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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers have decided not to exercise the 2027 mutual options for designated hitter Joc Pederson, catcher Kyle Higashioka, and right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis, a person with direct knowledge of the decision confirmed to The Dallas Morning News. All three players will now become free agents.
ESPN's Jesse Rogers was first to report on Friday that Pederson had declined his portion of the option. A mutual option requires both the team and the player to agree to exercise it, unlike a team option or a player option where only one party makes the call.
The three options carried a combined value of $30.5 million for the 2027 season. Pederson's option alone was worth $18.5 million and did not include a buyout.
Pederson originally signed a two-year, $37 million contract with Texas on Dec. 30, 2024, a deal that gave him an opt-out after the 2025 season. In November 2025, he chose not to opt out and instead exercised his $18.5 million player option for 2026.
During an injury-plagued 2025 campaign, Pederson slashed .181/.285/.328 with nine home runs in 96 games. That season also included a franchise-record 0-for-41 hitless streak. He suffered a fractured right hand after being hit by a pitch against the Chicago White Sox on May 24 at Rate Field, an injury that cost him 52 games before the Rangers activated him on July 27.
In the 2026 season, Pederson rebounded to slash .235/.329/.487 with 26 home runs and an .816 OPS in 136 games. His 26 homers ranked second on the team. The 34-year-old is a two-time All-Star, earning selections in 2015 and 2022.
At his end-of-season news conference last month, Rangers president of baseball operations Chris Young emphasized that the team needed to become younger, more athletic, and more dynamic. Pederson was limited to the designated hitter spot. According to the News, if the Rangers do not add another DH-only player this winter, they could rotate shortstop Corey Seager, third baseman Josh Jung, and second baseman Justin Foscue through the position.
Higashioka signed a two-year, $13.5 million contract with the Rangers on Dec. 2, 2024. The deal paid him $5.75 million in 2025 and $6.75 million in 2026, and his 2027 mutual option was valued at $7 million with a $1 million buyout. Over his two seasons in Texas, Higashioka played in 152 of a possible 324 games and had two separate stints on the injured list. He finished those two seasons with a 98 OPS+.
Junis joined Texas in January on a one-year, $4 million contract that included the 2027 mutual option. He had gone 4-1 with a 2.97 ERA in a career-high 57 appearances for the Cleveland Guardians in 2025. For much of the 2026 season, Junis worked as the Rangers' setup man. He posted a 2.80 ERA in 31 games before the All-Star break but a 5.21 ERA in 22 games after it, while also dealing with nagging health issues in the second half.
The three decisions cleared some money off the club's books. Even if the Rangers let each of their own free agents walk, their payroll for next season stands at around $170 million before any outside acquisitions, according to the News.
Key Analysis
The Rangers' decision to decline all three mutual options signals a clear shift toward the youthful, athletic identity that Chris Young outlined at season's end. Pederson's $18.5 million option was the largest of the three, and his limited defensive profile made him a costly roster fit for a team seeking more versatility. Higashioka's injury history and Junis's second-half decline likely factored into the club's reluctance to commit. With roughly $170 million already on the books for next season, the Rangers retain some financial flexibility to pursue external upgrades while creating opportunities for internal options like Seager, Jung, and Foscue to see time at DH.
Originally reported by yardbarker.