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Today is the deadline for MLB free agents who received the $20.325 million qualifying offer to accept or decline, and it is expected that all seven of them will decline, with Shohei Ohtani being the most notable, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Shohei Ohtani received the qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Angels, while Cody Bellinger, Sonny Gray, Aaron Nola, Blake Snell, Josh Hader and Matt Chapman. There is no reason for any of those players to accept the one-year qualifying offer, as all of them should receive significant deals in free agency this offseason.
Ohtani is obviously the biggest name, and will receive the biggest contract. Cody Bellinger is the top hitter on the market this offseason, while Matt Chapman should receive a big deal as well for being a solid bat with elite defense at third base. Aaron Nola, Sonny Gray and Blake Snell are atop the pitching market, and Josh Hader is the top relief pitcher on the market.
If those free agents sign with teams that they were not with last season, the team they were with before will get draft compensation, which is the purpose of the qualifying offer. It is supposed to give team who lose free agents some kind of compensation after losing a key player.
It will be interesting to see whether or not any of these players remain with the teams they were there last season, or if they will all be moving to new teams for the 2024 season. Free agency signings should pick up in the next couple of weeks.
