NEW YORK — Detroit pitcher Jack Flaherty and Toronto pitcher Shane Bieber exercised their player options for 2026 rather than become eligible for free agency, and the Phillies exercised their option on reliever José Alvarado.

The Phillies exercised a $9 million option on Alvarado rather than pay a $500,000 buyout as part of a $22 million, three-year contract. The 30-year-old left-hander served an 80-game suspension from mid-May through mid-August for a positive drug test. He went 4-2 with a 3.81 ERA and seven saves in eight chances.

He had forearm tightness in September that landed him in the IL. With Alvarado ineligible for the postseason, the team shut him down to heal it.

Alvarado had a 3.18 ERA as a vital reliever for the Phillies in 2022. He followed it with a 1.74 ERA in 42 games

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