The Los Angeles Dodgers had 11 players become free agents the morning after the World Series concluded, and may add another to the group this weekend if a team option on Joe Kelly for the 2022 season is declined in favor of a $4 million buyout.
Of the Dodgers’ group of free agents this winter, Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager and Chris Taylor have widely been identified as likely to receive a qualifying offer. The one-year contract is valued at $18.4 million for next season.
On the surface, Kenley Jansen would figure to be a candidate as well. However, a player can only be extended a qualifying offer once in their career — and for Jansen that came in 2016. Furthermore, a player must have spent the entire season with one team to be eligible, which rules out Max Scherzer.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Seager is considered a virtual lock to receive the qualifying offer from the Dodgers, but the expectation is not as clear for Kershaw and Taylor:
Of this class, here is how evaluators see the current QO market:
Will receive: Correa, Seager, Semien, Story, Freeman, Ray
Likely to receive: Castellanos, Syndergaard, Chris Taylor
Could receive: Michael Conforto, Jon Gray, Carlos Rodon, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Belt, Anthony DeSclafani, Raisel Iglesias
Complicated: Verlander, Kershaw
Beyond injury concern with Kershaw, another perceived roadblock to the Dodgers potentially not giving him a qualifying offer is to avoid what fallout could come for the left-hander in free agencyL
The complications with Kershaw: He’s coming off an arm injury — and, if he shows any inclination to leave, perhaps the Dodgers would not saddle him with a QO and harm his market as a thanks for all he has meant to the organization.
If the aforementioned Dodgers free agents are presented with a qualifying offer this weekend, they would have until Wednesday, Nov. 17, to accept or reject it.
Dodgers recent history with qualifying offer
Although players historically have declined the one-year contract from teams, such was not the case for Hyun-Jin Ryu (2019 season) and Brett Anderson (2016).
Both pitchers face health concerns, and it wound up paying off for Ryu as he put together an All-Star season that then led to a four-year, $90 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
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