The Orioles announced that they have made a one-year, $15.3MM qualifying offer to Nelson Cruz and also re-instated Manny Machado and Matt Wieters from the 60-day disabled list, bringing the team’s 40-man roster to 33. At this point, it appears that Nick Markakis will not be the recipient of a QO, which should help his stock on the free agent market. Of course, he’s also said to be discussing a four-year deal to remain in Baltimore.
Cruz signed a one-year, $8MM contract with the Orioles last winter after seeking as much as $75MM+ despite battling the negative impact of both a QO and a season-ending PED suspension. His 2014 performance indicated that teams needn’t be overly concerned with his power production following the suspension, however, as he hit .271/.333/.525 with  Major League leading 40 home runs (plus two more in the postseason).
Cruz is expected to turn down the offer, of course, on the heels of that excellent season in hopes of finding the multi-year deal he wasn’t able to secure last winter. If he signs elsewhere, the O’s will get a comp pick at the end of next year’s first round, and the signing club will forfeit its top unprotected draft pick.
MLBTR’s Free Agent Tracker can be used to monitor all players who received a qualifying offer over the next week until the deadline for them to make their decisions, which will be 5pm ET next Monday.
Markakis would be good for Boston, or some park with a short RF porch, he would hit alot of Doubles off the Monster.
No No No!!! we already have a surplus of outfielders why should spend 10M+ to put us in even more of a logjam in the OF. That money should go to SP, Left Handed Reliever, and either Headley or Sandoval.
The word “formality” springs to mind.
Surprised that Markakis isn’t getting a QO. I’d definitely make the offer if I was the Orioles. Even if he accepts, you saved a quarter mil compared to his option.
Still leaving him overpaid by almost a factor of 2.
But do you think he’d accept it over seeking a multi year deal?
Simply put, no. He wants one more long-term deal.
The truth is that Markakis doesn’t want to leave Baltimore (he and his family have strong roots there) and he clearly signaled he’d be willing to sign a long-term deal for reasonable money. Markakis will probably sign a 4-year deal for something with an AAV around $10 mil. He’s not going anywhere.
I think it’s wonderful that some players on small-mid market teams want to stay in their markets and with their teams. Those players are what creates a fanbase….for life.
Come on. Short of being totally irresponsible with their money, 95% of players will never be able to spend a fraction of what they make. The salaries are obscene, particularly in a time when most Americans are are overqualified and underpaid…..if they can find a position. I don’t begrudge players getting all they can, it’s their right. But I respect the players that will take a bit less because they and their families love the community and want to remain a part of it. I see all these commercials about what wonderful character people athletes are, but when they don’t get the most money, people look them as if they’re suckers. That’s ridiculous.
Why would anybody think Markakis would get a qualifying offer if the O’s already turned down his option for ’15? Turning down the $17.5 million option cost them $2 mil. Since the QO is slated to be $15.3 mil it would make zero sense for the O’s to decline a $17.5 mil option when the buyout plus the value of the QO is basically the same thing.
It’d have saved them $200K, given them leverage in their current extension negotiations, and netted them a draft pick if he leaves.
Sure, they could’ve just risked paying him $17.5MM by exercising the option, but it was a mutual option, and he could’ve then jusr declined his half and left the O’s with nothing. If you’re willing to pay him $17MM+, wouldn’t you do so by at least leaving open the possibility of acquiring a draft pick and saving $200K in the process?
Because its bad PR?
How is it bad PR? No one would give them any flack for making that move.
This is a case of not knowing Markakis role in Baltimore. He’s more valuable to them than any other club out there because of how long he’s been there and his family’s publicly-stated desire not to leave the city. There’s no real leverage to be gained. If anything, it has more potential to leave a bad taste in Markakis’ mouth if he’s viewed as nothing but an asset by those in the Warehouse. You have to remember that Angelos was the key player in Markakis’ extension the first time around (the whole Greek thing came into play). He’s not going anywhere and it’s just a matter of the team coming to an amicable arrangement.
Why is playing for the Orioles for so long and his family wanting to be here have any value to the O’s?
Because that is what builds a fanbase. Not rent-a-players that come and go.
Winning builds a fan base. You could maybe argue that keeping a “franchise” player builds a fan base, but Markakis isn’t that player. Nobody piles the kids into the station wagon on a Sunday afternoon to go to Camden Yards to see Nick Markakis slap singles the other way.
Winning builds a fanbase that leaves when the winning stops….and the winning always stops…..for every franchise.
Identifiable ballplayers are remembered by fans and help make them lifetime fans of the team. Reggie Jackson was a much better player then Ken Singleton, Rich Dauer and Al Bumbry. Who do Oriole fans remember playing for their team?
I’m not sure what you are arguing. The Orioles FO should plan for the “inevitable” period where they are no good and lock up players so fans keep coming to the game???? lollll. That is actually legit funny. Make front office moves that aren’t geared towards winning, but instead geared towards softening the blow of losing. Show me a franchise that is planning on losing, and I’ll show you a losing franchise.
“Nobody piles the kids into the station wagon on a Sunday afternoon to go to Camden Yards to see Nick Markakis slap singles the other way”
Best quote of the day. So funny and true.
My point is that few other teams value Markakis more than the O’s. If you look at his numbers without a name attached to them, they’re not that attractive and certainly not worth qualifying offer money. Resigning Markakis at a fair number maintains the goodwill the team has built up since the arrival of Showalter.
I guess I still don’t get it. The good will with who?
First vs second half splits are not pretty. His home vs away split is interesting though. Whoever signs Cruz will not get the what they were expecting.
If I were Dan Duquette, I would have just picked up Markakis’ option. Yes, that would mean overpaying, but by how much? You can’t get an OF of his quality on the free-agent market for 1 year, $12 million. So at most it’s a $5 million, one-year overpay. If Markakis delivers a good year, then fine. And if he continues to decline, they can wash their hands of him. I think the team that signs him to a 4-year deal (probably the O’s) will have buyers’ remorse in the last two years.
Yep. Paying Markakis that amount of money for one year would not have been a good idea, but if the choice was one year at too much, or a 4 year deal, the one year for too much was the no brainer.