Browsing: offer

Teams can extend a qualifying offer to select free agents each offseason. Players who accept are signed to a one-year deal for the next season at the designated value ($22.025 million for 2026). Those who don’t accept remain free agents, and if a new team signs them, their old team receives Draft pick compensation.

Hereâ€s a breakdown of the pending free agents who could receive qualifying offers this offseason, along with a list of notable players who arenâ€t eligible for a QO and information on the Draft compensation and penalties tied to the QO.

Players listed in order of 2025 WAR (per FanGraphs)

Schwarberâ€s walk year couldnâ€t have gone much better, as he led the NL in homers (56) and the Majors in RBIs (132) with a career-high 150 OPS+ over 162 games, wrapping up his four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies in grand fashion. During the course of that deal, only Aaron Judge had more home runs than Schwarberâ€s 187. He’s also been an impactful postseason performer, hitting 23 playoff dingers.

The top player in the 2025-26 free-agent class, Tucker will enter his age-29 season having recorded 23.4 WAR (per FanGraphs) and a 145 OPS+ since the beginning of 2021. Despite dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand and a left calf strain in 2025, he still posted his third career 20-20 season (22 HR, 25 SB) with a 143 OPS+ over 136 games for the Cubs, who acquired him from the Astros in December.

Suárez has posted a 3.39 ERA over 116 starts since joining the Phillies†rotation in 2021, the 13th-best mark among MLB starters during that span (min. 100 starts). He also has an impressive track record of playoff success, with a lifetime 1.48 ERA over 42 2/3 innings in the postseason.

Perhaps the best starter in a market lacking a true ace, Valdez has found a formula for consistent success with the Astros. The lefty owns a 3.23 ERA over 973 innings since the beginning of 2020, combining solid strikeout numbers with a heavy dose of ground balls.

After recording a .598 OPS over 81 games in an injury-plagued 2024 season, Bichette entered â€25 needing a strong year to recuperate his stock ahead of free agency. He delivered in a big way, looking like his old self while hitting .311 with 18 homers, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS.

The results have been inconsistent, but Cease has excellent stuff and has proven to be quite durable. The right-hander led all starters (minimum 1,000 swings) with a 33.8% whiff rate in 2025, which marked his fifth straight season with at least 214 Kâ€s and 32 games started.

One of the biggest surprises of 2025, Grisham set career highs in a number of categories this past season, including homers (34), RBIs (74), walks (82) and OPS (.811). That was a big step up from 2022-24, when he slashed .191/.298/.353 with 39 home runs in 381 games.

The Yankees didnâ€t extend a qualifying offer to Torres when he was a free agent last offseason, so heâ€s still eligible to receive one from the Tigers, who signed the second baseman to a one-year, $15 million deal in December. Torres made the All-Star team for Detroit but regressed in the second half (.659) and finished with 16 homers, 74 RBIs and a .745 OPS (108 OPS+), numbers in line with his 2024 production.

Flahertyâ€s 2025 performance (4.64 ERA) added to his inconsistent track record and gave him a tough decision to make: accept his $20 million salary for 2026 or opt out and try his luck at free agency again. Itâ€s not a given that heâ€ll take the opt-out route after his protracted experience in free agency last offseason, when he was coming off a much better year and didnâ€t have a QO attached to him.

Díaz didnâ€t receive a qualifying offer the last time he was a free agent at the end of the 2022 campaign, as the Mets re-signed him to a five-year, $102 million deal (a record for a reliever) before the QO deadline. Díaz, who finished 2025 with a 1.63 ERA and a 13.3 K/9, is expected to opt out of his contract this offseason.

Although he didnâ€t regain the strikeout stuff of his heyday, the 2025 campaign was still a solid comeback year for Giolito after he pitched to a 4.89 ERA across â€22-23 and then missed all of â€24 while recovering from Tommy John surgery. The right-hander made 26 starts for Boston with a 3.41 ERA.

Josh Haderâ€s departure as a free agent after the 2023 season opened the door for Suarez to assume the closer job for the Padres, and the latter responded by converting more saves (76) than anyone else over the past two years to go with his 2.87 ERA. Heâ€s expected to opt out of his contract this offseason to test his value on the open market.

Woodruff has missed substantial time due to injuries in his career — including all of 2024 following right shoulder surgery — but few starters have been better on a per-inning basis since â€19. Before a right lat strain put him back on the shelf in September, Woodruff had a 3.20 ERA and a 5.93 K/BB over 12 starts for the Brewers.

