Hosmer, Moustakas, Cain and Lynn turn down offers

The Royals trio of Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have declined the qualifying offers and are now free agents.
The Royals trio of Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have declined the qualifying offers and are now free agents.

NEW YORK - Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and outfielder Lorenzo Cain were among nine free agents who turned down $17.4-million qualifying offers from their teams Thursday.

Chicago Cubs pitchers Jake Arrieta and Wade Davis also said no to the offers, as did Tampa Bay pitcher Alex Cobb, Colorado closer Greg Holland, St. Louis pitcher Lance Lynn and Cleveland first baseman Carlos Santana.

If they sign with new teams, their old clubs would get an extra draft pick as compensation - possibly a much lower selection than in the past under the rules in baseball's new labor contract.

A club signing one of the players who didn't accept would lose a draft selection - no longer a first-round pick - and possibly part of its international bonus pool allocation for 2018-19.

Revenue-sharing recipients that do not pay luxury tax receive an additional pick after the first round if a qualified free agent signs elsewhere for $50 million or more and they forfeit their third-highest selection for signing a qualified player: Arizona, Atlanta, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Colorado, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, Oakland, Pittsburgh, San Diego, Seattle and Tampa Bay.

The five teams paying luxury tax this year receive an extra selection after the fourth round for losing a qualified free agent who signs for $50 million or more. For signing a qualified free agent, they forfeit their second- and fifth-highest picks and $1 million of their international signing pool that starts next July 2: Detroit, the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, San Francisco and Washington.