Yovani Gallardo to decline qualifying offer, per report

Yovani Gallardo will decline the qualifying offer that the Texas Rangers extended to him, according to Jon Heyman, and instead will become a free agent.  The deadline to accept the one year, $15.8 million qualifying offer is today.

This was not unexpected -- Gallardo is expected to land something like 4 years, $55 million in the open market, which makes declining the qualifying offer a no-brainer.  The Rangers, who currently have Cole Hamels, Martin Perez, Derek Holland and Yu Darvish (when he returns from TJ surgery) slated for the first four spots in their rotation, are thought to be looking for a veteran starter for the #5 spot, but aren't expected to be looking to make the sort of financial commitment that Gallardo will require.

Gallardo passing on the qualifying offer means that the Rangers will receive a compensatory supplemental first round pick in the 2016 draft for the loss of Gallardo.  Arizona is among the teams that have already been identified as having interest in Gallardo.