One of the best relievers in baseball during his time with the Brewers, Williams had a rocky debut season with the Yankees after being traded from Milwaukee to New York in the offseason. However, Williams finished the year strong and still had some elite peripherals under the hood, so itâ€s possible heâ€ll receive a qualifying offer.

The D-backs shipped off a number of pending free agents at the Trade Deadline but ended up holding onto Gallen, who recorded a career-worst 4.83 ERA over 33 starts in 2025 — a far cry from his 3.29 ERA across â€19-24.

Arraez isnâ€t without his faults, but nobody is better at putting their bat on the ball. The three-time batting champion owns a lifetime .317 average and just recorded the lowest strikeout rate (3.1%) by a qualified hitter since the days of Tony Gwynn.

After two seasons with the Cubs, during which he had a 3.28 ERA and a 5.39 K/BB over 54 starts, Imanaga could reach free agency this offseason if multiple levers are pulled. First, the Cubs would need to decline their three-year, $57 million club option on Imanaga, which would in turn give the lefty a $15 million player option for 2026. Declining that would make Imanaga a free agent, at which point Chicago would have the option of extending him a qualifying offer.

King made a successful transition to a full-time starting job in 2024, finishing seventh in the NL Cy Young Award voting. He was on his way to another outstanding year in â€25 before injuries intervened, costing him roughly half the season.

Not every free agent can receive a QO. Players who have previously received a QO are ineligible, which means these pending free agents are not eligible to receive one:

Pete Alonso (Mets), Tyler Anderson (Angels), Chris Bassitt (Blue Jays), Cody Bellinger (Yankees), Alex Bregman (Red Sox), Alex Cobb (Tigers), Michael Conforto (Dodgers), Patrick Corbin (Rangers), Jason Heyward (Padres), Raisel Iglesias (Braves), Kenley Jansen (Angels), Nick Martinez (Reds), Martín Pérez (White Sox), Marcell Ozuna (Braves), J.T. Realmuto (Phillies), David Robertson (Phillies), Carlos Santana (Cubs), Max Scherzer (Blue Jays), Chris Taylor (Angels), Justin Turner (Cubs), Justin Verlander (Giants)

Players who weren’t continuously with an organization, either in the Minors or Majors, from Opening Day until the end of the regular season are also ineligible. Notable pending free agents in this category who werenâ€t mentioned above include:

COMPENSATION AND PENALTIES

If a team gives a qualifying offer to a player who then signs elsewhere, the club that lost the player is eligible for Draft pick compensation the following year.

Meanwhile, any team that signs a player who has rejected a qualifying offer is subject to the loss of one or more Draft picks, though a team’s highest first-round pick is exempt from forfeiture. (Players who are unsigned after the start of the MLB Draft in the year that follows the rejection of their qualifying offer are no longer tied to Draft pick compensation and can be signed without their new club needing to forfeit a Draft pick.)

For details on how compensation and penalties are determined for qualified free agents, click here.

Source link

Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on the “Saturday Headlines” segment of Hockey Night in Canada that the Sens offered the young centreman an eight-year contract extension.

However, Friedman believes there is still work to be done on both sides.

“I’m not saying anything is imminent, and I don’t necessarily think anything is close, but what I do believe is the Senators wanted to show that they are serious about putting a stake in the ground to keep him.”

Pinto is in the second year of a two-year, $7.5-million contract, and becomes a restricted free agent at the end of the season.

The 24-year-old has been a real bright spot for a Senators squad that’s gotten off to a start. Through six games, Pinto leads the league in goals with seven and also has an assist.

Ottawa selected the forward in the second round of the 2019 draft. In 216 games, he’s notched 115 points (58 goals, 57 assists) and has one goal and one assist through six post-season contests.

But Pinto’s value extends beyond the scoresheet. He consistently gets the toughest defensive assignments from head coach Travis Green.

“Room to grow, heâ€s taken steps every year in the league,†said Green on Oct. 13. “As far as matchups, heâ€s really learned that side of the game.”

