Former New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto and former New York Mets right-hander Luis Severino were among the players who rejected a qualifying offer from their 2024 club on Tuesday and elected to remain free agents.
Only one of the 13 players who received a qualifying offer, Cincinnati Reds right-hander Nick Martinez, accepted the tender of a one-year, $21.05 million deal.
The others who rejected the offer ahead of the Tuesday deadline to decide were Mets first baseman Pete Alonso and left-hander Sean Manaea, Baltimore Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander, Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker, Boston Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta and Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried.
Should any of them sign with a new team, the player’s former team will be compensated with a draft pick.
Soto, 26, batted .288 with a .989 OPS in his first season with the Yankees and hit 41 home runs with 109 RBIs while guiding the club into the World Series.
Big-market clubs such as the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Philadelphia Phillies all reportedly have interest in the four-time All-Star, who was a Silver Slugger winner this year.
Soto is expected to command one of the largest major league contracts ever as a free agent.
Severino, 30, went 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts in his first season with the Mets, striking out 161 batters across 182 innings.
A two-time All-Star with the New York Yankees (2017, 2018), Severino is 65-44 with a 3.81 ERA in 172 games (156 starts) with the Yankees (2015-19, 2021-23) and Mets.
Martinez, 34, went 10-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 42 games (16 starts) for Cincinnati this year. He previously played for the Texas Rangers (2014-17) and the San Diego Padres (2022-23), and he owns a 37-45 career record with nine saves and a 4.09 ERA in 240 games (103 starts). Martinez pitched in Japan from 2018-21.
