Angels decline option on Calhoun

The Angels on Monday took a significant step toward clearing space for a splashy addition: They bought out for $1 million the $14-million option on the contract of Kole Calhoun.

Calhoun, 32, who made his major league debut with the Angels in 2012, established himself as one of the top defensive outfielders in baseball. His 58 assists tied for the 11th most among outfielders since his arrival.

He won a Gold Glove in 2015 and has been a finalist several times. However, his performance at the plate, including batting .208 in 2018 and his team-high 162 strikeouts in 2019, made retaining him untenable.

The New York Yankees failed to make a $17.8-million qualifying offer to shortstop Didi Gregorius, making him a free agent . ... Former Cleveland All-Star pitcher Danny Salazar, whose career has been sidetracked by injuries, became a free agent . ... Philadelphia declined club options on left-hander Jason Vargas and right-handers Jared Hughes and Pat Neshek . ... Four-time AllStar pitcher Madison Bumgarner received a $17.8-million qualifying offer from San Francisco . ... Pittsburgh exercised its 2020 options on pitcher Chris Archer and center fielder Starling Marte . ... Atlanta re-signed outfielder Nick Markakis and catcher Tyler Flowers to one-year, $4-million contracts after declining their team options . ... Boston designated hitter J.D. Martinez and Texas shortstop Elvis Andrus declined to opt out of their contracts.

President Trump honored the World Series champion Washington Nationals at the White House and received a No. 45 jersey from first baseman Ryan Zimmerman, who thanked him “for keeping everyone here safe.” ... The U.S. beat the Dominican Republic 10-8 to advance to the second round of Olympic qualifying.