SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames were among 13 free agents who received $21.05 million qualifying offers on Monday.
Pete Alonso, Alex Bregman and Max Fried also were given the one-year offer before Monday's deadline. Players have until 4 p.m. EST on Nov. 19 to accept.
If they do, they will be under contract with their 2024 club for another season. If they decline and sign elsewhere, their new team must forfeit draft picks and their previous organization will receive at least one draft pick as compensation.
In other news Monday, ace pitcher Gerrit Cole decided to remain with the New York Yankees rather than become a free agent.
As a 5 p.m. EST deadline approached, both sides agreed to rescind their rights and worked out the language with Major League Baseball and the players’ association.
“Maybe the grass isn’t always greener,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “I think he’s happy where he’s at."
Atlanta picked up All-Star designated hitter Marcell Ozuna’s $16 million option for 2025 and turned down options on right-hander Luke Jackson and catcher Travis d’Arnaud.
Jackson’s option was for $7 million with a $2 million buyout, and d’Arnaud’s option was for $8 million with no buyout.
Texas pitcher Nathan Eovaldi became a free agent after declining a $20 million option for next season with the Rangers. Eovaldi will get a $2 million buyout from an option that vested when he threw more than 300 innings over his two years with Texas.
After losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series last week, the Yankees made a qualifying offer as expected to Soto — the biggest prize on the free agent market.
Fellow outfielder Teoscar Hernández received a qualifying offer from the Dodgers.
Perhaps the biggest surprise among the group was Boston pitcher Nick Pivetta, who went 6-12 with a 4.14 ERA in 145 2/3 innings this year.
Coming off a surprising run to the National League Championship Series, the New York Mets made qualifying offers to Alonso and starting pitchers Sean Manaea and Luis Severino.
Baltimore offered Burnes and outfielder Anthony Santander.
No other team made more than one qualifying offer.
Other players given the offer were Arizona first baseman Christian Walker and Cincinnati right-hander Nick Martinez. Adames was offered by Milwaukee, Bregman by Houston, and Fried by Atlanta.
Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler and St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Paul Goldschmidt were among the eligible free agents who did not receive a qualifying offer. They can sign elsewhere with no draft picks attached.
A free agent can be made a qualifying offer only if he has been with the same team continuously since opening day and has never received a qualifying offer before.
Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 13 of 131 offers have been accepted.
Cole’s $324 million, nine-year deal, agreed to before the 2020 season, gave him the right to opt out following the 2024 World Series but said the Yankees could void the opt out by adding a $36 million salary for 2029 to his contract.
A 34-year-old right-hander, Cole won the 2023 AL Cy Young Award. His 2024 season didn’t start until June 19 because of nerve irritation and edema in his right elbow. The six-time All-Star went 8-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 17 starts, then was 1-0 with a 2.17 ERA in five postseason starts.
AP Baseball Writer Mike Fitzpatrick in New York contributed to this report.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández (37) and Shohei Ohtani celebrate after the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in Game 5 to win the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Los Angeles Dodgers' Teoscar Hernández hits a two-run double against the New York Yankees during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball World Series, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
New York Yankees' Juan Soto, center, hits a home run off Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (18) during the third inning in Game 2 of the baseball World Series, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
New York Yankees' Juan Soto, right, watches his home run along with Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith during the third inning in Game 2 of the baseball World Series, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Israel said Monday that it has terminated the agreement facilitating the work of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza, in what appeared to be a step to implement legislation passed last month that would sever ties with the agency and prevent it from operating in Israel.
Israel says the agency, known as UNRWA, has been infiltrated by Hamas. UNRWA denies the allegations and says it takes measures to ensure its neutrality.
On Sunday, Israel said its troops had carried out a ground raid into Syria to seize a Syrian it accuses of working with Iran. It was the first time in the current war that Israel announced its troops operated in Syrian territory.
Despite growing pressure from the United States and others in the international community for a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon, intensified Israeli strikes against the Hezbollah militant group are expanding beyond Lebanon’s border areas. Israel is also fighting a seemingly endless war against Hamas in northern Gaza.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted last year, at least 2,900 people have been killed and 13,150 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reports, not including Friday’s toll. Health authorities say that a quarter of those killed were women and children.
