All seven players who received a $20.325MM qualifying offer this year have rejected it, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. The deadline for a decision is today at 3 pm Central but it seems all of Shohei Ohtani, Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Sonny Gray, Josh Hader, Aaron Nola and Blake Snell have already made up their minds.
There wasn’t much drama with any of these decisions, as all seven were considered locks to reject and still collect sizeable free agent contracts. On MLBTR’s list of the Top 50 Free Agents, six of the seven player were predicted to get a nine-figure deal in the coming months. The only exception was Gray, who was limited by his 34 years of age to a prediction of $90MM over four years. The players had one week to gauge the market after receiving those QOs and it doesn’t seem any of them got any sense that accepting the one-year deal was a wise course of action.
There would have been more drama if some borderline candidates had been issued QOs, but it was a fairly conservative group this winter. Last year, 12 players received QOs and Martín Pérez and Joc Pederson eventually accepted. But none of this year’s on-the-cusp players got the offer, with each of Teoscar Hernández, Jorge Soler, J.D. Martinez, Rhys Hoskins, Kenta Maeda and Kevin Kiermaier heading into free agency unencumbered.
Each of the players who received and rejected the QO will now net their former club draft pick compensation in the event they sign elsewhere this winter. The value of that compensation will depend upon whether the club received revenue sharing or paid the competitive balance tax in 2023. The signing club would also be subject to draft pick forfeiture and perhaps a reduction of international bonus pool space, with the penalty also dependant on revenue sharing and CBT status.
Unsurprising.
Unsurprising? Ohtani was a sure bet to accept the QO. I’m starting to think I might not win the FA Prediction challenge.
Huh? If you really thought that about Ohtani then I’d bet you won’t win!
Long – Where is the link so we can see everyone’s entries?
I want to see how many people are as smart as me. Haha!
I’m not doing your work for you but if I reminder correctly all entries were viewable last year.
You just clicked on the entry and that person’s 50 popped up.
Long – You are absolutely correct, but we need the link to do it. Haha!
Has the link been posted? I don’t see it, but I’m not using the app.
You must be fun at parties.
The window just closed at 11:00 last night so I don’t think they have it out yet.
I think they email or it may come in the form of a post with the link. I’d say it’s coming soon.
This is seven middle fingers for 7 Qo’s
Oh wait, this is the 8th middle finger for Manfart!
What is the default position should the player/agent miss the deadline to post their qualifying offer decision (intentionally or not)?
Decline the qualifying offer?
i’m pretty sure if there is no response it’s counted as a rejected offer, and the player, iirc something similar happened in the past where a gm didn’t file in time for an option and the player became a fa
brodie – You are absolutely correct.
Everyone needs to understand, if you do nothing then nothing happens.
Same with opt-outs. So many people here think players have to “opt-in” if they don’t want to exercise their opt-out clause ….. no, you don’t “opt-in”. You do nothing, which means the opt-out doesn’t happen. Period. End of Trevor Story.
Good… let’s get it on!
Shock!
Chapman and Hader are on the “Nah” list. Gray and Snell are borderline. The draft pick won’t be missed if any of the other 3 are signed
Snell? Really? Have you paid any attention?
He is projected to get a 180-200 mil contract well over the QO AAV for each year. Why would he take a QO?
None of those 7 were even remotely considering this.
*When considering Free Agents to sign, and reviewing whether or not to sign those Free Agents who rejected Qualifying offers, Chapman and Hader are on the “Nah” list. Gray and Snell are borderline. The draft pick won’t be missed if any of the other 3 are signed
Why anybody would turn down an automatic $20,325,000 is beyond me. These guys are currently unemployed. It’s a rough job market out there. Who’s gonna turn down guaranteed money to risk *hoping* someone hires you? Don’t these guys have bills to pay?
They must have dual income from a spouse that can cover the bills for a while and they must have savings built up.
I wish them well.
I guess its love for the game that matters the most for these guys more than money… or at least I thought that was still the case.
Like a lot of people in other professions, I foresee all of these free agents accepting league minimum deals to explore new horizons and pivot their careers.
Sometimes life isn’t all about money. A lesson to live by.
Their agent(s) have to eat too. Their agent(s) would not have told them to go this route of there was even remote doubt of going unsigned
Look, I think they’re a bunch of international men of mystery, who like to stay on 5 when they play blackjack, because they, too, like to live dangerously.
Duh.
Ohtani turned it down… Darn!!!
Blake Snell will sign with Dodgers I am guessing. He has a really good relationship with Andrew Friedman.
Phillies or Padres. If Mariners trade a SP to create a spot, maybe there since he would love to pith at home. Assuming Dodger get the blessing of spending 500-600 mil on Ohtani, they won’t have the 200 mil for Snell.
good relationship, huh? as if you have a clue
Sometimes people do have a clue.
These are not characters in a TV show that don’t actually exist. These are living, breathing, human beings, who do actually exist.
Just because you don’t have a clue, or I for that matter, maybe he has a clue.
Snell’s a difficult one to figure out. He likely will have two Cy Youngs, assuming he wins tomorrow, one in each league. Yet his other years are less-than-inspiring. He’s going to get paid, but not as much as perhaps his agent is hoping.
They should just do away with the QO.
The owners were more than happy to eliminate it in the last CBA negotiations in return for the players agreeing to an international draft. The mistake the MLBPA made was agreeing to the QO system in the first place. A free agent should be entirely free without any compensation attached.
But which one belongs to the Reds?
No surprises here. The free agent market is pretty weak makes sense they will get more on the open market.