It was reported during the weekend that St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna would not accept his qualifying offer of $17.8 million, opting to become a free agent instead.
That’s now come to fruition. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, Ozuna has decided to hit what promises to be a robust free-agent market for his services.
Ozuna, 29, had a banner 2019 campaign for the Cardinals. He hit just .241, but knocked 29 out of the park and drove in 89 while posting an .800 OPS.
As Heyman notes, about seven times are already in the market for Ozuna’s services. He should be looking at a lot more than that $17.8 million on a long-term deal this winter.