Chaim Bloom said Wednesday afternoon the Red Sox wouldn't be shying away from pursuing players with qualifying offers attached.
A few hours later it was learned that he would have one less to choose from.
Kevin Gausman, who some were suggesting would be testing his fortunes in the free agent market, ended up taking the Giants' qualifying offer. It secures a one-year, $18.9 million deal for the 29-year-old righty.
Gausman was the second pitcher to accept the qualifying offer, with Marcus Stroman taking the same route with the Mets earlier in the day. Some who declined were pitcher Trevor Bauer, catcher J.T. Realmuto, outfielder George Springer and second baseman D.J. LeMahieu.
The deadline to make a decision on the qualifying offers was Wednesday at 5 p.m.
If the Red Sox choose to sign one of the players who declined their qualifying offers it will cost the team their second pick in the upcoming MLB Draft along with $500,000 international bonus pool money.
After a rough 2019, Gausman revitalized his career at an opportune time, turning in a 3.62 ERA in 12 games (10 starts) with San Francisco.