Colorado Rockies shortstop Trevor Story and Los Angeles Angels closer Raisel Iglesias are among the latest players who reportedly have declined the one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer from their respective teams.
Wednesday is the deadline for impending free agents to accept or decline their qualifying offers.
Meanwhile, San Francisco first baseman Brandon Belt has reportedly accepted his.
Story, 29, is in line for a big payday after a 24-home run season in Colorado. The two-time All-Star is a career .272/.340/.523 hitter in his six seasons in Denver. He has belted 158 home runs for the Rockies.
Story is expected to fetch a multi-year deal worth north of $100 million.
The Rockies will receive a compensatory pick, assuming Story doesn’t re-sign with the club that drafted him in the first round of the 2011 draft.
…The Athletic reports Iglesias rejected his qualifying offer, despite that the $18.4 million for one year would blow away the $8 million average annual salary of the 31-year-old’s last contract.
The Angels are reportedly a good bet to keep Iglesias, for whom they got via trade with the Cincinnati Reds last December.
Iglesias went 7-5 with a 2.57 ERA and 34 saves for the Angels this past season. He finished second in the majors with 59 games finished behind Will Smith of the Atlanta Braves. He saved 106 games for the Reds in six seasons.
…The New York Post and MLB.com reported that Belt accepted the Giants’ qualifying offer, the only player to do so, per MLB Network.
Belt, 33, hit .274 with 29 home runs and 59 RBIs in just 97 games this past season. He had a whopping .378 on-base percentage and .975 OPS.
Belt has played his entire 11-year career with the Giants, making the All-Star team in 2016. He has three World Series rings to his name.
His five-year, $72.8 million deal came to an end, making him eligible to test free agency.
…Justin Verlander, who missed the entire 2021 season after Tommy John surgery in October 2020, declined his QO from the Astros.
Verlander signed a two-year, $66 million extension in March 2019, following that up with his second Cy Young Award.
Verlander, 38, is expected to get a lot of interest, including from the Dodgers.
In all, the following players rejected their QOs: Nick Castellanos, Michael Conforto, Carlos Correa, Freddie Freeman, Iglesias, Robbie Ray, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, Story, Chris Taylor, Verlander.
–Field Level Media
