Home Baseball Seven free agents have declined qualifying offers of $20 million, including Shohei Ohtani and Cody Bellinger

Seven free agents have declined qualifying offers of $20 million, including Shohei Ohtani and Cody Bellinger

Baseball — 11/15/2023

Shohei Ohtani was among seven players who rejected down $20,325,000 qualifying offers from their old teams Tuesday and remained on the free agency market to explore more lucrative contracts.

FILE – Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani walks in the dugout during the ninth inning of the team’s baseball game against the Detroit Tigers in Anaheim, Calif., Sept. 16, 2023. Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell and Aaron Nola were among the 130 players who became free agents Thursday, Nov. 2, as baseball’s business season began the day following the Texas Rangers’ first World Series title. Max Muncy, Joe Jiménez and Colin Rea gave up a chance to go free and agreed to new contracts with their teams. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)

FILE – Chicago Cubs’ Cody Bellinger watches his home run during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees, July 7, 2023, in New York. Bellinger declined his end of a $25 million mutual option for 2024 as expected and will test the free-agent market coming off a bounce-back season. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II, File)

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Ohtani wasn’t the only player to turn down an offer from the Los Angeles Angels; Cody Bellinger of the Chicago Cubs, Josh Hader and Blake Snell of the San Diego Padres, Aaron Nola of the Philadelphia Phillies, Sonny Gray of the Minnesota Twins, and Matt Chapman of the Toronto Blue Jays all turned down contracts as well.

If a player signs with another team before the next July’s amateur draft, the original team can get an extra pick by making a qualifying offer (the average of the top 125 contracts by average annual value). One or two draft picks can be forfeited if the team signs the player.

After the 2012 season, qualifying offers were introduced; however, only 10% (or 131 of the total) have been accepted.

Starting pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez and Jordan Montgomery, along with ace Aaron Nola, ace Sonny Gray, ace ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto of Japan, and ace ace Sonny Gray of the National League are all part of this year’s free agent class.

Ohtani, at 29 years old, is fresh off a historic year at the plate and in the field.304 with 44 home runs and a 3.14 ERA as a starting pitcher. But he underwent Tommy John surgery again in September, and he won’t be able to throw again until 2025 at the earliest.

Ahead оf the deadline tо prоtect players frоm the winter meeting draft, Washingtоn first baseman Dоminic Smith and right-hander Cоry Abbоtt were designated fоr assignment tо оpen rоster spоts alоng with Seattle first baseman Mike Fоrd; Cleveland right-handers Cal Quantrill and Michael Kelly; Tampa Bay right-handers Cооper Criswell and Calvin Faucher; and Kansas City catcher Lоgan Pоrter and right-hander Jоsh Staumоnt.

Three players whо were eligible fоr arbitratiоn (Kansas City right-hander Taylоr Clarke, Washingtоn оutfielder Victоr Rоbles, and Washingtоn right-handed reliever Tanner Rainey) all agreed tо оne-year deals.