Teams had until Monday at 5 p.m. to decide whether they would extend qualifying offers to those eligible on their rosters. If you’re still uncertain about what qualifying offers are or how they work, we covered all of that here.
All of the qualifying offers extended (or not) before Monday’s deadline
Players have 10 days from the offer to decide whether to accept them or not.
Photo by John Sommers II/Getty Images
Once extended, players have 10 days to either accept or decline the offer. To decide whether they want to return to their team or test the free agency waters for a better deal.
All of the players below will receive $17.4M should they accept the offer.
Players to receive Qualifying Offer:
When the Indians announced Monday that they’d extended an offer, absolutely nobody should have been surprised about that development. He will most likely decline it far in advance of the 10-day deadline, and whether he ends up somewhere else or comes back to Cleveland, he’ll be getting paid way more than that $17.4M for one year he’d get if he accepted the offer.
The Rays said they were “delighted” to extend a qualifying offer to Cobb. This is Cobb’s first time as a free agent, and he said after the offer,
“I really appreciate the offer the Rays have extended to me. I look forward to speaking with my agent and deciding what the best route would be for my family and I.”
Cobb underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015 and this season had a 12-10 record with a 3.66 ERA and 128 strikeouts.
Mike Moustakas - Royals
Lorenzo Cain - Royals
The trio of players to receive qualifying offers from the Royals are no surprise — the likelihood of each receiving a QO is how they are ordered in the list above. It would be more of a surprise if all three accepted, but the offers being extended in the first place was all but expected. It’s unlikely the Royals would be able to afford all three of these qualifying offers, which makes it more apparent they don’t expect three out of three to be accepted.
Kansas City is expected to have to say goodbye to one or more of their longtime veterans this offseason, so this is just the beginning of that process.
Lynn is expected to reject the offer from the Cardinals, and see how his value fares on the open market. With four straight seasons — excepting 2016 when he was injured — of 30 starts or more, Lynn could easily find a home with another team. Lynn and the Cardinals agreed to a three-year, $22M contract in 2015 and he could agree to another multi-year contract with St. Louis after he tests the waters a bit.
Wade Davis - Cubs
Both the offer to Davis and that to Arrieta were expected. As he left the mound for the last time during the playoffs, Arrieta and the fans were both aware that it could be his last time pitching for the Cubs. Davis converted 32 of 33 save chances in 2017, and is one of — if not the most — desired closers on the free agent market. The Cubs would have been remiss not to prepare to lose him and position themselves to receive a compensatory draft pick. It would be surprising if either player accepted the offer. Davis’ accepting would make him the highest-paid closer in 2018, but with the market how it is, he could merit even more on the open market.
Holland previously denied his $15M player option, opting for free agency instead, so he was a good bet to receive a qualifying offer. Odds are he will still decline and test the free agency waters, but this way at least the Rockies are set up to receive compensation if and when he goes somewhere else, and they can still try to re-sign him to a deal spanning multiple seasons.
Not every player eligible got an offer though.
Players who did not receive Qualifying Offer:
Logan Morrison - Rays
Mark Feinsand reported that the Rays would not extend a qualifying offer to Morrison. The first baseman is coming off a one-year, $2.5M contract and hit .246 with 149 strikeouts in 149 games this season. He’s heading into his ninth year in the league, and while his production is good for the Rays, should he accept the offer that would be far above what he’s worth for Tampa Bay.
The Reds didn’t extend a qualifying offer to Cozart, but according to Jon Heyman, they’d reportedly like him back on a multi-year deal worth less than that $17.4M number per year. So he could end up somewhere else in free agency, granting Cincinnati a compensatory draft pick, or back with the Reds on a cheaper deal. Whatever team he ends up with better have a local stable suitable for a donkey.
$17.4M for Cashner reportedly was too expensive for the Rangers, and they won’t get a draft pick if he goes elsewhere. He’s coming off a one-year deal with Texas where his stats didn’t back up quite that kind of money, should he have accepted an offer if it was extended.
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