Orioles catcher Matt Wieters will accept the one-year, $15.8MM qualifying offer, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports (via Twitter).
Wieters accepting the offer comes as a surprise on multiple fronts. He’s the clear top catcher on this year’s free-agent market despite coming off an injury-riddled season. Wieters is also represented by Scott Boras, who has routinely spoken out against the flaws in the QO system and has a reputation for encouraging his players to test the open market.
Then again, Wieters and Boras have had the past week to check in with other clubs and have a good idea of where his market presently stands. The fact that the Braves have re-signed A.J. Pierzynski and the Twins have traded for the Yankees’ John Ryan Murphy eliminated a pair of potential landing spots with teams that could have reasonably pursued a starting catcher, as well.
Wieters batted .267/.319/.422 in 2015 — well-above-average production for a catcher — but he was also limited to 79 games due to injuries. Wieters underwent Tommy John surgery in 2014 and was set to return to begin the year, but tendinitis in his right elbow delayed his return until June. Even upon activation, Wieters only caught on back-to-back days four times this season, which is a cause for concern but certainly doesn’t rule him out from doing so with regularity in the future. He’ll look to prove better health in 2016 in a familiar environment before seeking a large contract next winter.
By accepting the QO, Wieters has locked in his salary and is not tradeable (without his consent) until next June, as would be the case with any other free-agent signing. He will presumably pair with Caleb Joseph behind the plate and take on a larger portion of the catching duties in 2016 than he had in 2015. His return is probably bad news for Steve Clevenger, who had been projected to be in a timeshare with Joseph but is now third on the depth chart. He’s been a trade candidate in the past and could see his name surface in rumors again this winter.
Wieters is still just 29 years of age, and he’ll be 30 going on 31 next year when he re-enters what will be a considerably weaker free-agent market (although, that market includes steeper competition in the catching department, in the form of Francisco Cervelli). His acceptance of the QO means that the Orioles won’t recoup three extra picks in next year’s draft, as they’d hoped when making QOs to Wieters, Wei-Yin Chen and Chris Davis. However, it does immediately fill one potential void for the 2016 Orioles, who can now turn their attention to addressing the rotation, corner outfield, first base and the bullpen. Of course, the flip side of that notion could be that the Orioles never planned to spend heavily on catcher and now have more limited resources to address the aforementioned needs.
It’s now worth wondering whether or not Boras will leverage next year’s weak free-agent market by encouraging fellow client Ian Kennedy to accept the Padres’ qualifying offer, though I still think there’s a case to be made for him securing a multi-year deal this winter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
For me, this come as a big surprise !
I think guys are realizing how reluctant teams are to give up the draft pick.
Although I would rather have almost any draft pick over Kennedy that bum!
It’s going to be a domino effect now of players accepting QO from here on out. Players are starting to get it now. Especially after the Stephen Drew/Kendrys Morales fiascos. 2017 will probably see even more accept
The flip side is that teams will be less likely to extend the qualifying offer because clubs are no longer all-but-assured of gaining a draft pick when the player signs elsewhere. Teams will no longer gamble $16 million on the second-tier free agent who otherwise would be saddled with the draft-pick burden.
It was rumored that Drew had multi-year offers on the table, but chose to hold out for more and the market moved past him. If so he was correct in passing on the QO
It wasn’t enough money for Drew so he held out, which means his expectations were unrealistic and he indeed should have accepted it. Can you imagine anyone paying him that much now!?!?
The next Domino fell with Brett Anderson.
It amazes me that more guys haven’t taken it before. A cool $15M and then another shot at the market. I know it’s a new thing and you want the security of a multi-year deal, but from a financial stand-point, if you’re not a guy like Heyward assured 4/80 easily then take the money and come back next year.
I’m shocked because wieters could have made a fortune.
Obviously not… Or he would have rejected it.
Or he feels he will make a larger fortune after playing a full season without injuries.
Or maybe he just loves Baltimore…
Or maybe he loves the number 15,800,000
Or maybe… It’s not about the money at all….
