Pederson, Perez accept $19.65M qualifying offers

11/15/2022

San Francisco Giants outfielder Joc Pederson and Texas Rangers left-hander Martín Perez accepted one-year, $19.65 million qualifying offers Tuesday as a dozen other free agents rejected the tender from their teams.

Players who turned down the offer include: outfielder Aaron Judge, shortstop Trea Turner, shortstop Xander Bogaerts, right-hander Jacob deGrom, shortstop Dansby Swanson, left-hander Carlos Rodón, outfielder Brandon Nimmo, catcher Willson Contreras, right-hander Chris Bassitt and right-hander Nathan Eovaldi.

Left-hander Tyler Anderson agreed to a three-year, $39 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels before the 4 p.m. ET deadline to accept his qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers, sources told ESPN. The New York Yankees re-signed the final member of the qualifying-offer class, first baseman Anthony Rizzo, to a two-year, $40 million deal with a third-year option that would take the total package to $51 million, according to sources.

Pederson, 30, posted some of the best offensive numbers of his career for the Giants last year, hitting .274/.353/.521 with 23 home runs and 70 RBIs. San Francisco utilized him almost exclusively against right-handed pitching and frequently subbed him out in late innings for a defensive replacement.

While Pederson explored the free agent market and discussed multiyear deals with teams, ultimately he more than doubled his prior high single-season salary of $7.75 million.

Perez, 31, reaped an even greater windfall, topping out previously at $6 million. After debuting with the Rangers at 21, Perez bounced to Minnesota and Boston before returning to Texas last season. He put up career-best full-season numbers nearly across the board: ERA (2.89), innings pitched (196.1), strikeouts (169) and home run rate (0.5 per nine innings).

Players who reject qualifying offers are saddled with draft-pick compensation, which can depress a player’s market. While teams are rarely dissuaded from signing top free agents because of the penalties — which, for the highest-spending teams, include second- and fifth-round picks, plus $1 million in international bonus money, and for low-revenue teams means forfeiting a third-round pick — their presence could affect the market of a player like Eovaldi, the 32-year-old who spent the last four years with the Red Sox.

For signing Anderson, the Angels will lose a second-round pick in the 2023 draft. The Dodgers will receive an extra pick after the fourth round with an estimated slot value of around $425,000.

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