More than a year of Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. They do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of those killed were women and children. The war began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others.
Here’s the latest:
UNITED NATIONS – More than 50 countries are urging the U.N. Security Council and General Assembly to take immediate steps to halt arms sales or transfers to Israel, saying there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect the military materiel will be used in conflict-torn Gaza and the West Bank.
In a letter to the two U.N. bodies and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres obtained late Monday, the countries spearheaded by Turkey accuse Israel of ongoing violations of international law in Gaza and the rest of the Palestinian territories as well as in Lebanon and the rest of the Middle East.
“The staggering toll of civilian casualties, the majority of them children and women, due to ongoing breaches of international law by Israel, the occupying power, for more than a year now is unconscionable and intolerable,” they said. “We must act urgently to halt the extreme human suffering and regional destabilization that risks the outbreak of an all-out war in the region.”
The letter calls for the Security Council “to declare an immediate cease-fire to avert this catastrophe” and take action to implement previous resolutions to protect civilians, ensure accountability, and make “a clear demand for the halt of arms transfers to Israel.”
Israeli U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon responded to Turkey's involvement with the letter by saying, “What can we expect from a country whose actions are driven by malice in an attempt to create conflicts with the support of the Axis of Evil?” That phrase was first used by former U.S. President George W. Bush to refer to Iran, North Korea and Iraq.
“We will continue to fight for the interests of the state of Israel in the face of any political and military attack,” Danon said in a statement.
The Palestinians signed the letter along with members of the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Norway and South Africa which has brought a case to the International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s highest court, accusing Israel of committing genocide against Palestinians in Gaza.
More than a year after the start of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, more than 43,000 people have been killed, according to Palestinian health officials, who do not distinguish between civilians and combatants. They say more than half of those killed were women and children. The war began after Hamas and other Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others.
JERUSALEM - The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza said it evacuated 72 patients from hospitals in northern Gaza to other medical facilities on Monday, and brought medical supplies as well as fuel, food, water, and units of blood.
The announcement from the body, known as COGAT, came as the United States gave Israel a gave Israel a “fail” grade in terms of meeting the conditions for an improvement in aid deliveries to Gaza laid out in a letter last month to senior Israeli officials by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
The World Health Organization says hospitals in northern Gaza are under enormous strain and only minimally functional, with just one or two doctors treating patients as dozens of wounded patients desperately seek help.
Dr. Rik Peeperkorn, WHO’s representative in the West Bank and Gaza demanded a halt to Israeli attacks on the hospitals and regular deliveries of medicine, blood supplies, fuel and food. Peeperkorn said supplies only reached Kamal Adwan hospital despite COGAT’s claim that supplies also reached Al-Adwa hospital.
JERUSALEM – Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday approved sending an additional 7,000 draft notices to members of the country’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.
Under long-standing political arrangements, ultra-Orthodox Jews had been exempt from military service, which is compulsory for most Jewish men and women. However, Israel’s Supreme Court in June ordered the government to begin drafting ultra-Orthodox Jewish men into the army.
Gallant’s move raises tensions with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, which includes ultra-Orthodox parties who have demanded the exemptions continue.
The exemptions have created resentment among many in Israel. After more than a year of war, the Israeli military’s resources are strained, forcing reserve soldiers to serve multiple tours of duty. Anger has grown as hundreds of soldiers have been killed.
About 63,000 ultra-Orthodox students are eligible for enlistment. The army sent draft notices to 3,000 over the summer, but just a few hundred showed up for enlistment, according to Israeli media.
Israel’s Parliament is preparing to vote on bills this week dealing with financial subsidies for ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse to serve in the military. Some members of Netanyahu’s coalition, including members of his own party, have said they plan to vote against the bill.
WASHINGTON — The Biden administration is stepping up criticism of Israel for not doing enough to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a 30-day deadline for Israeli officials to meet certain requirements or face potential sanctions looms.
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Monday gave Israel a “fail” grade in terms of meeting the conditions for an improvement in aid deliveries to Gaza laid out in a letter last month to senior Israeli officials by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. He said there were still roughly nine days until the deadline expires, but that limited progress thus far has been insufficient.
