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Fireballer Jhoan Duran is ready to join the Twins’ roster for the first time this season as Minnesota takes on the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said Duran likely was to be available for the surging Twins, who have won eight in a row with a makeshift bullpen compensating for not having the 100 mph heat from their planned closer yet in 2024. Duran went for testing on his aching side on March 16 and was shut down with an oblique strain.

For Duran, the radar gun told him it was time to return.

Duran wrapped up a two-game rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday. During the second outing, his fastball clocked at an average of 101.8 mph.

“When I see that velocity, I feel more good,” Duran said. “It’s like, ‘OK, you see it, let’s go.'”

Duran joined the Twins in Chicago on Monday.

The 26-year-old right-hander has career 35 saves and a 2.15 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 130 innings.

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Peralta picks up option with Padres, Kim declines

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Peralta picks up option with Padres, Kim declines

SAN ANTONIO — Left-hander Wandy Peralta exercised his $4.25 million option to remain with the San Diego Padres on Monday.

Gold Glove infielder Ha-Seong Kim declined his $8 million mutual option to become a free agent and will receive a $2 million buyout.

Peralta was guaranteed $16.5 million under what could be a four-year deal. He had a $3.35 million salary this year, and the deal includes player options for $4.45 million in both 2026 and 2027.

The 33-year-old had a 3.99 ERA in 46 relief appearances this year. He was sidelined between July 9 and Sept. 4 by a left adductor strain.

Kim tore the labrum in his right shoulder on Aug. 18 and needed season-ending surgery. He hit .233 with 11 homers and 22 stolen bases in the final season of a $28 million, four-year contract.

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Kershaw declines option, is officially free agent

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Kershaw declines option, is officially free agent

SAN ANTONIO — Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw declined his $10 million player option with the Los Angeles Dodgers, electing to become a free agent.

The MLB Players Association listed Kershaw as a free agent in a statement released Monday. The left-hander is still expected to re-sign with the Dodgers, his only big league team during his 17-year career.

The 36-year-old was hurt for much of last season, finishing with a 2-2 record and a 4.50 ERA over seven starts.

The Dodgers did exercise a $5 million option for infielder Miguel Rojas and a $3.5 million option for catcher Austin Barnes. Barnes is the second-longest tenured Dodgers player behind Kershaw, playing 10 seasons.

Rojas, 35, just finished one of the best seasons of his 11-year career, batting .283 with six homers and 36 RBIs. Barnes hit .264 with one homer and 11 RBIs.

Los Angeles also extended a $21.05 million qualifying offer to slugger Teoscar Hernandez, who hit a career-high 33 homers. Players have until 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 19 to accept.

If Hernandez does, he will be under contract with the Dodgers for another season. If he declines and signs elsewhere, his new team must forfeit at least one draft pick and Los Angeles will receive at least one draft pick as compensation.

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Sources: Soto among 13 to get qualifying offers

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Sources: Soto among 13 to get qualifying offers

Thirteen free agents received qualifying offers from their former teams Monday before free agency officially began at 5 p.m. E.T., sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Among those tendered the offer, which is a one-year, $21.05 million contract for the 2025 season:

The players have until 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 19 to decide whether to accept the offer, which is calculated annually based on the mean average annual value of Major League Baseball’s 125 biggest contracts.

The most sought-after free agents have historically rejected the proposal to enter free agency in search of a multiyear contract. Just 13 of 131 players have accepted a qualifying offer since it was introduced following the 2012 season. Last year, all seven players presented the deal, valued at $20.325 million, turned it down.

Clubs can give a player a qualifying offer only if the player was with the team continuously from opening day and has never received a qualifying offer before.

Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler, San Diego Padres outfielder Jurickson Profar, and Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres were among the free agents not extended the qualifying offer.

Teams that lose a player who received a qualifying offer receive a compensation pick. Clubs that sign players who rejected the qualifying offer before the amateur draft the following year must surrender draft compensation and could also lose international bonus pool money. The possible penalties have not affected top-tier free agents’ earning potential, but they have hampered the market for midtier players.

Teams that surpassed the competitive balance tax line in 2024 and sign a player tied to a qualifying offer stand to lose their second- and fifth-highest picks in the upcoming amateur draft. They also lose $1 million from their international bonus pool. Revenue-sharing organizations lose their third-highest draft selection. The others lose their second-highest draft pick and $500,000 from their international bonus pool.

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