Source link

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)…

SUMMARY of #883 cover-dated October 15, 2005: The cover story features Wade Keller’s in-depth expanded two-page cover story on the Jim Ross announcing mess. Also, a three page in-depth exclusive Torch Talk interview with Mike Goldberg, who talks about his decision to turn down WWE’s offer to replace Ross as host of Raw. Plus, a full page of reader letters reacting to the Ross situation, and Keller’s End Notes talks about WWE.com’s spin on the situation… Bruce Mitchell writes about Brock Lesnar’s apparent courtroom win over WWE freeing him up to wrestle for New Japan… Pat McNeill looks at the growing list of gimmick matches in pro wrestling… In-depth WWE No Mercy coverage of the PPV few people actually saw including Keller’s match report and star ratings, Roundtable Reviews from Torch staff, and Reader Reax… WWE Newswire with the scoop on the proposed Steve Austin-Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania 22, Brock Lesnar’s situuation, WWE vs. UFC ratings breakdown, and more… TNA Newswire with the inside story on Sean Waltman’s disappearance, ratings reaction, and TNA taping notes… ROH Newswire with exclusive quotes from Gabe Sapolsky and a preview of this coming weekends events… Plus the 1995 Backtrack, Live Event Spotlight on Australia’s WSW card, and more…

–DIRECT LINK: PWTorchNewsletter #883

–LIST OF ALL 2005 BACK ISSUES

–TUTORIAL ON DISPLAYING NEWSLETTER PDFS ON IPAD OR ANDROID TABLET

FULL NEWSLETTER TEXT AND PDF VERSIONS AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY TO VIP MEMBERS…

NOT VIP? NO PROBLEM… CLICK HERE FOR VIP SIGN UP INFO WITH DIGITAL PDF & TEXT NEWSLETTER ACCESS

OR SIGN UP FOR HOME POSTAL DELIVERY OF WEEKLY PAPER COPY: CLICK HERE

Source link

Oliver Glasner has revealed the Crystal Palace captain, Marc Guéhi, has told the club he does not want to sign a new contract and will leave next year.

The England defenderâ€s deal expires at the end of the season and it is understood that Guéhi has rejected all attempts to persuade him to prolong his stay in south London after leading Palace to their FA Cup triumph in May.

The 25-year-old had looked set to join Liverpool in the summer until the Palace chair, Steve Parish, pulled the plug on his move a few hours before the transfer deadline.

Guéhi was said to have been left extremely unhappy about the collapse of his move but has put that behind him and continued to excel for Palace. However, Glasner confirmed before Palaceâ€s meeting with Bournemouth at Selhurst Park on Saturday that Guéhi has already signalled his intention to depart.

“I think Marc has already told us that he doesnâ€t sign a new contract, so he will leave next year,†said the Palace manager. “The club wanted [him to stay]. They offered Marc a new contract. But he said: ‘No, I want to make something differentâ€.

“And thatâ€s normal. And for us, itâ€s how we can deal with this situation? [What] is the best way to get this next step done? And thatâ€s all about how we are talking together.â€

Guéhi, who is believed to have strong interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona as well as Liverpool, will be free to sign a pre-contract agreement with a foreign club when the January transfer window opens on New Yearâ€s Day 2026.

Meanwhile, Glasner confirmed he has opened talks over extending his contract at Palace. It also expires at the end of the season but the 51-year-old Austrian warned that it could depend on whether the club can continue to build on their first major trophy.

“We are talking, but we have 19 games to play before the new year,†Glasner said. “I am here to do the best for Crystal Palace and win as many games as possible. With all the things around the games, there are not many evenings or days when we can talk about my contract with my focus on it. There is so much going on, the players and club deserve 100% Oliver Glasner. I donâ€t want to be distracted.

skip past newsletter promotion

Sign up to Football Daily

Kick off your evenings with the Guardian’s take on the world of football

Privacy Notice:Newsletters may contain information about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. If you do not have an account, we will create a guest account for you on theguardian.com to send you this newsletter. You can complete full registration at any time. For more information about how we use your data see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

after newsletter promotion

‘We are looking for the right moments to talk. The club are not in a rush,†says Oliver Glasner. Photograph: Darren Staples/AFP/Getty Images

“We are looking for the right moments to talk. The club are not in a rush. I met Steve four or five times this week. He appreciates that I am always giving 100% and I appreciate our open and honest communication.â€

He added: “Itâ€s not about Oliver Glasnerâ€s thoughts, itâ€s also the chairman, all the employees, the owners. Itâ€s extending the stadium capacity. Building a new stand has been a project for years and itâ€s what the club wants. Itâ€s important to get more revenue.

