One of the Arizona Diamondbacks' potential looming free agents has made his decision, according to a new report.

Right-handed starting pitcher Michael Soroka signed a one-year deal with the Diamondbacks ahead of 2026, but that deal included a mutual option for 2027.

Mutual options are extremely rare to see picked up by both the player and club, so it was expected that Soroka would test the free agent market rather than sticking with Arizona by default.

And now, Soroka's decision is known.

Diamondbacks' Michael Soroka reportedly turns down option

According to a report from Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic, Soroka has declined his end of said option. This does not come as any amount of a surprise.

The option would have paid Soroka $10 million in 2027, but after a very successful — albeit somewhat injury-marred — 2026 season, the 26-year-old righty is likely to find a more lucrative offer than that elsewhere.

Soroka was quite effective for Arizona this past season. He pitched to a 3.41 ERA over the course of 116 innings. He spent two separate stretches on the Injured List, first for a glute strain and later arm/shoulder inflammation that was minor and did not require surgery.

But when Soroka was on the mound this year, he performed at his highest level since his All-Star campaign as a rookie with the Atlanta Braves back in 2019. He put forward his best ERA and innings total since that very year. It has been difficult for the righty to stay healthy and pitch effectively.

Could Diamondbacks re-sign Soroka?

Soroka, following the Diamondbacks' unceremonious elimination from playoff contention, revealed an explicit desire to come back to Arizona.

"I picked this place for a reason. ... Everybody here from the players, the staff, the sports staff is a lot of good people. So I would absolutely love to return and just kind of take care of some unfinished business," Soroka said of a D-backs return.

"There's a lot of work to be to be done still."

Piecoro also reported the Diamondbacks will have interest in re-signing the righty. But at the same time, Soroka's price tag will probably be too high for the Diamondbacks, unless he is willing to take a team-friendly deal. That seems unlikely despite his comments.

Soroka is under 30, has only 532.1 career innings on his arm and has shown that he's been excellent when not beset by injury. Starting pitching is always a highly-sought asset, and tends to be expensive.

The Diamondbacks, meanwhile, are expecting a reduced payroll for 2027, and likely won't have a hefty portion of funds with which to add this offseason.

As it stands, Arizona would have Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt, Ryne Nelson, Merrill Kelly and Corbin Burnes — who just made the decision not to opt out of his own deal — under contract moving forward.

Soroka would be a positive add should the D-backs manage to re-sign him, but that will not be an easy result to achieve.