to be part of the Marlins organization, and I am ready to continue the great work we are doing here, alongside Peter (Marlins president of baseball operations Peter Bendix) and our entire Baseball Operations staff,” Kapler said in a statement. “The growth and momentum we’ve built are a direct reflection of a clear vision, a strong culture, and an incredible team working together toward a shared goal. I’m proud to help continue that progress and contribute to what’s ahead.”

Piliere joined the Marlins as director of amateur scouting, overseeing the club’s amateur scouts and draft. And Kanthan, before coming to Miami, spent five seasons with the Texas Rangers organization.

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Woodruff declines option with Brewers, who exercise option on Peralta, decline option on Jansen

MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Brandon Woodruff declined a $20 million mutual option for 2026 in favor of a $10 million buyout and the two-time All-Star right-hander will become a free agent.

Milwaukee said Monday it exercised an $8 million team option on two-time All-Star Freddy Peralta, the final year in a contract that will be worth $30 million over seven seasons.

The Brewers declined a $12 million mutual option on catcher Danny Jansen, who get a $500,000 buyout as part of a deal he signed with Tampa Bay that guaranteed $8.5 million.

After missing the 2024 season while recovering from shoulder surgery, Woodruff returned in July and went 7-2 with a 3.20 ERA in 12 starts. He missed the postseason with a right lat strain that was unrelated to the prior injury.

During the postseason, the Brewers had held out hope Woodruff might be able to return if they had made the World Series, an indication he should be ready for the start of the 2026 season. Woodruff will turn 33 on Feb. 10

“As far as the future, I don’t know what that will entail, but I’m glad I had the opportunity to come back here,” Woodruff said before the Brewers’ NL Division Series win over the Chicago Cubs. “My son was born here last year. I’ve got so many roots dug here in Milwaukee. And not just the people in the clubhouse but people outside of the baseball field I’ve gotten to know. It’s home for sure. It’s my second home. Yeah, so for sure, I needed to throw on this uniform again.”

Woodruff agreed before the 2024 season to a backloaded $17.5 million, two-year contract. He gets half the buyout on Jan. 15 and the remainder on July 15.

Jansen, who turns 31 on April 15, batted .254 with a .346 on-base percentage, three homers and seven RBIs in 25 games with Milwaukee after his hometown team acquired him at the trade deadline. He hit .204 with a .314 on-base percentage, 11 homers and 29 RBIs in 73 games with Tampa Bay.

Peralta, 29, made his second All-Star team this season and went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 33 starts. He struck out 204 over 176 2/3 innings while helping Milwaukee win a third straight NL Central title.

Milwaukee also selected the contract of right-hander Coleman Crow from Triple-A Nashville. Crow, who turns 25 on Dec. 30, went 4-1 with a 3.24 ERA in 12 starts for Double-A Biloxi and the Sounds.

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While NHL Shootouts Remain Polarizing, Penalty Shots Are Still Exciting

The shootout doesn't have the same luster as it used to when it was first introduced to solve ties in the NHL in 2005-06.

When teams are hosting 41 home games a year (and starting next season, 42), they need a mechanism to ensure games have a finite ending point rather than endless hours of overtime. That’s what shootouts guarantee in a way no other end-game solution can. Fans deserve a game-winner in a reasonable period of time during the regular season.

That said, it’s clear the shine is off the bumper for shootouts. It’s a non-team-based solution that narrows things down to a goalie and a few shooters. So, of course, people are going to want games to end before they reach the shootout stage.

That said, another 1-on-1 competition is just as exciting as always despite happening less often than it used to.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman brought up an interesting point on Saturday about penalty shots. He voiced his concern that on-ice officials aren’t calling enough penalty shots – and recent statistics bear that out.

Last season, there were 32 penalty shot attempts in the NHL. That’s the fewest in an 82-game season since 2000-01. The 2023-24 season saw 49 penalty shots, compared to 52 in 2022-23. Dating back to 2005-06, which saw a season-high 103 penalty shots, the average number of attempts in a season is 54.

Friedman mentioned some examples from Saturday's action that were or should have been penalty shots. On one play between the Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens, Juraj Slafkovsky received a minor penalty for holding when he and two teammates were "hacking and whacking" at Senators center Shane Pinto, who had a breakaway. Meanwhile, Tim Stutzle hooked Lane Hutson while the Habs defenseman was on a breakaway, and he did receive a penalty shot, igniting the crowd.

Winnipeg Jets left winger Kyle Connor was also awarded a penalty shot on Saturday, and he capitalized on the opportunity. (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)

You can decide for yourself whether the fewer penalty shots last season were a result of referees being less liberal in calling them, or whether players are more disciplined. In any case, Saturday was an example of how we could have seen at least one more attempt that engages the viewer and can change the game.

We should encourage the NHL to instruct referees to be more open to calling penalty shots, which is "designed to restore a scoring opportunity which was lost as a result of an infraction being committed by the offending team," according to the NHL rulebook.

The four conditions that must be met to call a penalty shot are that the infraction must have taken place in the neutral zone or attacking zone, it must have been committed from behind, the player who had possession of the puck was denied a reasonable chance to score, and there must have been no opposing player between the player with the puck and the goaltender.

In Pinto's case, the only opponent he had in front of him was the goalie, and while he had the puck, Slafkovsky held him up in the neutral zone. There are almost certainly other situations like this one on a weekly and monthly basis that met the criteria for a penalty shot and yet were called something else.

It seems somewhat obvious to say it, but empowering the officials to hand out penalty shots on rush attempts that are bogged down by obstruction is a great thing. And remember, the NHL is in the entertainment business. What’s more entertaining than a penalty shot? (Haha, very funny, everyone who tried to answer that question with “a cycle game that leads to a blocked shot.” We see you.)

If you hate shootouts, we get it. Hockey is a team sport, so team-based ends to hockey games make most people happy. But while a penalty shot is virtually the exact same element of the game that a shootout is, the difference has to do with the timing of it.

You could get a penalty shot as soon as the game begins, and that would lead to terrific drama as teams get out of the gate. A late-game penalty shot also could decide the winner. And if referees do get more liberal with penalty shots, you could also, in theory, get multiple penalty shots in the same game. Dare to dream.

Last season, there were only seven penalty shot goals, the lowest total in that department since 1995-96. That may be an outlier, but it should be concerning for league officials. Penalty shots always are on highlight reels, and the NHL should want more of that, wherever they can get it. 

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Left-hander Dietrich Enns stays with Orioles for one-year deal worth $2,625,000

BALTIMORE — Left-hander Dietrich Enns and the Baltimore Orioles agreed Monday to a one-year contract guaranteeing $2,625,000.

Enns gets a $2.5 million salary for 2026 and the deal includes a $3.5 million team option for 2027 with a $125,000 buyout. Enns has the right to become a free agent at the end of the contract.

Baltimore had a $3 million option for 2026 as part of the contract he signed for 2025, which included a $1.25 million salary while in the major leagues and a $210,000 salary while in the minors. He could have become a free agent had the option been declined.

Enns, 34. made his major league debut with Minnesota in 2017 and pitched for Toronto in 2021. He played for the Seibu Lions in Japan’s Pacific League in 2022 and ’23 and for the LG Twins in South Korea in 2024. He then signed a minor league contract in January with Detroit that called for a $1.25 million salary while in the major leagues and a $210,000 salary while in the minors. He could have become a free agent had the option been declined.

He was brought up by the Tigers on June 26 and traded to the Orioles on July 31. Enns went 3-3 with a 4.08 ERA in three starts and 21 relief appearances.