Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames were among 13 free agents who received $21.05 million qualifying offers on Monday.
Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman and Max Fried also were given the one-year offer before Monday’s deadline. Players have until 4 p.m. EST on Nov. 19 to accept.
If they do, they will be under contract with their 2024 club for another season. If they decline and sign elsewhere, their new team must forfeit draft picks and their previous organization will receive at least one draft pick as compensation.
Atlanta picked up All-Star designated hitter Marcell Ozuna’s $16 million option for 2025 and turned down options on right-hander Luke Jackson and catcher Travis d’Arnaud.
Texas pitcher Nathan Eovaldi became a free agent after declining a $20 million option for next season with the Rangers. Eovaldi will get a $2 million buyout from an option that vested when he threw more than 300 innings over his two years with Texas.
Other players given qualifying offers were Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández , Boston pitcher Nick Pivetta, Mets pitchers Sean Manaea and Luis Severino, Baltimore outfielder Anthony Santander, Arizona first baseman Christian Walker and Cincinnati right-hander Nick Martinez.
Cole gives up opt-out, stays with Yankees
Gerrit Cole gave up his opt-out right on Monday and will remain with the New York Yankees under a contract that runs through 2028 rather than become a free agent.
New York’s ace initially exercised his right to terminate the $324 million, nine-year deal, which has $144 million and four years remaining. That decision triggered a two-day window for New York to add a $36 million salary for 2029, which would void the opt out.
Kershaw declines option, becomes free agent
Three-time Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw has declined his $10 million player option with the Los Angeles Dodgers, electing to become a free agent.
The MLB Players Association listed Kershaw as a free agent in a statement released on Monday. The left-hander is still expected to re-sign with the Dodgers, his only big league team during his 17-year career.
The 36-year-old was hurt much of last season, finishing with a 2-2 record and 4.50 ERA in seven starts.
8 named to classic era Hall of Fame ballot
Dick Allen, Dave Parker and Luis Tiant are among eight men on the ballot for the baseball Hall of Fame’s classic era committee that meets Dec. 8.
Tommy John, Steve Garvey and Ken Boyer are also on the ballot along with former Negro Leaguers John Donaldson and Vic Harris, the Hall said Monday. The classic era committee considers players, managers, umpires and executives whose greatest contributions to the sport were before 1980.
Motorsports
Court hearing in NASCAR antitrust fight begins
Retired NBA great Michael Jordan and his fellow owners of two NASCAR teams went to federal court Monday for a hearing in their antitrust fight against the stock car series over what they say is an unfair business model.
23XI Racing, which is owned by Jordan and three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, and Front Row Motorsports, owned by restaurant entrepreneur Bob Jenkins, sued NASCAR and chairman Jim France in October after months of tense negotiations over NASCAR’s charter system, which is essentially a franchise model that includes revenue sharing.
The two teams say NASCAR gave all Cup Series teams a last-minute, take-it-or-leave-it offer in September that both 23XI and Front Row refused to sign. The owners contend the charter system limits competition by unfairly binding teams to the series, its tracks and its suppliers, and they called the France family and NASCAR “monopolistic bullies.”
Briefly
College football >> Gophers kicker Dragan Kesich was named the Big Ten special teams player of the week on Monday after he went 4 of 4 on field-goal attempts and scored 13 points in Saturday’s win at Illinois. It’s his third such award, tied for most in school history with Adam Bailey and Emmit Carpenter. Kesich’s honor is the fifth time a Gophers’ player has been recognized this year. Koi Perich has been honored twice, with Max Brosmer and Kerry Brown also recognized.
Baseball >> Cleveland Guardians All-Star and postseason star David Fry had reconstructive surgery on his right elbow and is expected to need at least sixth months of rehab.
— From news services