Sonny Gray Declines Twins Qualifying Offer

The Minnesota Twins, as expected, extended Sonny Gray a $20.3 million “qualifying offer” last week. On Tuesday, as expected, the 2023 Cy Young candidate declined that qualifying offer and opted for free agency.

Sonny Gray declines Twins qualifying offer

Sonny Gray declined the #MNTwins’ Qualifying Offer. Twins would get a comp first-round pick if he signs for at least $50m this offseason,
which is expected.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) November 14, 2023

Now, the Twins will get a 2nd round compensatory draft pick (end of 2nd round), if the 34-year-old Gray signs a deal that totals $50 million or more, which he is expected to do.

Related: Twins Plan to Upgrade Roster via Trade and Free Agency, Despite Payroll Cuts

If you are hoping he will find his way back to Minnesota, keep dreaming. Ownership has already admitted their plans to cut payroll, all but ending the small possibility that Sonny would ever pitch for the Twins again. And that sucks, because he threw out of body in the two seasons he pitched for the Twins.

As a member of the Minnesota Twins, Sonny’s ERA, ERA+, FIP, WHIP, SO/0… pretty much every single pitching statistic in the book was better with than his career averages. And that’s saying something because Gray’s statistics were already rather impressive, before he ever got here.