MINNEAPOLIS -- Jake Odorizzi watched Dallas Keuchel remain on the free-agent market until June and didn't want to take a chance of lingering without a contract. So he accepted the Minnesota Twins' $17.8 million qualifying offer for a one-year contact and put himself in position to become a free agent again after the 2020 season.

"When it came down to it, the decision came down to me pretty much betting on myself and returning to a place I know very well and enjoyed and continue to improve on what I did last year and then re-entering the market next offseason with a different class," Odorizzi said Friday, a day after accepting the offer just before the deadline.

While this year's free-agent class includes Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Zack Wheeler and Madison Bumgarner, next year's is a less accomplished group headed by Trevor Bauer, James Paxton, Masahiro Tanaka, Marcus Stroman, Jose Quintana and Jake Arrieta.

If Odorizzi had turned down the Twins' offer and signed with another team before next June's amateur draft, his new team would have lost at least one draft pick as compensation. Atlanta waited until compensation was no longer a factor, finalizing Keuchel's $13 million, one-year contract on June 8.

"There's probably a good chance of getting a deal done at some point in this offseason but there's also a point of not getting a deal done, a one-year deal at some point like people have done in the past or even sat out," Odorizzi said.

A free agent can be given a qualifying offer just once, making free agency after the 2020 season more attractive for Odorizzi.

"I think it's obviously a determining factor and we gathered that from talking to teams," Odorizzi said. "It's unfortunate the system is in place how it is. It's a flawed system. But it's one that is in place and we have to abide by the rules."

A right-hander who turns 30 in March, Odorizzi was 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA last season for Minnesota, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out a career-high 178 batters in 159 innings in his second season with the Twins and the qualifying offer was a near certainty with the AL Central champions having just one other accomplished starter, Jose Berrios, under club control for next season.

"We gauged the market. There was a lot of interest," Odorizzi said. "It was one of those things that interest is really great, but interest doesn't have a dollar figure to it."

Odorizzi's return gives the Twins two former All-Star right-handers at the top of the rotation. Beyond that, chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine say starting pitchers will be a focus in free agency.

Odorizzi and Minnesota could try to negotiate a multiyear contract before he goes on the open market.

"I'm always open to more years," Odorizzi said. "That's obviously a thing that I'm interested in. It's just a matter of if Thad or Derek are interested in it. My interest is there. I enjoy Minnesota. I've been very vocal about the culture there, the time I've spent there."

Jason Day got off to a promising start Friday at the Mayakoba Golf Classic, only to stumble late and end the day eight shots off the lead.

Day was bogey-free and 4 under through 15 holes when he tugged his tee shot at El Camaleon Golf Club's par-4 16th hole. Trying to avoid the water left, Day tried to cut a drive into the narrow fairway, but his tee ball started left and stayed there, ending up in the mangroves.

Day's double bogey and ensuing bogey at the penultimate hole dropped him to 1 under, where he finished the day after a first-round 70, eight back of leader Danny Lee.

"It was much better than what the score was," Day said. "Obviously, I had a couple of bad swings on 16 and 18, which ultimately cost me three shots. I felt like I played decent the whole day. ... I need to hit a few more fairways tomorrow; that'd be nice. 

"But overall, it was a pretty good, solid start. I was 4 under through 15, kind of cruising, and I thought that I could maybe get one or two coming in, get it to 5 or 6. Unfortunately, went the other way."

Day is ranked No. 29 in the world and hasn't recorded a top-10 finish since the Travelers Championship in June.

Argentina captain Lionel Messi and Brazil coach Tite exchanged words during the clash between the South American giants on Friday but it was the forward who had the last laugh after his team's good run continued with a 1-0 win in Saudi Arabia.

Messi looked to the touchline and put his fingers to his lips before making another hand sign that appeared to tell the Brazil coach he had too much to say for himself.

Tite admitted he had been complaining to the referee during the first half and said the two men exchanged words.

"I complained because he [Messi] should have been shown a yellow card and he told me to shut my mouth and I told him to shut his mouth," Tite said. "And that was it."

The Brazil coach played down the incident and highlighted Messi's performance in the well-deserved friendly victory.

The Barcelona forward was one of the outstanding performers for Argentina on his return to international football after missing four games through suspension.

He scored the only goal after 14 minutes -- his penalty was saved but he followed up to beat Alisson -- and could have had another couple of goals but for some stout defending and the keeper's awareness.

The result was encouraging for Argentina, who have now gone six games without defeat -- their longest such run since 2016.

"From the very start we tried to play. We had a couple of misses and they had their chances," Messi said. "But in the second half we were much better.

