Phillies' J.T. Realmuto, Astros' George Springer to Decline Qualifying Offers
As expected, J.T. Realmuto and George Springer are officially hitting the free-agent market.
Per MLB Network's Jon Heyman, both players declined their one-year qualifying offer worth $18.9 million from the Philadelphia Phillies and Houston Astros, respectively.
Realmuto and Springer are widely regarded as the top two free-agent position players available this offseason.
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Per MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Realmuto is hoping to land "a record-shattering contract for a catcher, perhaps in the $200 million range."
Joe Mauer's eight-year, $184 million extension with the Minnesota Twins that was signed in 2010 remains the largest deal for a catcher in Major League Baseball history.
Among all catchers, Realmuto has led or tied for the lead in FanGraphs wins above replacement in each of the past three seasons. The 29-year-old hit .266/.349/.491 with 11 homers and 32 RBI in 47 games for the Phillies in 2020.
Springer has been one of the Astros' most valuable players since making his MLB debut in 2014. He has posted an OPS over .800 six times in seven seasons and has slugged at least .522 three times since 2017.
Free agency officially began across MLB on Nov. 1.
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