MLB Rumors: Ex-Red Sox Threatens Retirement Amid Free Agency

Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Adam Duvall isn’t willing to budge in free agency.

The 36-year-old is setting a strict, non-negotiable price tag before considering signing with anyone. Duvall isn’t willing to accept less than $3 million, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post. That would match Duvall’s salary last season with the Atlanta Braves, and if the requirement isn’t met, Duvall is willing to retire from baseball.

Duvall has generated some interest this offseason as the Kansas City Royals reached out with a one-year, $1 million offer, per Sherman, with performance incentives that could’ve netted an extra $1 million on top. Those negotiations went nowhere, for obvious reasons, leaving Duvall un-signed with roughly three weeks left until Opening Day.

It might not be easy for Duvall to land a contract up to his standards considering the 11-year veteran slashed a subpar .182/.245/.323 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs across 104 games with Atlanta. Duvall also posted a career-worst minus-1.3 WAR, making his stern stance on $3 million questionable. The case isn’t necessarily strong from Duvall’s perspective, and last season’s performance demonstrated a massive fall-off from what Duvall provided the Red Sox during his lone season with the club in 2023.

Duvall batted .247 with 21 home runs and 58 RBIs but was limited to 92 games after suffering a wrist fracture — that didn’t require surgery — in April. Duvall’s absence was untimely as the right-handed slugger was displaying a jaw-dropping hitting clinic at the plate, batting .455 with four home runs, five doubles and 14 RBIs through his first eight games in a Red Sox uniform.

If the unwillingness to accept a lower salary does trigger Duvall’s baseball retirement, it’ll put an end to a successful career. Besides Duvall’s 11 years of big-league service time, he was a member of Atlanta’s 2021 World Series-winning team, led the National League in RBIs in 2021 (113), won a Gold Glove Award in 2021 and was named an All-Star in 2016.