Keuchel turns down $17.9M qualifying offer

HOUSTON -- As expected, left-handed pitcher Dallas Keuchel turned down the Astros' qualifying offer of $17.9 million for 2019. That means if Keuchel signs with another team, the Astros will receive a compensatory pick in next year's MLB Draft.
If a team that loses a player does not receive revenue sharing and did not exceed the luxury-tax salary threshold the previous season, its compensatory pick will come after Competitive Balance Round B, which follows the second round. The value of the player's contract doesn't matter in this case. The Astros fall into that category.

Keuchel, 30, was the only one of the Astros' seven free agents who received a qualifying offer, and it was almost a given he was going to turn it down. The team's other free agents are pitchers Charlie Morton and Tony Sipp, infielder/outfielder Marwin Gonzalez, catchers Brian McCann and Martín Maldonado and designated hitter Evan Gattis.
Keuchel, who won the 2015 American League Cy Young Award, went 12-11 with a 3.74 ERA in 34 starts for the Astros last season, reaching 200 innings for the third time in his career and won his fourth Gold Glove Award in five seasons. After starting the season 3-8 with a 4.45 ERA in his first 14 starts, he went 9-3 with a 3.23 ERA in his final 20 starts.