Monday is the first significant deadline of the offseason. The deadline to tender the qualifying offer to eligible free agents passed at 5 p.m. ET. The QO is a one-year contract worth $17.2 million this winter. Here's our QO preview from last month.
As a reminder, players who reject the QO are attached to draft pick compensation, meaning when they sign with a new team as a free agent, that team has to surrender their first round pick. The player's former team receives a supplemental first round pick. The deadline to accept or reject the QO is next Monday.
Only players who were with their team the entire 2016 season are eligible for the QO. That means players traded at midseason, like Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon and Carlos Beltran, are not eligible for the QO and will not be attached to draft pick compensation this offseason.
We'll keep track of the free agents who receive a QO throughout the day right here, so make sure you check back often for updates. There's the list of 139 free agents. Not all are eligible for the QO, obviously.
Toronto Blue Jays
As expected, the Blue Jays have tendered the QO to Edwin Encarnacion and Jose Bautista. Michael Saunders did not receive a QO, however.
Encarnacion and Bautista are two of the best free agents available this offseason, so it's no surprise they received the QO. They're going to reject it to. No doubt about it. Both are in line to receive way more than $17.2 million as free agents. Both have a good chance to top that annually as part of a multiyear contract.
Saunders had a very nice first half -- he was an All-Star, in fact -- but he struggled in the second half and has a scary injury history. For a while it appeared he was going to receive a QO, but the poor finish has apparently changed the Blue Jays' mind. They don't want Saunders to accept the QO and blow up their 2017 budget.
Chicago Cubs
Dexter Fowler will receive a QO and he is likely to reject it, according to Jon Heyman of Today's Knuckleball. Fowler is a free agent after declining his half of $9 million mutual option last week. There was never any realistic expectation of the option being picked up. Very rarely do both sides agree to pick up a mutual option. Usually they're just a way to push money to next year's payroll. (Fowler received a $5 million buyout.)
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies have tendered Jeremy Hellickson a QO. A year ago this would have sounded crazy, but Hellickson had a strong rebound season in 2016 and the free agent starting pitching class is so very thin. He should be able to top $17.2 million. Maybe not annually, but total package.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers have extended the QO to both Justin Turner and Kenley Jansen, as expected. Rich Hill and Josh Reddick are not eligible for the QO. Turner is the best third baseman available in free agency and Jansen is arguably the best reliever on the market. It's either him or Chapman. Easy decisions for the Dodgers.
New York Mets
Not only Did the Mets extend Yoenis Cespedes the QO, they also gave one to Neil Walker. Walker's season ended on August 27 due to back surgery, though he hit .282/.347/.476 (118 OPS+) with 23 home runs in 113 games before getting hurt. He seems like a candidate to accept the QO. Walker and his agent have seven days to gauge the market and determine whether there is more money to be made in free agency.
Texas Rangers
The Rangers have made a QO to Ian Desmond. Desmond, you may recall, rejected the $15.8 million QO from the Nationals last season and had a lot of trouble finding a contract. He had to settle for a one-year deal worth only $8 million with Texas. You can be sure Desmond will give serious thought to accepting the QO this time around. He doesn't want to go through what he went through last offseason again.
Baltimore Orioles
The O's extended a qualifying offer to Mark Trumbo, who led the majors with 47 homers this season. Trumbo will be going into his age-31 season in 2017. The Orioles opted not to make a QO to catcher Matt Wieters. Wieters last winter became one of the first players ever to accept a QO.