He could have said No and then could have gotten a multi year deal with Baltimore (see Estrada)
True, but he’s betting he will have a much better season and be able to get much more money next year. He’s betting on himself. Wouldn’t have been paid more than $15.4 in 2016 anyway.
Betting he’ll have a much better season and be able to get much more money next year sound a whole lot different than it not being about the money at all.
Yeah I’m not so sure either, paired with the fact that he hasn’t been healthy in two years and the fact that a team signing him would be giving up a pick, I think he found the market to be underwhelming. The QO is certainly more annually than he would’ve averaged. even in his last healthy season, the batting stats aside from HR’s weren’t all that impressive
He did make a fortune.
15.8 is a fortune. Perhaps perspective has come up on the horizon.
I said this in an older thread but I think it’s a good move on his part. Making 15.8 mill to rebuild value isn’t a bad deal. If he has a great year he will make a ton in FA next year and if he has a bad year.. well 2015 was kind of bad for him so he will at least not have draft pick tied to him next year.
The Orioles can give him a qualifying offer again next year…
That’s if the system survives. I think it re-opens as part of CBA bargaining in 2016
And if players are accepting it, what’s there to change?
I think the OP meant that if he does poorly next year Baltimore won’t offer him another QO especially knowing he would accept. If he does well he will get a great deal.
And if he does poorly he won’t get either of a QO or a big multi-year deal.
Hey, I am fired up!
This makes me very happy!
Wow. Surprised Boras talked him into it.
Boras definitely did NOT tell him to do this…
He has a 2.1 WAR the past 3 years and has only caught 77 games the past 2 years. Getting a 1 year $15.8 million dollar contract is pretty good considering he hasn’t really been worth that the past 3 years.
I don’t buy the $/WAR thing at all, but for those who do, a 2.1 WAR is worth about $14 million. So he’s been “worth” $14 million the last 3 years and now will be making $15.8 million in 1 year. So yes I do think Boras had something to do with it.
If he denied it, he very well could have even gotten les than the QO like Cruz and Drew did 2 years ago. And don’t forget Drew is a Boras client.
Right, 2.1 WAR for 3 year considering TJ surgery that burned 2 years of that.
And? That proves he has a track record of injuries in recent years. He’s played 249 games the last 3 years. Basically 1.5 seasons. A 2.1 WAR isn’t very good in that many games..
Giving him a multiyear deal and giving up a draft pick would be a huge gamble. Only reason I’m surprised is because Boras is his agent.
I’d guess it was the other way around. Of course, nobody knows what really goes on when Boras and his clients are speaking in confidence.
I just got done reading through yesterday’s chat transcript with Jeff Todd, and the question was asked “Over or under 2.5 players accept QO?”
His response, “Under. Way Under.” (An answer realistically most people would give)
Who would have thought we’d be going into the weekend with a chance that 2 or 3 could accept? Certainly not I.
Steve Adams was doing that chat, pretending to be me.
(Okay, that might not be plausible. I admit it, I said it. And I meant it!)
The guy has accumulated 2.1 rWAR over the past three seasons combined. Over the same time-frame A.J. Pierzynski has 2.4, Alex Avila has 2.8, Chris Iannetta has 4.7, and Dioner Navarro has 5.1. How people thought Wieters could command a $60m contract was beyond me. Let him have another good season first.
Not that injuries aren’t an obvious factor in handing out contracts, but I think everyone knows Wieters would have outperformed all those guys if he had hit like he normally hits while staying on the field, rather than lose so much time to a quite unusual injury for a catcher.
Isn’t it interesting that Wieters almost outperformed two of the guys listed and played almost 100 less games in that 3-year span?
Wieters was in my opinion a prime candidate to accept a qualifying offer, but with Boras as his agent I didn’t think it would ever happen. Shows what I know.
Ouch. That really came back to bite the Orioles.
I don’t think it will hurt the Orioles. If he performs like he has before he was injured he will be way more valuable than the 16 mil
There’s a decent chance you’re right. But the slim chance they had at going after Davis, Chen and O’Day seem pretty much zilch now, with their payroll constraints. Hopefully Wieters can stay healthy.