"When you win, it puts you more at ease and that is very positive for what lies ahead. I ended the match well, we all ran quite a bit. And that is what we were there to do."

Argentina play Uruguay in a friendly next week while Brazil face South Korea.

PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph will not pursue legal charges or take additional action toward Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett following Thursday night's on-field altercation, a source told ESPN on Friday.

It is now considered an NFL matter exclusively.

Earlier Friday, Rudolph's agent Tim Younger said "no options have been removed from the table," after tweeting late Thursday night that "the matter will be reviewed thoroughly."

Cleveland Police Sgt. Jennifer Ciaccia said Friday that they are not investigating Garrett, adding that they had not received a complaint from Rudolph.

The NFL handed down the longest ban for a single on-field incident in league history Friday afternoon when it indefinitely suspended Garrett without pay for his role in the late-game melee. Garrett swung and struck Rudolph on the head with the quarterback's own helmet. Rudolph, who appeared to attempt to dislodge Garrett's helmet after the defensive end's late hit, will be fined for his role in the altercation, a source told ESPN.

Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey was suspended three games without pay for fighting, including punching and kicking Garrett, and Browns defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi was suspended one game. Suspended players have three business days to appeal their punishment.

The teams were also fined $250,000 each, and the NFL left the door open for "additional discipline" of other players under the league's standard accountability process, including those who left the bench and ran onto the field to enter the fight area.

Information from ESPN's Adam Schefter and The Associated Press was used in this report.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Daniel Suarez met with reporters Friday for the first time since it was revealed he wouldn’t be back with Stewart-Haas Racing.

Suarez will be replaced by Cole Custer after spending the 2019 season aboard the No. 41 Ford Mustang, leaving the surprised driver searching for a ride for the second time in as many years.

“It was a surprise,” Suarez told reporters at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “I was as shocked as you guys are probably right now, just a couple of nights ago. I am a little disappointed. A lot of people have worked very hard on this team to try to put everything together, and unfortunately it wasn’t enough. We needed a few months. We had to find a big amount of money to keep the ride for next year. My group of people, friends and a lot of people at Stewart-Haas Racing went to work, and we actually did a pretty good job. We pretty much got the goal, but unfortunately part of the money wasn’t on the table at this point. It was going to come a few months later and it wasn’t enough.

“It’s a little unfortunate, but it is what it is. (When) one door closes, another door opens.”

Suarez had been confident in recent weeks that he would be back in the No. 41 for another year, but noted that the sticking point in terms of him remaining in that car was team co-owner Gene Haas.

“I had been talking with most of (the media) for the last few weeks and I’m pretty sure that most everyone saw me (as) very confident because I knew where we were. I was 95 percent sure that we were in,” Suarez explained. “I thought we were in good shape. So I was extremely surprised. … It was disappointing to see (the outcome) because Tony Stewart was pushing for me so hard, along with Brett Frood and a lot of people within Stewart-Haas Racing.

“Unfortunately, things didn’t work out with (Gene) Haas.”

Though Suarez is back on the job hunt again, he said that he’s going to do all he can to enjoy this weekend’s Ford EcoBoost 400 before his focus turns toward 2020 and what’s next for him.

He also noted that he’ll fight through this adversity just as he did before coming to Stewart-Haas.

“I am pretty strong. I have had a lot of sacrifices in my life to be here,” Suarez said. “Not just when I came here to the U.S., but even before that, to stay in racing and to do a lot of different things. As many people know, I don’t come from a race family or from a lot of money or have a lot of contacts or anything like that. I am here because of myself.

“This has been tough. It is not fun to be in this position,” Suarez added. “I feel like I am strong and it has been a little difficult the last 24 hours. I couldn’t believe (what happened) because we did find a big amount of money, but this is the position we are in now. I think good things happen to good people, and I am sure good things are going to line up for me.”

Speaking earlier in the day to media during the Championship 4 owners’ press conference, Stewart-Haas Racing co-owner Tony Stewart was appreciative of Suarez’s time with the team and expressed a desire to continue working with him in some capacity if a solution could be worked out to do so.

“We still want to try to figure out how to help Daniel. I think he deserves to be in the Cup Series,” said Stewart. “It’s just a matter of how we fit it all in. When you’ve got a feeder series and you’ve got your own program to work young drivers up through there, sometimes you get in scenarios like this where you’ve got more drivers than you have cars.

“It’s a tough spot to be in for us as management, but like I said, we’re going to try to work with Daniel and see if we can find a solution to keep him in our system and hopefully get him back in a car one day.”

To his credit, Suarez lauded Stewart’s efforts to try and keep him within the fold.

