Former Braves All-Star Issues MLB Ultimatum! Entire League Put on Notice, Sparking Firestorm
The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported this week that former Atlanta Braves outfielder Adam Duvall could have agreed to continue his MLB career with the Kansas City Royals in 2025. The Royals offered him a $1 million contract with the potential to earn another $1 million through performance bonuses.
But Duvall said no to the offer. According to Sherman, Duvall has told MLB teams that he wants $3 million guaranteed on his next deal or he will retire.
“The righty-hitter’s stance has overtones to what Anthony Rizzo recently told The Athletic — that it would be bad for future player pay if he undersold what he thought he was worth,” wrote Sherman.
There’s one obvious flaw in that logic. Duvall may simply see his worth a lot higher than it actually is.
Duvall hit .182 with a putrid .569 OPS in 330 plate appearances with the Braves last season. For readers who are fans of new age statistics, Duvall earned a minus-1.4 WAR during 2024.
His only redeeming quality was when he connected with the ball, he often recorded an extra-base hit. Of Duvall’s 55 hits, 21 of them went for extra bases.
That gave him a ISO of .141.
But Duvall often didn’t connect. He posted a 30% strikeout rate.
Granted, that’s nothing new in Duvall’s game. He’s posted a 30% strikeout rate or higher in five of the past six seasons. The lone exception was the COVID-19 shortened 2020 campaign, where Duvall recorded a 25.8% strikeout rate in a smaller sample.
Duvall has played 11 seasons in the MLB. He’s exerienced three different stints with the Braves, and was on the team when they won the World Series in 2021.
The 36-year-old has also played for the Cincinnati Reds, Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins and San Francisco Giants.
In 1,026 games, Duvall’s hit .227 with 195 home runs. He’s posted a .746 OPS along with 171 doubles, 15 triples, 566 RBI and 456 runs as well.
Duvall has never landed an extremely lucrative deal based on MLB standards. Last season, he played for the $3 million that he’s again seeking this offseason.
But Spotrac reported he’s earned almost $30.9 million in his MLB career. So, he’s presumably in a position to go through with his ultimatum if he doesn’t receive a $3 million contract.
