Report: Fowler will decline 17.2M offer from Cubs |
Cubs outfielder Dexter Fowler told ESPN on Thursday night that he has decided to decline his mutual option with the Cubs in 2017 which will make him a free agent. He will also turn down the 17.2 million qualifying offer from the Cubs on Monday according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. Fowler has until Monday, Nov. 14 to make his official decision on the offer.
"No surprise, Dexter Fowler will decline 17.2M qualifying offer," Heyman tweeted. "He made right call to do 1-yr Cubs deal, has good market." Fowler has strong interest from the Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mets, Giants, and others with his impressive season spearheading the Cubs offense. It would be hard for Fowler to turn down a 4-year deal from another club but there is a small chance that Cubs could get a hometown discount on a similar long-term deal with Fowler's passion for Chicago and his current teammates. It certainly will be an interesting offseason for the Cubs. They just turned down the team option on Jason Hammel on Sunday so that he could test the free agent market. He batted .276 with 13 homers, 48 RBIs, and 13 steals this season and was named to his first National League All-Star team. However, his numbers do not tell the tale of his play, leadership, and how great of a teammate he was during his time with the Cubs.