“In any company where two leaders have different visions, you go separate ways and canâ€t achieve your goals. This is what we are talking about. If we can find the same pathway and goal for Crystal Palace, then we will end the talks and if we canâ€t, we will also end the talks.â€

Source link

AEW World Trios Champion Powerhouse Hobbs recently looked back on the uncertain and frightening period in his life that led to him signing with All Elite Wrestling in 2020. Before becoming a multi-time champion in AEW, Hobbs was facing unemployment during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and was struggling to find work to support his family, which included a newborn daughter.

During a new interview with 96.5 The Fan,Hobbs was candid about his initial disbelief when he was first contacted by AEW.

“Frightening, because I just got laid off from my job. My daughter was, shoot, a couple months old. So it was like I couldnâ€t get hired anywhere. I applied at fast food spots. They were like, ‘nah.â€

You know, it was bad, because I was overqualified from what I was told. But man, I got a call and QT Marshall actually texted me and I didnâ€t respond back for like three, four hours. So I thought somebody was ribbing me and I had a text from Cody Rhodes. Then I was just like, I gotta bet on myself at this point.

So, the story is already out there, man, it took off. I had a debut match against Orange Cassidy, then my second match was a six man against the Dark Order, and then week after week, I started showing up on Dark and Tony (Khan) gave me that okay, gave me that head nod, that opportunity, which we all want in wrestling. You want that opportunity to prove yourself, and he saw something in me and the rest is history. TNT champ, one third of the Trios Tag Team Champions. Canâ€t complain, man.â€

He is currently one-third of the reigning AEW World Trios Champions alongside his partners in The Opps, Samoa Joe and Katsuyori Shibata.

Source link

Oct 14, 2025, 06:34 PM ET

NEW YORK — The price of a qualifying offer for this year’s major league free agents rose 4.6% to $22,025,000 from $21.05 million.

The figure is determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year. The price dropped by $100,000 to $17.8 million in 2019, then rose to $18.9 million in 2020, fell $500,000 in 2021 and rose to $19.65 million in 2022 and $20,325,000 in 2023.

Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 14 of 144 offers have been accepted.

A free agent can be made a qualifying offer only if he has been with the same team continuously since opening day and has never received a qualifying offer before.

Among the top players who can become free agents after the World Series and are eligible to receive qualifying offers are Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, San Diego right-hander Michael King, Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and left-hander Ranger Suárez, San Diego right-hander Robert Suarez, and Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker.

Potential free agents ineligible for qualifying offers include New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger, Boston third baseman Alex Bregman, Cincinnati pitcher Nick Martinez and Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto.

A qualifying offer can be made through the fifth day after the World Series, and a player has a week after that to accept.

If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another club before the amateur draft, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round or at the end of competitive balance round B. The placement depends on the amount of the new contract and the revenue sharing and luxury tax status of the team losing the player.

Source link

Professional golfers get access to the latest and greatest technology every season, but not every pro chooses to add the new, shiny toys to the bag.

Some, like Brooks Koepka, have found the club that fits their swing and their game, and they are going to hit them until they have to make a change.

For Koepka, the five-time major champion still games a Nike Vaporfly 3-iron, which is no longer in production, and a TaylorMade M2 HL 3-wood, which hit the market around a decade ago.

In an interview with Today’s Golfer at the Dunhill Links Championship last week, Koepka explained why he keeps those two clubs in the bag instead of opting for newer technology.

Koepka’s Nike 3-iron

While some players might opt for a 5-wood for more length, Koepka has stuck with the Nike Vaporfly 3-iron because of his trust in its ball flight and the negligible difference between it and the 5-wood.

While the Vaporfly is no longer in production, Koepka has some spares in his garage. He recently added a new Vaporfly after the face of his old one caved in during the Open Championship at Royal Portrush.

“I’m not a tinkerer,” Koepka told Today’s Golfer.“I don’t play around with different options. I’ve tried throwing a 5-wood in but the ball flight just doesn’t look right to me. I don’t know why. I’m not at the age where I need a little extra help with extra woods, which is lucky, but maybe in probably five or six years, I’ll definitely take all the help I can get. That 3-iron has been my Old Faithful. I know the flight it should be, the original one actually caved in on 18 at Portrush this year. Luckily I wasn’t playing Saturday or Sunday so I didn’t have to go without a club. But it’s been crazy, I’ve been carrying the backup around for a couple of months, sort of knowing it was at the end and it just happened to now make its way to the front of the bag.”

Brooks’ 3-wood

As for Koepka’s TaylorMade M2 HL 3-wood, it has become a bag staple because he has been unable to recreate the feel with other 3-woods. To Koepka, the 3-wood is the most difficult club in the bag to get fit into. Once you do, don’t move on unless it’s necessary.

