Duvall says he may retire if no one meets his price.
Two weeks into spring training and most free agents are in camp. But a few veterans remain unsigned, including outfielder Adam Duvall. According to a report by Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Royals made an offer to the 11-year veteran, only to have him reject it and hold firm on what he thinks he is worth.
Adam Duvall, an 11-year major league outfielder, was offered a $1 million contract by the Royals with a chance to make another $1 million in performance bonuses.
But he turned it down and has informed teams that if he is not guaranteed at least $3 million, he is going to retire, two sources told The Post.
The $3 million would represent what Duvall, 36, made last season with the Braves.
The 36-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career, hitting .182/.245/.323 with 11 home runs in 330 plate appearances with the Braves, where he was worth -1.0 fWAR. However he hit .252/.342/.514 with 8 home runs in 123 plate appearances against lefties.
Duvall has been a productive player much of his career as a right-handed bat who can mash lefties, hit for some pop, and play solid defense. He was an All-Star in 2016, won a Gold Glove in 2021, leading the league in RBI and smashing 38 home runs that year. As recently as 2023 he posted a 119 OPS+ with 21 home runs in just 92 games with the Red Sox.
But Father Time is undefeated. Duvall seems to be at the end of his career and is frankly lucky to be receiving MLB offers after coming off a season where he was the fourth-least valuable hitter in baseball. Similar free agents like Kevin Pillar, Manuel Margot, and Eddie Rosario all signed minor league deals. If Duvall’s ultimatum is that he might retire if he doesn’t get $3 million, the response from MLB teams should be a collective shrug.
The Royals had the third-worst offensive outfield in baseball last year, and yet the only outfielder they have acquired is Joey Wiemer in their trade with the Reds. Their offers to free agents Anthony Santander and Jurickson Profar fell short and rumored trades for players like Taylor Ward, Alec Bohm, and Brett Baty never materialized. The team has instead pivoted to trying infielders like Michael Massey, Maikel Garcia, and Jonathan India in the outfield.
At this point, the free agent outfield market is pretty barren, with Alex Verdugo the only significant outfielder remaining. The Royals need an upgrade, but they also shouldn’t be desperate. As teams begin to cut rosters, more interesting players will become available. A team that wants to contend shouldn’t quibble over $2 million if they think they can upgrade their roster, but to guarantee any money to a player like Duvall at this point of his career seems unwise.