The Mariners are leaning toward a qualifying offer for right-hander Hisashi Iwakuma, writes MLB.com’s Greg Johns, but no final decision has been made. There’s mutual interest between the Mariners and the 34-year-old Iwakuma, but Johns notes that Seattle must decide if it wants to risk Iwakuma accepting the $15.8MM one-year offer, which would add a significant commitment to a payroll that has already guaranteed $77MM worth of 2015 salary to five players. From my vantage point, Iwakuma can easily double the amount of the qualifying offer on the open market this winter and could max out on a three-year deal in the $39-45MM range, making a QO a reasonable decision. Even if Iwakuma’s market collapses a bit and he has to take a two-year pact, I’d imagine annual salaries in the $13-15MM range would still be in play.
Here’s more from the AL West…
- ESPN’s Buster Olney hears that Mariners’ early offseason focus is on improving the club’s on-base percentage (Twitter link). Most of general manager Jerry Dipoto’s activity to address that deficiency will come via trade as opposed to free agency, Olney adds. That lines up with an Inbox column from Johns, in which he says he doesn’t foresee Dipoto making a big free agent splash. Rather, his expectation is that Dipoto will seek to add a veteran catcher, bullpen help, a center fielder and a rotation option primarily by being creative on the trade market.
- Regarding the Mariners and whether or not they’ll dive into free agency, I’ll add this: Seattle has the top unprotected pick in next year’s draft at No. 11, so it’d be pretty surprising to see them sign any player who rejects a qualifying offer. One free agent target that strikes me as a nice fit in Seattle would be Denard Span, assuming he doesn’t receive a QO.
- Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register examines whether or not the Angels will make a qualifying offer to David Freese. As Fletcher notes, Freese looks to be the lone regular on the free agent market at this time — unless some teams consider Daniel Murphy an option there — which could line him up for something like $30MM over three years. Offering Freese about $16MM is risky for the Halos, who are only about $26MM under the luxury tax threshold by Fletcher’s calculations. If the Angels make the offer, they’ll do so with the hope that Freese rejects. According to Fletcher, the front office is currently mulling the possibility, which is one that MLBTR’s Jeff Todd and I discussed at length on last week’s QO-themed edition of the MLBTR Podcast.
- Sticking with the qualifying offer theme that has been largely present throughout this post, Jeff Wilsont of the Forst Worth Star-Telegram spoke to Yovani Gallardo’s agent, Bobby Witt, about the possibility of the Rangers extending a qualifying offer to his client. “Deep down, I think they’re going to do it,” said Witt. “That’s the smart play by the Rangers.” Wilson examines the possibility of Gallardo being the first player to accept a qualifying offer, which, as Wilson points out, would mean that Gallardo receives a nice one-year deal to pitch in his home town and hit the open market in a move favorable position on next year’s thin crop of pitchers.
So what I get from this is that the Mariners will be cheapskates this winter.
You can still add salary in the trade market
The M’s have 5 guys signed at $78.9M per Cot’s. Kuma is likely going to cost in the $15M range and that gets them into the $93M range. Trumbo is arb eligible and going to get in the $9M range. A veteran catcher, 2 or 3 new RP arms and filling out their roster gets them into the $125+M area. I don’t see them spending on any $20M/yr types. I don’t want to see them spend the money on a guy like Span to see him fall off the Earth like Bourn did in Cleveland. If Dipoto can move Trumbo for young pitching then it could be a different story.
Creativity usually means doing things on the cheap, but the Dodgers have spent a lot of money creatively over the past year. I don’t see Seattle’s owners suddenly closing their wallet after making high-profile free agent signings two years running.
It seems shocking that they would back off on spending since all those free agents has meant all those World Series rings
Freese will accept that qualifying offer. Just sign Uribe to back up Kubitza. If Kubitza can’t hang, then just plug Uribe in to start.
Really great piece on Gallardo. Nice to see an agent being transparent. Really good pitcher but I have a lot of concern for a pitcher that didn’t record an out in the 6 th inning for 14 consecutive starts. What I also find interesting is will there be a player that likes the idea of making history and being first to accept. Guys like Wieters and Gallardo certainly would have to consider accepting. You would also figure they would learn from a guy like Drew who in hindsight should have accepted.
The Mariners can still target those players who won’t get one but are solid Gerardo Parra, Dernard Span, Doug Fister, Possibly Gallardo and some of those guys
The Pirates are far too cheap to ever even consider it, but Iwakuma would be a very solid addition to the rotation to slide in behind Cole and Liriano. So would Gallardo, but, again, Bob Nutting is cheap and a terrible owner.
Question. If say, Gallardo accepts a deal tomorrow with team A for 3 years, what happens with Texas and a Q.O? Too slow?
QOs have to be given out before the player is allowed to negotiate with any other team. I think the deadline is today at some point (5 PM?).
Thanks mate.
There’s nothing wrong with accepting a QO. Sometimes they don’t accept then get forced to accept a lower amount elsewhere. Either way it’s still a lot of money to most people. It may be safer for Gallardo to accept and playing in his hometown is a plus.