Major League Baseball’s offseason has officially begun.
As per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, once their five-day exclusive extension negotiation windows with their former clubs had closed at Sunday’s 5 PM EST deadline, six players were extended $18.9 million qualifying offers, coinciding with the official start of free agency.
As reported earlier this week (Anthony DiComo, MLB.com), the New York Mets tabbed right-hander Marcus Stroman for a qualifying offer, ensuring a compensatory draft pick for the Mets if the Long Island product signs elsewhere this winter.
MLB.com provides a detailed explanation of compensatory value regarding qualifying offers in their site glossary.
Trevor Bauer, who is widely expected to test the free-agent market after a likely National League Cy Young Award-winning campaign in 2020, received a qualifying offer from the Reds.
Infielder DJ LeMahieu (Yankees), backstop J.T. Realmuto (Phillies), former Astros mainstay (and potential Mets center field target) George Springer, and right-hander Kevin Gausman, who pitched to a 3.62 ERA over 12 outings (10 starts; 79 K, 16 BB, 59.2 IP) for San Francisco this season all did, as well.
According to Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic, Gausman and the Giants have “had talks about a multi-year contract,” but San Francisco chose to secure the draft compensation “as a contingency in case they can’t arrive at an agreement.”
Any player who receives a qualifying offer has 10 days to accept or decline that offer.
We’ll keep you posted with all MLB offseason news as the winter rolls on. Stay tuned.
