Brandon Belt accepts Giants qualifying offer: What does it mean?

Brandon Belt accepted the qualifying offer from the San Francisco Giants, but what does that mean for his future and the market for the veteran?

Though it’s felt as if qualifying offers around MLB have been more widely declined than not so far this offseason leading up to Wednesday’s deadline, there are some that have been accepted.

Perhaps the biggest one is a key bat returning to the team that finished with the best record in baseball last season, the San Francisco Giants.

According to reports, first baseman Brandon Belt accepted his qualifying offer, which will see the veteran make $18.4 million in the 2022 season with the Giants.

Brandon Belt accepts Giants qualifying offer: What’s next?

The gist of what this means for Brandon Belt and the organization is that the 33-year-old first baseman will be back in San Francisco for the 2022 season on a one-year deal.

On a deeper level, the fact that Belt accepted the offer means that he and his agent likely looked at the free agency market this offseason and determined that the veteran, who turns 34 early next season, wasn’t going to find a better deal on the market.

After the Giants won a league-high 107 games last season, the job becomes repeating and Belt should be a big part of that. In just 97 games last year, Belt still mashed 29 home runs and had a .975 OPS to his credit. And his absence was greatly felt in the postseason, which he missed due to injury.

Regardless, fans will certainly be happy to see Belt back in the fold and will hope he can stay healthy. Then, we’ll cross the free agency bridge again next season after his one-year deal is up.