“I think the 3-wood is the toughest club to even get fitted for,” Koepka said. “I haven’t really ever found anything where it sits down quite right in the fairway or off the tee. The flight that I see with this one, I haven’t found just anything where it’s better. I think this one is going on maybe 10, 11, maybe 12 years now, but it’s crazy, like I said, I don’t tinker, so when I find something that works, I’ll keep going with it.

“You put in a new shaft occasionally. I don’t change those, I think I’ve had every shaft in this bag for a long time and occasionally just the wear from the little wear marks on the bag when the bag gets a little done in, so you have to change shafts but not the heads.”

“When something works, I keep going with it.”

As my colleague Jack Hirsch noted, this is an approach that recent Sanderson Farms winner Steven Fisk also uses.

All of the clubs in Fisk’s bag, except for his Mizuno ST-Z 230 driver and his Vokey SM10 lob wedge, are from the early part of the 2020s, including his Mizuno MP-20 irons and T-22 wedges and his Odyssey White Hot OG Rossie putter.

We’ve seen Rory McIlroy pay almost $1000 for an Uber to bring him his old woods, his TaylorMade Qi10s, for the final round of the Arnold Palmer Invitational. McIlroy played the first three rounds with the new driver and fairway woods, from the Qi35 line, but wanted to go back to the clubs he felt more comfortable with.

Even if it’s not the newest or shiniest club, when you find something that fits your game, stick with it. There’s no need to tinker if you don’t have to.

After Tour Edge‘s first rebrand ahead of its 40th year in 2026, the company is announcing three new iron models as part of its 2025 Exotics line.

The new Exotics line features two forged players’ irons in an MB and CB package, as well as a game-improvement focused Max iron. There’s also a hollow-bodied Ti-Utility Iron.

“Each model has been perfected to address a distinct performance need,” Tour Edge founder and CEO David Glod said in a release. “I’m confident that any golfer who steps into a Tour Edge fitting will walk away with a set that elevates their iron play.”

Keep reading below for details on all the irons, who they are for and my thoughts on this new release.

What is the new Exotics iron line?

Tour Edge’s new Exotics line consists of two forged iron models (MB and CB), the game-improvement Max iron and the Exotics Ti-Utility long-iron replacement.

All three of the iron models, including the MB, feature Tour Edge’s “VIBRCOR” technology, in which a TPU compound is placed inside the head to help dampen vibrations and increase ball speeds. It also pushes mass to the perimeter of the clubs, allowing for a more forgiving and solid strike.

The Tour Edge CB and MB irons share a lot of the same DNA.

Tour Edge

Both the MB and CB irons are forged from 1025 carbon steel and milled for a combination of feel and precision. The CB’s topline is just 1 mm thicker than the MB’s while both models share the same loft specs, making them easy to blend.

With the Maxirons, the company has taken the “Pyramid Face Technology” from the new Exotics driver line and added 100 pyramids to the face in variable 3D thicknesses to expand the sweet spot and deliver fast ball speeds across the face.

The Exotics Max irons.

Tour Edge

The Max irons also have a “360° Undercut Cavity” to lower CG and increase face flexion for a higher launch.

For the Ti-Utility, the company is once again taking the super-fast material and putting it into a long-iron replacement with a Titanium L-Cup face brazed to a steel body for weight savings.

Who is the new Exotics iron line for?

With the MBand CB irons, the target market are your better players who want forged precision and feel. The irons use a slightly stronger loft spec (32˚ 7-iron), so they’re optimal for better players who want a distance boost from stronger lofts.

The Maxirons are best suited for your 10-handicap or higher, or any player who needs more launch.

The Ti-Utility is one of the few titanium long irons on the market.

Tour Edge

Finally, the Ti-Utility is a better player’s long iron that will work optimally at the top of the bag as either a driving iron, 4-iron replacement or for players who don’t like hybrids.

My thoughts

When it comes to the new MB and CB irons, from a looks perspective, Tour Edge knocked these ones out of the park. The clean badging and new logo work well, and the shaping similarities between the two models make them super-easy to blend, which is a huge advantage.

I also really like how the CB is a shallow cavity-back, but it packs in technology like the VIBRCOR and Impact Zone Weighting for forgiveness.

The Max iron does a great job at hiding all of its tech from the address position and should offer a player-friendly option to improving golfers.