To match the 2015 Opening day Payroll the O’s had 42 million to spend before Wieters accepted the QO. The O’s still have 26.2 million. And knowing that Wieters and Umbaldo will be one in the next 2 years the O’s can back load a contract or 2.
The Orioles were never really looking to bring back Chen. Look at the other $17 million in dead money coming off the books as well which covers Wieters: Norris, De Aza, Young, Cabrera. Also it is a low risk contract since it is only 1 year.
Boras is too smart–he knew a long term top dollar contract was a longshot given the injury-no way Weiters was going to get McCann money. Weiters gets paid what was likely the ceiling AAV on a one year, shows he’s healthy, and gets a big contract next year. It’s a good gamble. And an even better one for Boras, and the rest of the stars he represents. Boras just showed he was willing to accept–that will keep other teams leery of offering a QO to Boras clients except for the top tier ones.
Does anyone know if a player can be traded after accepting a QO?
Any one that actually read the article knows that answer.
“By accepting the QO, Wieters has locked in his salary and is not tradeable (without his consent) until next June, as would be the case with any other free-agent signing”
One of these days, he’ll be as good as Daniel Moskos.
I’m not sure the Orioles would have tendered QO to him if his agent hadn’t been Scott Boras. I think Wieters definitely benefited from having the right person as his agent in this situation.
Not surprised tbh, he could have a better year in 2016 and then become very interesting next off season.
Would anyone have given him $100+M this offseason?
No.
Will someone give him $100+M next offseason, if he hits 20+ HR and catches 120+ games, in a pretty weak FA market?
Absolutely.
My thoughts exactly. His injury set him back to earn that deal he and Boras wanted.
I absolutely thought no way he accepts. As an Os fan I’m happy about it. Wieters is a real pro coming off a good rest of the body and arm. He is going to have a big year and I’m glad it’s for the O’s. Joseph is a great #2 and they can use Clevenger in trade ideas. Awesome
Smart move on his part. Now his starting off point next yr is $16 mil, he will get a $90 mil deal and it clearly won’t be in Baltimore. I think showalter sold his soul to the devil: have u ever seen a manager have great teams who is either fired right before a World Series run multiple times, or now have an owner who wouldn’t spend any money last offseason and a GM that wants to leave so bad. Love Buck, but something is off about his timing with these events.
Man I was really hoping for a 4-5 year contract with the Rockies. I would have much rather had a really good catcher over losing a competitive balance pick. Oh well, maybe next year.
“His acceptance of the QO means that the Orioles won’t recoup three extra picks in next year’s draft, as they’d hoped when making QOs to Wieters, Wei-Yin Chen and Chris Davis.”
I’m probably overthinking this. It kind of implies that the Orioles get no draft picks, regardless of what Davis and Chen decide. Is this true? Or will the Orioles still get two picks?
Every player operates independently. They are in line for 2.
I’m pretty sure Wieters accepting the QO has more to do with this offseason’s catcher market drying up right away than anything else.
Yeah, didn’t help that MIN and ATL (to a lesser extent) made notable additions. And Rizzo threw cold water on the idea of a change at C for the Nats.
If someone had really wanted Wieters, they’d have made it know. Obviously whatever Boras and co. felt could be had wasn’t worth it (combined with Wieters’ own motivations).
One thing I would like to know is it like the NFL’s franchise tag system where they can’t offer the qualifying offer again next offseason
You can get QO’ed in successive years. Happened to Ervin Santana.
Happened to Nelson Cruz as well.
I am glad he accepted he can dh and play 1b when Davis signs somewhere else we all know that he will
If you are an Al east team you need to pay to have a chance NY/TOR look good on paper BOS will spend again So we need to start giving the dollars ! Stop penny buying and coming up short! If Davis signs with the Orioles I will be shock but if signs elsewhere the front office will come our saying they offer that or more but he did not want to be here .builting for future but trading away all the good pitchers we had for crap and coming up short does not cut it. We as fans want the FO to show that they are trying to put a great team together not a good team that comes up short get it done we pay you checks without us you have nothing