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Orioles Decline Alexi Casilla’s Option

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The Orioles have declined their $3MM club option on infielder Alexi Casilla, tweets Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com. Casilla will instead receive a $200K buyout.

The 29-year-old switch-hitter batted just .214/.268/.295 in 62 games (125 plate appearances) in his only season with the Orioles. Baltimore claimed Casilla off waivers from the Twins last offseason and avoided arbitration with him by agreeing to a one-year, $1.7MM contract with a $3MM club option ($200K buyout) for the 2014 campaign.

Casilla has turned himself into a solid defender at second base over the past several seasons and can handle shortstop as well, but his complete lack of offense — he batted just .234/.278/.314 in 451 plate appearances from 2012-13 — likely limits him to a minor league deal this offseason.

13 Free Agents Receive Qualifying Offers

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The deadline to extend one-year, $14.1MM qualifying offers to impending free agents has passed, and 13 players received such offers:

Each of these 13 players will have one week to decide whether they wish to accept or reject the offer. In order to sign a player that rejects a qualifying offer, a team will have to forfeit a top draft pick. Because the first 11 picks are protected in this year's draft, the Astros, Marlins, Cubs, White Sox, Twins, Mariners, Phillies, Rockies, Blue Jays and Mets will forfeit a second-round pick to sign a player who rejects a qualifying offer. All other teams will be forced to forfeit their first-round pick.

The player's former team does not receive the pick that is forfeited, but rather will receive a compensatory pick at the end of the first round. As it stands, the Yankees and Red Sox each have a chance to receive three extra first-round picks in 2014 should all three of their qualified free agents reject an offer and sign with a new team.

The 13 qualifying offers represent an increase over last offseason, when only nine players received the offer. None of those nine accepted the offer, though some — most notably Kyle Lohse — saw their market value heavily impacted by their ties to draft pick compensation.

Pirates Do Not Make Qualifying Offer To A.J. Burnett

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The Pirates did not extend a one-year, qualifying offer to A.J. Burnett, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

Burnett, 37 in January, pitched to a 3.30 ERA with 9.8 K/9 (the highest rate in the National League), 3.2 BB/9 and a 56.2 percent ground-ball rate in 191 innings in his second season with the Pirates. Burnett has publicly stated that his decision this offseason is between returning to the Pirates and retiring, so the Pirates likely felt that they didn't need to risk the $14.1MM salary. If he elects to pitch again, it's possible that the Pirates could work out a one-year deal at a lower rate, as I projected in my free agent profile of Burnett, predicting one year and $12MM to return to the Bucs.

Rangers Extend Qualifying Offer To Nelson Cruz

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MONDAY: The Rangers officially announced that they have issued a qualifying offer to Cruz.

WEDNESDAY: The Rangers will extend a one-year, $14.1MM qualifying offer to free agent outfielder Nelson Cruz, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.  General manager Jon Daniels said earlier this month that such a move was likely to happen and now tells Grant that the qualifying offer is "a relatively easy decision" for the team. 

"We’d be happy to have him back on a one-year deal. And we’re not prohibited from continuing to talk to him while he sees what the market is. If he signs elsewhere, we get a draft pick that helps us as well," Daniels said.

Cruz is expected to reject the qualifying offer in search of a multiyear commitment after hitting .266/.327/.506 with 27 homers in 456 PA in 2013, roughly matching his average numbers since the start of the 2009 season.  His free agent market could be limited by the fact that Cruz is 33 years old, a defensive liability in right field and was suspended for 50 games for his connection to the Biogenesis PED scandal.  The draft pick compensation attached to his rejection of a qualifying offer will further limit Cruz's list of suitors, though that could potentially help the Rangers if they make an effort to re-sign him.

Royals To Make Qualifying Offer To Ervin Santana

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3:58pm: The Royals confirmed that they have made a qualifying offer, per Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter).

12:46pm: The Royals have indicated to Ervin Santana that he will receive a qualifying offer, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca (on Twitter). The $14.1MM offer will allow the Royals to receive a compensatory draft pick at the end of the first round should Santana reject the offer and sign elsewhere.

That's the most likely scenario for Santana, who rebounded from a disastrous 2012 season to turn in 211 innings of a 3.24 ERA with 6.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9. Santana figures to be one of the top three arms on the free agent market along with Masahiro Tanaka and Matt Garza, which led me to predict a five-year, $75MM contract for the righty on the open market in my free agent profile of him last month.

Reds Make Qualifying Offer To Choo, Not Arroyo

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3:31pm: Reds assistant director of media relations Jamie Ramsey confirms that Choo has received a qualifying offer and Arroyo has not.

3:22pm: MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports that the Reds have officially extended a qualifying offer to Shin-Soo Choo.

Choo, 31, batted .285/.423/.462 with 21 homers and 20 stolen bases in his lone season with the Reds. The Reds' decision to make him a qualifying offer comes as little surprise, given his status as one of the market's most highly regarded free agents (he ranked No. 3 on MLBTR's Top 50).

MLBTR owner Tim Dierkes projected a six-year, $100MM contract in his free agent profile for Choo, predicting that Choo's sky-high on-base percentage (he ranked fourth in MLB) and agent Scott Boras' negotiating skills would outweigh Choo's problems against left-handed pitching and defensive question marks.