Lastly, the Ti-Utility is another great long iron replacement option from Tour Edge for players who want to add speed to the top of the bag. Few companies even offer titanium for any other part of the bag other than drivers or fairway woods, so to see Tour Edge continuing to use it for long-iron faces is exciting.

Price, specs and availability

All of Tour Edge’s new Exotics line irons are available for pre-order starting Oct. 7, and available to buy on Nov. 4.

The MB and CB irons will cost $1,249.99 for a 7-piece steel set or $1,349.99 for graphite. Stock shaft options will be the True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 100 and 115.

The Max irons will cost $799.99 for a 7-piece steel set or $899.99 for graphite. Stock shaft options will be the KBS Tour Lite Steel R and a selection of Fujikura Ventus offerings.

The Ti-Utility is available in three lofts (17, 19, 21) and retails for $229.99 a club in either chrome or black finishes. Stock-shaft options will be a selection of Fujikura Ventus offerings.

Want to find the best woods for your game?Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

Santos Escobarâ€s time with WWE is officially at a crossroads, and now the real reason behind his decision to leave has been revealed.

Escobarâ€s contract expires at midnight tonight, making him a free agent and able to wrestle anywhere he chooses. But it wasnâ€t money that led to this decision — it was how WWE planned to use him.

According to sources via PWInsider, in recent weeks said Escobar was upfront about his concerns over signing a new deal. He wasnâ€t worried about getting a raise or even a guaranteed push. Instead, Escobar wanted to be sure WWE had a clear plan for how he would be used moving forward. Without that, he feared locking himself into a deal only to end up “spinning his wheels†and not being utilized in the ring.

Escobarâ€s career has already spanned multiple major promotions. Before joining WWE, he built his name as El Hijo del Fantasma in Mexico, winning titles in CMLL and AAA. He later gained U.S. exposure as King Cuerno in Lucha Underground before signing with WWE in 2019. During his run there, he unmasked, formed Legado Del Fantasma, and held the NXT Cruiserweight Championship for more than 300 days before moving to the main roster.

His last televised match was in June at AAA x WWE Worlds Collide, teaming with Angel and Berto to defeat El Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr., Pagano, and Psycho Clown. His last match on “WWE SmackDown†was a May 2 loss to Rey Fenix.

Now, with his contract officially expiring, Escobarâ€s next move is completely open. Whether he returns to Mexico, heads to AEW, or explores another opportunity, the lucha veteran has made it clear he wants his next chapter to be about direction and purpose, not just money.

Do you think Santos Escobar made the right call by walking away from WWE? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comment section below.

Source link

The Philadelphia 76ers are currently in Abu Dhabi for the preseason, about 6,900 miles away from their home city. And that’s still closer than the team and Quentin Grimes came in long-term extension negotations before the player accepted his $8.7 million qualifying offer.

According to NBA reporter Jake Fischer, Grimes’ camp was seeking an AAV of around $25 million, while “Philadelphia’s highest offer on a one-year pact, sources say, topped out at $9 million.”

He added that “The sides were so far apart, sources say, that Philadelphia saw little need all summer to make an offer of any kind to Grimes until the week before training camps opened.”

That’s a $16 million difference in AAV, the sort of gulf that simply isn’t going to be breached. Gimes was never going to get a deal worth $25 million a year, and probably not anything close to it, but it was a bit surprising that Philly didn’t at least sweeten the pot on a one-year balloon offer.

As Fischer wrote, “There was a fairly widespread belief that Philly would eventually make a one-year pitch sufficiently lucrative (in the, say, $15 million range) that would have convinced Grimes, like Kuminga, to surrender his right to block any trade this season that comes with the qualifier. But I’m told the Sixers never came close to that range.”

Grimes was excellent for an injured Sixers team last season after being a midseason trade acquisition, averaging 21.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists across 28 games. Given that most of Philly’s top offensive options were out of commission by that point, however—and that Grimes’ career scoring average sits at 10.4 points per game—it’s understandable why the Sixers weren’t going near a $25 million AAV.

But Grimes is still an extremely important role player for the Sixers and should have an important role going forward. Keeping him beyond the 2025-26 season would have made sense for the Sixers, and that’s now in question. Because Grimes signed his qualifying offer he also has a full no-trade clause, limiting Philly’s options in potential trade talks.

So all in all, it was a worst-case solution for both sides. Given how far apart they were in negotiations, however, it was apparently inevitable.

Source link