remains unsigned a few weeks into Spring Training. That was also the case last offseason. It wasnt until March 14 that the veteran outfielder inked a $3MM contract with the Braves. Duvall is evidently seeking a similar or better deal this time around. reports that the 36-year-old has informed teams that he intends to retire unle s hes guaranteed at least $3MM. To that end, Sherman writes that Duvall declined an offer from the Royals that wouldve come with a $1MM guarantee and another $1MM in performance bonuses. A $3MM contract isnt much by major league standards, but Duvall is coming off a much worse season than he was when he signed for that amount last spring. The right-handed hitter had a personal-worst .182/.245/.323 batting line over 330 plate appearances. The Braves kept him on the roster all season but dramatically curtailed his playing time as the year progre sed. Duvall started 61 games before the All-Star Break but was in Jevon Carter Jersey the opening lineup on only 13 occasions in the seasons second half. Atlanta left him off their Wild Card roster. Thats in marked contrast to his productive 2023 campaign while a member of the Red Sox. Duvall popped 21 homers with a .247/.303/.531 slash through 353 trips to the plate two seasons back. While his strikeout and walk numbers were more or le s unchanged year over year, his ground-ball rate jumped by 11 percentage points. Duvalls average exit velocity ticked down by almost two miles per hour. That unsurprisingly impacted his power production, as he managed only 11 homers in nearly as much playing time as hed had with Boston. To his credit, Duvall remained productive in a platoon capacity. He hit .252/.341/.514 with eight of his home runs in 123 plate appearances against left-handers last year. His numbers against righties (.143/.188/.219 with three homers in 207 PAs) were unplayable, but he could perhaps contribute if used more selectively. Kansas City was evidently willing to give him a major league roster spot for that role, presumably as a platoon partner for lefty-swinging left fielder . Their offer wasnt to his liking, however. Duvall has played in parts of 11 MLB seasons. He has a little le s than nine years of big league service time. has calculated his career earnings just north of $27MM. While its easy to understand teams reluctance to match or top last years salary after the season he just had, Duvall has banked a lot of money and seems not to be interested in playing for marginally more than the $760K league minimum at this stage of his career. seemingly took a similar approach last winter (when he was coming off a much better season than Duvall is). He an incentive-laden offer from the Mets and wound up sitting out the season. Belt hasnt made an official retirement announcement, but there was nothing to suggest that he was seeking opportunities this offseason. recently told that while he wants to continue his career, he has rebuffed interest from teams that want (him) to play for basically league minimum. Rizzo, who said hes concerned that taking what he considers to be an offer below his value could contribute to a precedent that hinders other veteran players, remains a free agent. Shaquille O'Neal Jersey