“Tony is a great guy. In the last six months, I have learned that he is a very good friend,” Suarez said. “In the last week I have been talking to him a lot. He was talking to a lot of people and he was pushing very hard for me. Unfortunately the (No.) 41 team, and especially that car, he just doesn’t have a lot that he can do with that car because the (No.) 41 is not his car.

“He pushed. I am sure that he pushed as hard as he could, like a lot of people at Stewart-Haas Racing did. It just didn’t work out.”

As for what’s next for him, Suarez isn’t sure at this juncture, though both Stewart and Ford officials said Friday they want to do what they can to try and keep the Mexican-born driver in their circles.

“(Tony) is trying to help me stay in the family. I don’t know what I am going to do yet. There are a lot of things going through my head right now … but I don’t know. I don’t even know if I want to be here, but that is the way it is.

“Now I have to get back on my feet and find the best option for myself.”

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Sebastian Vettel put Ferrari on top of the practice charts for the Brazilian Grand Prix Friday at Autódromo José Carlos Pace.

Vettel led a Ferrari one-two sweep of the first two positions in practice with a 1:09.217 lap time in the second practice. Charles Leclerc ended up second fastest overall, only .021 seconds shy of Vettel’s time.

Max Verstappen was third fastest for Red Bull, followed by the Mercedes duo of Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.

There were several incidents during both practice sessions. The first session was marred by rain, leading to an issue for Alexander Albon. Albon paced the rain soaked session, but he ended the first practice in the wall at turn 12.

Others to have issues included Verstappen and Danill Kvyat, both of whom spun late in the first practice. The second practice opened with more issues as Robert Kubica kicked off the session in poor form by crashing in turn three.

The Toro Rosso entries of Kvyat and Pierre Gasly also had issues in the second practice, with both cars coming to a stop with engine issues. Kvyat’s engine issue caused him to slide through turn 12 and lightly tap the wall before coming to a stop.

HOMESTEAD, Fla. – The NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series championship is set to be decided during Friday night’s Ford EcoBoost 200, but Mother Nature had her say as far as setting the lineup.

Truck Series qualifying was washed out after heavy afternoon rains moved in at the end of the first NASCAR Xfinity Series practice session on Friday, forcing the starting grid to be set by the rule book.

As a result, championship contender Stewart Friesen will lead the field to green.

Friesen’s No. 52 Halmar-Friesen Racing Chevrolet Silverado leads both the driver and owner point standings entering Friday night’s 134-lap, 201-mile season finale. The Canadian is seeking his first NASCAR championship in his third full-time season of Truck Series competition.

Joining Friesen on the front row will be Christian Eckes, whose No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra team is in the thick of the hunt for the Truck Series owner’s championship.

Two of Friesen’s Championship 4 rivals – Ross Chastain and Brett Moffitt – will share the second row of the grid, while previously-eliminated playoff drivers Austin Hill, Johnny Sauter, Grant Enfinger and Tyler Ankrum start fifth through eighth, respectively.

Matt Crafton, the fourth driver eligible for this year’s Truck Series title, starts lowest among the quartet in ninth because his No. 88 ThorSport Racing Ford F-150 did not make the owner’s playoffs this year.

Other notables in the field include Martinsville winner Todd Gilliland (11th), Harrison Burton (13th), past NHRA Pro Stock champion Tanner Gray (26th) and Jesse Little (32nd), who is making his final Truck Series start for his family-owned team this weekend at Homestead.

With 37 trucks on the property for 32 starting spots, Camden Murphy, Dylan Lupton, Spencer Davis, Derek Kraus and Josh Reaume failed to make the field for the Ford EcoBoost 200 due to the weather.

Reaume would have made the race on owner points, but withdrew from the event.

Pending weather, the Ford EcoBoost 200 is scheduled for an 8 p.m. ET start, with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

LINEUP: NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series; Homestead-Miami Speedway; Nov. 15, 2019

1. Stewart Friesen (P)
2. Christian Eckes
3. Ross Chastain (P)
4. Brett Moffitt (P)
5. Austin Hill
6. Johnny Sauter
7. Grant Enfinger
8. Tyler Ankrum
9. Matt Crafton (P)
10. Ben Rhodes
11. Todd Gilliland
12. Sheldon Creed
13. Harrison Burton
14. Austin Wayne Self
15. Tyler Dippel
16. Colby Howard
17. Angela Ruch
18. Jordan Anderson
19. Gus Dean
20. Natalie Decker
21. Josh Bilicki
22. Danny Bohn
23. Joe Nemechek
24. Anthony Alfredo
25. Jennifer Jo Cobb
26. Tanner Gray
27. Parker Kligerman
28. Tyler Hill
29. Cory Roper
30. Codie Rohrbaugh
31. Ray Ciccarelli
32. Jesse Little

DNQ: Camden Murphy, Dylan Lupton, Spencer Davis, Derek Kraus, Josh Reaume (WD).

