MLB Free Agents 2016: Complete List of Players Who Received Qualifying Offers
November 6, 2015
The deadline for MLB teams to extend qualifying offers to impending free agents passed at 5 p.m. ET on Friday, and 20 players will get the chance to make some money in the offseason.
This number shattered the previous record of 13, according to Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith.
MLB's qualifying offer process is simple: If any of these players accepts the qualifying offer from his respective team, that player will earn $15.8 million on a one-year deal. If the player declines and signs with another team, the club will forfeit an unprotected draft pick.
You can read a full breakdown on the rules of the qualifying offer, courtesy of Jeff Todd of MLBTradeRumors.com.
Does it all make sense? Good. Here's a complete list of the players who have received qualifying offers:
| MLB Players Given Qualifying Offers | ||
| Player | Team | Position |
| Brett Anderson | Los Angeles Dodgers | Starting Pitcher |
| Wei-Yin Chen | Baltimore Orioles | Starting Pitcher |
| Chris Davis | Baltimore Orioles | First Baseman |
| Ian Desmond | Washington Nationals | Shortstop |
| Marco Estrada | Toronto Blue Jays | Starting Pitcher |
| Dexter Fowler | Chicago Cubs | Outfielder |
| Yovani Gallardo | Texas Rangers | Starting Pitcher |
| Alex Gordon | Kansas City Royals | Outfielder |
| Zack Greinke | Los Angeles Dodgers | Starting Pitcher |
| Jason Heyward | St. Louis Cardinals | Outfielder |
| Hisashi Iwakuma | Seattle Mariners | Starting Pitcher |
| Howie Kendrick | Los Angeles Dodgers | Second Baseman |
| Ian Kennedy | San Diego Padres | Starting Pitcher |
| John Lackey | St. Louis Cardinals | Starting Pitcher |
| Daniel Murphy | New York Mets | Second Baseman |
| Colby Rasmus | Houston Astros | Outfielder |
| Jeff Samardzija | Chicago White Sox | Starting Pitcher |
| Justin Upton | San Diego Padres | Outfielder |
| Matt Wieters | Baltimore Orioles | Catcher |
| Jordan Zimmermann | Washington Nationals | Starting Pitcher |
| MLB.com | ||
Starting pitching will dominate free agency this year, and that's clearly the case after a quick look at this year's QO list. Ten players, half of the list, are starting pitchers. Two of the top available aces this year, Zack Greinke and Jordan Zimmermann, will be coveted on the open market, should they not take the offers from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Washington Nationals, respectively.
The Baltimore Orioles are also going about free agency in a smart way. Chris Davis and Matt Wieters are sure to command top dollar at their positions, but should teams come along and pry those two away, Baltimore would gain two draft picks.
One key name to keep in mind through the next seven days is New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy. His performance in the National League Championship Series almost warranted a large contract by itself. But a lackluster five-game stretch in the World Series may have brought that dollar amount down.
CBS Sports' Jon Heyman noted that Murphy may want to stay in New York, even if he declines the offer:
We'll have to wait and see how this plays out. These players have seven days to decide whether to accept. Either way, this could be an interesting seven days as teams start to reveal how they will execute their plans of attack in the winter.