“As of today, the situation has not significantly turned around,” Miller told reporters. “We have seen an increase in some measurements. But if you look at the stipulated recommendations in the letter, those have not been met.”
Miller also said the U.S. is studying a decision by the Israeli government to sever ties with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees.
At the same time, Miller said the U.S. is “deeply concerned” by a recent escalation in attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the West Bank.
UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has responded to Israel's announcement that it is terminating the agreement facilitating the work of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Guterres on Monday stressed that UNRWA is essential and there is no alternative.
Israel sent a letter notifying the U.N. General Assembly that it was terminating its agreement for UNRWA to operate in the Palestinian territories that has been in effect since the end of the 1967 Mideast war.
The letter follows the Israeli parliament’s adoption of two laws banning UNRWA from operating in the Palestinian territories. The laws take effect in 90 days.
Dujarric said that if the laws are fully implemented and it is impossible for UNRWA to operate, Israel will be responsible for providing Palestinians in the territories with humanitarian goods and services as well as education and health care.
“Obviously, our lawyers and UNRWA’s lawyers are also taking a closer look at the letter,” the U.N. spokesman said.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric delivered Guterres’ reaction Monday to the letter notifying the U.N. General Assembly, which established UNRWA in 1949, that Israel was withdrawing its agreement for the agency to operate in the Palestinian territories that has been in effect since the end of the 1967 Mideast war.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — A senior Hamas official said Monday members of the militant group held a meeting with a delegation from the rival Fatah party in Cairo to discuss the war in Gaza and the enclave’s future governance, though the meeting did not lead to any major breakthroughs.
Osama Hamdan described the talks between the two heavyweights of Palestinian politics as “positive” but “frank.” He said the two sides discussed the formation of a future government for the Palestinian territories but provided few details as to how and when that would occur.
“During this meeting, many ideas were discussed, including the formation of a body to follow up on Gaza’s affairs and needs on various issues until the conditions are ready to form a national consensus government,” Hamdan said.
In July, Hamas and Fatah agreed to form a government together, in its latest attempt at resolving a longstanding rivalry that looms over any potential vision for the rule of Gaza after the war with Israel. Israel has said it will not allow Hamas or Fatah to have any role in the future governance of Gaza
Hamdan reiterated Hamas' position on the cease-fire talks, demanding that any deal bring about a complete end to the war and full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria’s state news agency reported an Israeli airstrike on a southern suburb of the Syrian capital of Damascus, saying it caused material damage but not casualties.
SANA says the Monday airstrike hit near the suburb of Sayida Zeinab. Iran-backed groups are active in the area south of the capital, which is home to a holy Shiite Muslim shrine.
The Israeli military said the air force struck Hezbollah targets belonging to the group’s intelligence headquarters in Syria.
The military said in a statement that the target hit was Hezbollah’s central intelligence body, responsible for intelligence assessments, the direction of intelligence activities, and the intelligence gathering and detection capabilities.
The military said the body was led by Mahmoud Mohammed Shaheen, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb last month.
Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets inside government-controlled parts of war-torn Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges or discusses the operations. The strikes often target Syrian forces or Iranian-backed groups.
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s health ministry said more than 3,000 people have been killed during 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. At least 13,492 have been injured.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel the day after Hamas’ surprise attack into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, ignited the war in Gaza. Hezbollah and Hamas are both allied with Iran.
The conflict dramatically escalated on Sept. 23 with intense Israeli airstrikes on south and east Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs, leaving hundreds dead and leading to the displacement of nearly 1.2 million people.
Israel began a ground invasion of south Lebanon on Oct. 1, causing wide destruction in border villages but making little advances on the ground inside Lebanon.
In Israel, 72 people have been killed from Hezbollah attacks, including 30 soldiers.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Gaza Health Ministry says ambulances are no longer operating in the north of the enclave, where Israel has been waging a renewed offensive for nearly a month.
Eyad Zaqout, a senior ministry official, told reporters Monday that “a large number of injured people are bleeding on the roads.”
The ministry also said in a statement that Israeli forces continue to bombard Kamal Adwan Hospital with strikes on Monday, injuring some staff and patients.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The Civil Defense, first responders operating under the Hamas-run government, said last week that they were no longer able to operate in the north because crews had been fired upon by Israeli forces.
