SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – No one was surprised when pitcher Ervin Santana declined the Braves’ $15.3 million on Monday, and now the Braves will move forward knowing they have a hole to fill in the top half of their rotation and an extra pick between the first and second rounds of the June draft as compensation when Santana signs elsewhere.
All 12 players who got qualifying offers a week ago declined them before Monday’s 5 p .m. deadline, making it 34 out of 34 who’ve declined the qualifying offers in the first three years that the new system has been in place.
Santana went 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA in his only season with the Braves, who aren’t planning to pursue him or any other top-tier free agent starting pitchers due to the prices they’ll command.
Braves president of baseball operations John Hart said they’ll focus on “B tier and down” starters on the free-agent market, or possibly aim a little higher through trades.
Santana missed a couple of potential starts in 2014 after not signing until the middle of spring training and making his regular-season debut April 9. Nevertheless, he was third among Braves pitchers in innings (196), and second behind Julio Teheran in strikeouts (179).
