MLB Free Agency: Who will exercise their opt-out clause?

As the regular season nears its end, we look past October and into November, when players with opt-out clauses in their contracts will make their decisions.

The offseason, the time when players sign with new clubs or decide to leave their old ones. It’s a stressful time for fans, but it adds to the allure of the sport. Thankfully, we have about 5 weeks until the postseason ends (longer, if there’s a Game 7) and there’s no telling when the free-agent news will start rolling in after that.

For those that are unfamiliar, an opt-out is a clause in a players’ contract that states that they can decide to test the waters of free agency before their entire contract officially ends. For example, Clayton Kershaw is signed through 2020 and is owed nearly $70 million in those two years. Should he decide he wants to work out a bigger contract with the Dodgers or play for another team entirely, he can opt-out after this season.

Clayton Kershaw no longer wearing a Dodgers uniform; I can truthfully say that few things in this world scare me more at this moment than that statement.

He isn’t the only one, however. Let’s take a look at some of the players with opt-out clauses in their contracts and predict who they’ll be playing for next season.