Israel launched its latest offensive in northern Gaza in early October, focusing on Jabaliya, a densely populated, decades-old urban refugee camp where it says Hamas had regrouped. It has also carried out strikes in nearby Beit Lahiya.
Israel has ordered the entire population in northern Gaza to evacuate, and tens of thousands have fled to Gaza City in recent weeks.
The three hospitals serving the northern areas are barely functioning and have been largely cut off by the fighting. Israeli forces raided one of them, saying militants were sheltering there, allegations denied by Palestinian officials.
Israel has also sharply reduced the amount of aid allowed into Gaza, even after a warning from the United States that it could jeopardize American military support.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Palestinian officials said Israeli settlers were behind an attack in which several cars were torched overnight just a few kilometers (miles) away from the Palestinian Authority’s headquarters in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
No one was wounded in the attack overnight into Monday in Al-Bireh, a city adjacent to Ramallah, where the Western-backed Palestinian Authority is headquartered. An Associated Press reporter counted 18 burned-out cars.
Settler attacks on Palestinians and their property have surged since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into Israel.
But attacks in and around Ramallah, home to senior Palestinian officials and international missions, are rare.
The Palestinian Authority, which administers population centers in the territory, condemned the attack. Israeli police, who handle law enforcement matters involving settlers in the West Bank, said they were investigating.
Israel captured the West Bank in the 1967 Mideast war, and the Palestinians want it to form the main part of their future state. The territory’s 3 million Palestinians live under seemingly open-ended Israeli military rule, with the Palestinian Authority exercising limited autonomy over less than half of the territory.
Over 500,000 Jewish settlers with Israeli citizenship live in scores of settlements across the West Bank, which most of the international community considers illegal.
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel said Monday it had terminated the agreement facilitating the work of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, the main aid provider in Gaza.
It appeared to be the first step in implementing legislation passed last month that would sever ties with the agency, which Israel says has been infiltrated by Hamas, and prevent it from operating in Israel.
The agency, known as UNRWA, denies the allegations and says it takes measures to ensure its neutrality.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had notified the U.N. of the cancellation of an agreement dating back to 1967 that facilitates UNRWA’s work. It said UNRWA “is part of the problem in the Gaza Strip and not part of the solution.”
Aid groups have warned that the legislation could severely hamper UNRWA’s work, creating further obstacles to addressing a severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel has said other U.N. agencies and aid groups can fill the gap, but those organizations say UNRWA is essential.
The agency provides education, health and other basic services to Palestinian refugees from the 1948 war surrounding Israel’s creation and their descendants, who now number nearly 6 million. Refugee families make up the majority of Gaza’s population.
Palestinians inspect vehicles that were burnt during an early morning attack by Israeli settlers, that left at least 18 burnt vehicles, on the outskirts of the West Bank city of al-Bireh Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Palestinians inspect vehicles that were burnt during an early morning attack by Israeli settlers, that left at least 18 burnt vehicles, on the outskirts of the West Bank city of al-Bireh Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)
Mourners carry the body of Naji al-Baba,16, who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was killed by Israeli forces in the town of Halhul, West Bank, during his funeral on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians mourn over the body of Naji al-Baba,16, who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was killed by Israeli forces in the town of Halhul, West Bank, during his funeral on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Palestinians mourn over the body of Naji al-Baba,16, who the Palestinian Health Ministry said was killed by Israeli forces in the town of Halhul, West Bank, during his funeral on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
People inspect a destroyed building hit in an Israeli airstrike, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A destroyed building hit in an Israeli airstrike, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
People search for victims at a destroyed building hit in an Israeli airstrike, in Ghaziyeh town, south Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
People inspect a destroyed building hit in an Israeli airstrike, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Rescue workers search for victims at a destroyed building hit in an Israeli airstrike, in Ghaziyeh town, south Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A man inspects a destroyed building hit in an Israeli airstrike, in Ghaziyeh town, south Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
People search for victims at a destroyed building hit in an Israeli airstrike, in Ghaziyeh town, south Lebanon, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
Palestinians gather to receive bags of flour distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians gather to receive bags of flour distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
Palestinians gather to receive bags of flour distributed by UNRWA, the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, in Deir al Balah, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)
