MLB Teams Extend Qualifying Offers to Record 20 Free Agents
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Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Friday marked the deadline for Major League Baseball teams to offer their impending free agents a “qualifying offer,” an action that would guarantee the team compensation if that player signs with someone else.
The list of players to receive qualifying offers for the upcoming offseason is 20 names long — the longest ever. The previous record was 13 qualifying offers in a year in 2013-2014.
The list includes stars like Los Angeles Dodgers ace Zack Greinke, playoff heroes like New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy, and players seeking their first big contract as a free agent, like St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Jason Heyward.
A qualifying offer, worth $15.8 million over one year, guarantees the team a compensatory draft pick directly after the first round of the draft should the player end up leaving in free agency. The player has one week to decide whether to accept the one-year deal or attempt to earn more on the open market. In three years, no player has ever accepted a qualifying offer.
Attaching the compensation to a player can sometimes drag their value down, with some teams being unwilling to pay top dollar and also surrender a draft pick for the right to sign them.
A full list of players to receive a qualifying offer, by team, is below:
Baltimore Orioles:
Pitcher Wei-Yin Chen
First Baseman Chris Davis
Catcher Matt Wieters
Chicago Cubs:
Outfielder Dexter Fowler
Chicago White Sox:
Pitcher Jeff Samardzija
Houston Astros:
Outfielder Colby Rasmus
Kansas City Royals:
Outfielder Alex Gordon
Los Angeles Dodgers:
Pitcher Brett Anderson
Pitcher Zack Greinke
Second Baseman Howie Kendrick
New York Mets:
Second Baseman Daniel Murphy
Saint Louis Cardinals:
Outfielder Jason Heyward
Pitcher John Lackey
San Diego Padres:
Pitcher Ian Kennedy
Outfielder Justin Upton
Seattle Mariners:
Pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma
Texas Rangers:
Pitcher Yovani Gallardo
Toronto Blue Jays:
Pitcher Marco Estrada
Washington Nationals:
Shortstop Ian Desmond
Pitcher Jordan Zimmermann
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