MLB Free Agency Begins: Alonso, Diaz Among Stars Opting Out of Contracts
The Hot Stove season is officially underway as several prominent MLB players have exercised opt-out clauses in their contracts, choosing to test the free agent market. Among those are New York Mets slugger Pete Alonso and closer Edwin Diaz, according to multiple reports.This marks the beginning of a perhaps transformative offseason for numerous teams seeking to bolster their rosters.
The move allows these players to seek longer-term contracts and potentially larger paydays then their current deals provide. Teams now have until thursday to extend qualifying offers-worth just over $22 million for the 2026 season-to their impending free agents. Players then have one week to decide whether to accept the offer or become free agents.
Here are some of the players who have chosen to opt out of their contracts:
* Pete Alonso, 1B, New York Mets
* edwin diaz, RP, New York Mets
Here are some of the players who have chosen to opt into their contracts:
(The original article does not list players who opted *in to their contracts.)*