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Trans Am-Series presented by Pirelli drivers opened the season finale with three sets of qualifying sessions on Friday at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

In the most anticipated qualifying of the weekend with a championship yet to be decided, the two Ford Mustangs of Ernie Francis Jr. and Chris Dyson battled for 15 minutes for the final pole position of the year.

Francis lead the time charts for the entire session, but lap after lap, Dyson continued to chip away at the 1:42.982-second benchmark Francis set on lap three.

Dyson pulled into the pits with less than five minutes remaining on the clock. His CD Racing team went to work, making some quick adjustments in effort to squeeze out the two tenths of a seconds needed to overthrow Francis from his throne.

“I came in so they could do a pressure bleed down,” Dyson explained. “When we first went out the track was still damp in some areas, so we were a little bit safe on the tire pressures, and over-pressured a little bit.”

With a clear track and the championship on the line, Dyson went flat out for two laps. As the last TA car to cross the stripe, Dyson delivered on the drama, laying down a flyer about four tenths of a second faster than Francis to claim the last pole position of the season. The last lap effort earned Dyson an extra point, keeping his championship hunt alive for Saturday’s finale.

“I knew where I could tidy up things myself from a driving standpoint,” said Dyson. “We were really careful on the out lap, and I crossed the stripe with seven seconds left. We didn’t catch any traffic, either, so I got two clear laps which is a Godsend here during qualifying. On my last lap, I figured it would be close. I felt we might have it, and I pulled it out of the bag at the end.

“To be honest, I just want to close out strong,” Dyson continued. “We’ve been quick all year, and various car problems – not pace – kept us from leading the championship. I want to leave this season on a real strong note and head into next year with new energy.”

Still leading the TA championship by 20 points, Francis needs to finish 14th or better on Saturday to claim the sixth Trans-Am championship of his career.

“I think qualifying went pretty well for us, knowing how much more straight-line speed some of the other guys have over us,” said Francis. “We had an awesome lap, and I think it all but locked up the championship for us. I’ve just got to start the race tomorrow and take it home. I’m looking forward to the celebration afterwards.”

The TA2 powered by AEM qualifying was just as thrilling as TA. Five different drivers held the top spot, and when the dust settled, the top-five times were separated by nine tenths of a second.

In his second Trans-Am event of the season, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East champion Sam Mayer pulled the rug out from other TA2 champion-elect Marc Miller in the final moments of the session.

“I just missed it my first couple of laps,” said Mayer. “Then on my last lap, I finally hit it all right. I slowed up a little bit more coming into the Bus Stop than I have been all weekend. I tried to get a better drive up off the Bus Stop, and it seemed to work. I’m really excited for Scott Lagasse Racing and M1 Racecars. We’re starting on the pole, and hopefully we can lead every lap and win the race.”

Miller watched from the pits as his name went from first to second, as the 16-year-old topped the times with a fast lap of 1:49.775 seconds, just 17 one-hundredths of a second faster than Miller, on the final lap. Mayer is one of the youngest competitors to start on the pole in recent TA2 history.

“This is the first time all year I can say we were not the quickest car at the end of the straightaway,” Miller said. “It felt like a rolling brick. We have a car that is really good in the infield. The TA Choice engines have been really strong off the corner, but when you trim out a car for a superspeedway, it changes things. I’ve got to give credit to guys like Mike Cope and the M1 guys for doing a great job. But as far as outright handling and braking, our Howe car from SMR is incredible.

“Sam (Mayer) had the right strategy. He waited an extra lap at the end, and got a completely clean track,” continued Miller. “I got a real good tow on my lap, so that shows how fast that kid is going right now. I’m happy to start on the front row, but we know the race is going to be a lot harder than this. I’m still not thinking about coming in as champion. We want to win this race really bad. I’ve never won at Daytona, and finished second more than enough times; been on the podium a few times and led the Rolex 24 hour. Winning at Daytona would be real special.”

In SuperGT class, the Viper and the Porsches of Mark Boden, Lee Saunders and Tim Kezman traded fast times for most of the 15-minute qualifying. As the time expired, Boden, who won on the Trioval in 2018, claimed pole with a fast lap of 1:53.207-seconds.

Series newcomer Mark Ramsey proved he was a force to be reckoned with in the GT class, taking pole over GT champion elect Steven Davision by two tenths of a second with a flyer of 1:57.281-seconds.