1:36pm: The Reds will not make a qualifying offer to right-hander Bronson Arroyo, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. The lack of a qualifying offer is good news for Arroyo and agent Terry Bross of Gaylord Sports Management, as interested teams won't be required to surrender a draft pick to obtain his services on the free agent market.

The $14.1MM value of the qualifying offer was too great a risk for the small-market Reds to take, writes Heyman. I agree with the thinking, as it seems there was a decent chance Arroyo would've accepted the offer, knowing what draft pick compensation would've done to his value on the open market.

Arroyo, 37 in February, topped 199 innings for the ninth consecutive season in 2013, posting a solid 3.79 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9 in 202 innings. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes profiled Arroyo in September, predicting that the veteran innings eater would land a two-year, $24MM contract, provided the Reds didn't issue a qualifying offer.

Mariners Make Qualifying Offer To Kendrys Morales

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The Mariners have officially extended a qualifying offer to switch-hitting DH/first baseman Kendrys Morales, the team announced on Twitter.

The decision to extend a qualifying offer to Morales was met with surprise when it was first reported last month, but the report that Morales would decline the offer was questioned even more. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes predicted that Morales would end up back with the Mariners on a two-year, $28MM contract in his free agent profile of the Cuban-born slugger last month.

Morales, 30, batted .277/.336/.449 with 23 homers for the Mariners this season — numbers that were a near-mirror image of his .273/.320/.467 batting line and 22 homers for the Angels in 2012.

Should Morales reject the $14.1MM offer and sign elsewhere, the Mariners would receive a compensatory draft pick at the end of the first round. However, as a good but not elite bat who is primarily limited to designated hitter, I feel that the qualifying offer is particularly damaging to Morales. He and agent Scott Boras have a week to make an official decision on the offer.

Braves Decline Reed Johnson’s Option

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The Braves announced, via press release, that they have declined their $1.6MM club option for outfielder Reed Johnson. Johnson will instead receive a $150K buyout and become a free agent.

Johnson, 37 in December, batted .244/.311/.341 in 136 plate appearances for the Braves in 2013. Though he didn't do much at the plate the versatile outfielder provided solid defense at all three outfield positions. He also posted respectable numbers against left-handed pitchers, slashing .291/.328/.345 — a trait he's shown throughout his entire career. Johnson's career .311/.366/.456 batting line against southpaws dwarfs his line against same-handed pitching.

Johnson's ability to play anywhere in the outfield and ability to hit left-handed pitching at a decent clip will likely allow him to latch on as a fourth outfielder/bench bat somewhere this offseason.

Brian McCann Receives Qualifying Offer

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2:40pm: The Braves have officially announced that McCann will receive a qualifying offer.

9:05am: The Braves will extend a qualifying offer to catcher Brian McCann, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes has learned (Twitter link). The move doesn't come as a surprise, as McCann figures to be one of the top free agents available on the market this offseason and has no reason to consider accepting a one-year, $14.1MM offer.

McCann, who turns 30 in February, returned from injury to bat .256/.336/.461 with 20 homers in just 402 plate appearances — his sixth straight season of 20+ homers. Power such as McCann's is rare for a catcher, and his .277/.350/.473 career batting line is a testament to his offensive prowess.

In his free agent profile for McCann, Tim predicted that an American League team would be comfortable going to five years and $80MM for McCann. By wins above replacement, McCann has likely justified that commitment, averaging 3.0 rWAR and 3.8 fWAR over the past six seasons despite a pair of injury-shortened campaigns. A move to the AL, where he could see some time at DH, could allow him to play in more games.

Assuming McCann turns down the qualifying offer, any new team looking to sign him would have to punt a top draft pick. The first 11 picks are protected in this year's draft, meaning those teams would have to forfeit a second-round selection. All other teams would be required to sacrifice a first-round pick. Should he reject the offer and sign with a new club, as many expect, the Braves would receive a compensatory draft pick at the end of the first round.

A’s Won’t Extend Any Qualifying Offers

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The Athletics have announced that they will not extend qualifying offers to free agents Bartolo Colon and Grant Balfour. Neither player will require a new team to sacrifice a draft pick this winter. The move isn't surprising, given the $14.1MM value of a qualifying offer.

Colon would've been more likely to earn a qualifying offer than Balfour. The 40-year-old enjoyed a dominant season in which he pitched to a 2.65 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 190 1/3 innings for the A's. Colon earned a $3MM base salary and totaled another $2.4MM via incentives for games started and innings pitched, so the $14.1MM value would've been a substantial increase over his 2013 salary. Still, he projects to earn a healthy increase from that $5.4MM total on the open market. Colon and the A's have expressed mutual interest, and Colon feels that he can pitch for another three seasons.

Balfour, 36 in December, saved 38 games for the A's in 2013 en route to a sparkling 2.59 ERA with 10.3 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9, earning his first All-Star berth in the process. I pegged his open-market value at $18MM over two years in my free agent profile of Balfour, though that should come with the caveat that there are more closers than jobs availble this winter. If he's left standing in January, Balfour won't be able to land that type of cash, so it would behoove him and agent Keith Miller of ACES to find a deal early on in the free agent process.

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