Washington Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon on Thursday became a free agent, a day after homering to spark Washington’s seventh-inning comeback in Game 7 of the World Series.
Houston pitcher Gerrit Cole also went free after warming up in the bullpen, but never getting into the season finale, while Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the World Series MVP, could be joining them in the next few days. He has the right to opt out of his contract, which has US$100 million over four years remaining.
Baseball’s business season starts shortly after the final out.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“I think it’s hard to kind of fast-forward,” Houston Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “Seasons end really fast. I don’t care if you get all the way to the seventh game of the World Series. It’s all of a sudden — boom! — it’s over.”
Cole, Rendon and Strasburg are represented by Scott Boras, known for slow, methodical negotiations. Last winter, Boras reached outfielder Bryce Harper’s US$330 million, 13-year contract with Philadelphia on Feb. 28.
Cole, a 29-year-old right-hander who went 20-5 this year, is expected to get a record contract for a pitcher, topping David Price’s US$217 million, seven-year deal with the Boston Red Sox before the 2016 season and Justin Verlander’s US$31.33 million average salary under a three-year deal with the Astros that started this year.
Cole tweeted a letter on Thursday praising Houston fans.
“Before I became an Astro I didn’t know much about Houston, but after just two years you have made it feel like home,” he wrote. “This is a relationship between a team and ... fans like no other that I know.”
Strasburg, a 31-year-old right-hander, just finished the third season of a US$175 million deal and at 18-6 also is coming off his best season. Rendon led the major leagues with 126 RBIs while hitting .319 with 34 homers.
A total of 131 players became free agents on Thursday, with 53 more potentially eligible pending decisions on team, player and mutual options over the next few days.
Among the pitchers available are major-league ERA leader Ryu Hyun-jin, Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, Rick Porcello, Cole Hamels, Jake Odorizzi and Dallas Keuchel, who went free after last year’s season and waited until June to reach a one-year deal with the Atlanta Braves.
Others eligible include shortstop Didi Gregorius, third baseman Josh Donaldson and outfielders Yasiel Puig, Marcell Ozuna and Jose Abreu — the American League RBIs leader.
New York Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman and Boston slugger J.D. Martinez also have the right to opt out, while catcher Yasmani Grandal has a mutual option with the Milwaukee Brewers.
Teams must decide by Monday whether to make US$17.8 million qualifying offers to their former players who became free agents. Players are eligible for the offer if they were on the roster for the season and have never received a qualifying offer.
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