Braves World Series champion says he’ll retire if he doesn’t get $3M guarantee | Sporting News

A core member of the Atlanta Braves’ 2021 World Series champion squad says he will retire if he doesn’t get offered at least $3 million of guaranteed money in free agency.

Veteran outfielder Adam Duvall set his own salary minimum after he turned down a $1 million contract from the Kansas City Royals that came with another $1 million in performance-based incentives, the New York Post reported on Monday. His $3 million salary demand matches what he made last season with the Braves.

Duvall hit just .182 last season with 11 home runs, but the 36-year-old managed a respectable .252 average against lefties during his third stint with Braves. The right-handed hitter was a key contributor during the Braves’ World Series run in 2021, crushing 38 home runs and taking home the Gold Glove Award in right field. Duvall’s 2021 World Series heroics included a grand slam in Game 5.

With 195 career home runs, Duvall is closing in on joining the 200 club if he returns for his 12th MLB season this year. He boasts more than $27 million in career earnings to date.

Duvall’s stance is akin to 35-year-old free agent first baseman Anthony Rizzo, who recently told The Athletic that he has rejected offers from teams that “want (him) to play for basically league minimum.” The Major League Baseball minimum is $760,000.

“You’re almost trying to ruin the market for the next guy,” Rizzo said. “If teams are not going to want to pay a few million dollars for veterans, I’ve seen it the last 10 years of my career. It’s what happens to the older guys. They kind of get squeezed.”

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