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This year’s free agent class is strong in the outfield and unremarkable in most other areas. It didn’t have to be that way though. Until quite recently it appeared that the free agent class would include many more star players. Instead, some of those players signed extensions that will keep them in place for 2013 and beyond. 

MLBTR's Extension Tracker offers a look at some players who came close to hitting free agency before deciding to re-sign with their current teams. These players would have joined Josh Hamilton and Zack Greinke in free agency this coming offseason if they hadn’t signed long-term deals earlier in 2012 (minimum $20MM): 

• Cole Hamels, Phillies – The Phillies signed Hamels to a $144MM extension in July instead of letting him reach free agency. The left-hander would have been the top pitcher available following another tremendous season: a 3.05 ERA and 202 strikeouts in 203 1/3 innings.
• Matt Cain, Giants – Cain signed for $112.5MM before the season began. It represented a record contract for right-handed pitchers, but Cain would have obtained more on the open market following yet another season with an ERA under 3.00 and 200-plus innings.
• Andre Ethier, Dodgers – Ethier signed a five-year, $85MM contract in June, before it became fully apparent that the Dodgers are willing to spend aggressively under their new ownership group. Ethier has turned in a characteristically strong season: 19 homers and a .285/.350/.459 batting line.
• Yadier Molina, Cardinals – Molina, who signed a five-year, $75MM contract in February, is an MVP candidate this year. He's hitting .319/.376/.503 with 20 homers and elite defense behind the plate. The Cardinals have reason to be thrilled with the early results of this contract.
• Brandon Phillips, Reds – Phillips remains one of the game's top second basemen. If the 31-year-old hadn't signed a six-year, $72.5MM contract in April, he would've been a welcome addition to a free agent market that lacks star-caliber infielders.
• Erick Aybar, Angels – This four-year, $35MM contract keeps the 28-year-old in Anaheim following a very good season (3.7 wins above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference and 3.1 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs).
• Howie Kendrick, Angels – Kendrick signed a four-year, $33.5MM contract in January and has gone on to put together a respectable season. He has a .279/.317/.388 batting line in 563 plate appearances and would likely have drawn lots of interest as a free agent.
• Carlos Quentin, Padres – Quentin's three-year, $30MM contract keeps him off of the open market, where he would have generated interest after hitting .263/.373/.509 while playing half of his games at Petco Park.
• Edwin Encarnacion, Blue Jays – Encarnacion obtained a three-year, $29MM contract from the Blue Jays midway through his breakout season. In the two-plus months since signing the deal, Encarnacion has added 17 home runs with more walks than strikeouts.

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In some instances the decision to make a player a qualifying offer is not so much a choice as a formality. Is there any doubt that Josh Hamilton will get a qualifying offer from the Rangers after the season? Not really, and it’s just as certain he’ll turn Texas’ offer down.

Most cases aren’t so predictable. Qualifying offers link players to draft pick compensation and affect their free agent value. So as teams contemplate whether to extend qualifying offers to their free agents, let’s look back at the players for whom teams were willing to surrender draft picks in recent years. Here’s the year-by-year breakdown:

2011-12 Offseason (under modified rules)

• Prince Fielder, Albert Pujols, Jonathan Papelbon, Jose Reyes and C.J. Wilson.

2010-11 Offseason

• Victor Martinez, Adam Dunn, Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford, Scott Downs, Cliff Lee, Adrian Beltre, Grant Balfour and Rafael Soriano.

2009-10 Offseason

• Jose Valverde, Jason Bay, Mike Gonzalez, John Lackey, Chone Figgins, Marco Scutaro and Billy Wagner.

Recent history suggests teams are willing to surrender draft picks for impact bats, starting pitchers who appear to belong at the top of a rotation and select relievers, especially closers. This trend suggests teams will be willing to surrender draft picks for players such as Nick Swisher, Michael Bourn and Soriano this winter. Executives deciding whether those players warrant qualifying offers should take note.

Current big leaguers Mike Olt, Jurickson Profar, Adam Eaton, Tony Cingrani, Dan Straily, and Carter Capps were all named to Baseball America's Minor League All-Star Team today. Here's the latest from around the league on Friday night…

• In today's Insider-only blog post, ESPN's Buster Olney says he doesn't believe that the Rangers or Red Sox will bid enough to sign impending free agent Josh Hamilton this offseason.
• "This is the weakest roster we've ever had in September in the history of baseball … It could use help everywhere," said Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine to Ian Harrison of ESPN Boston when asked if there was a particular part of his roster he would like to see improved.
• "Now are they winning without me?" said Hanley Ramirez to Bill Shaikin of The Los Angeles Times, a response to Marlins president David Samson saying they "couldn't win with him" recently.
• Ken Davidoff of The New York Post listed the best managers of 2012, led by Buck Showalter of the Orioles. Earlier today we have updates on Showalter, Astros' managerial search, and other managers.

The cutoff for super two players following the 2012 season now projects to be two years and 139 days of service time, according to CAA (Twitter link). Earlier in the 2012 season, the agency had projected a super two cutoff of two years and 134 days. 

Super two status entitles certain players to four years of arbitration eligibility, rather than the usual three. As a result, players who earn the super two designation generally earn more than their peers. Under baseball's new collective bargaining agreement, 22% of players qualify as super twos. This represents an increase from 17% and helps explain why the cutoff is lower than it was a year ago.

The following players will finish the season with less than two years and 139 days of service time: Justin Smoak, Danny Valencia, Michael Brantley, Jordan Schafer, Giancarlo Stanton, Stephen Strasburg, Daniel Hudson, Dan Runzler, Andrew Cashner and Alexi Ogando. These players don't project as super twos. 

Michael Saunders, Alex Burnett and Esmil Rogers would qualify for super two status if the cutoff is two years and 134 days, but not if it's two years and 139 days. Meanwhile, Tyler Colvin should have exactly two years and 139 days of service when the 2012 season ends. All players that are tied at the cutoff get super two status under baseball’s new collective bargaining agreement.

A year ago CAA correctly anticipated that the 2011 cutoff would be two years and 146 days of service time. The official cutoff date can't be determined until the season ends.

Each year's free agent class has its strengths and weaknesses. For example, last offseason's class featured a pair of elite first basemen and more shortstop depth than usual. FanGraphs unveiled its free agent leaderboards today and they offer a position-by-position look at the upcoming free agent class. 

As Dave Cameron noted on Twitter, this year’s group is especially deep in the outfield. Allow me to add to that observation: it’s especially deep in the outfield and especially shallow on the infield. Here’s a look at the top ten free agent infielders (no designated hitters or catchers) ranked by FanGraphs’ version of wins above replacement. 

1. Adam LaRoche, Nationals, 3.1 WAR – LaRoche’s contract includes a $10MM mutual option for 2013. He would like to re-sign with the Nationals.
2. Jeff Keppinger, Rays, 2.0 WAR – Keppinger could be looking at a two-year deal in this market.
3. Brandon Inge, Athletics, 1.5 WAR – Inge rebounded to put together a solid season after being released by the Tigers earlier in the year.
4. Marco Scutaro, Giants, 1.5 WAR – Scutaro figures to be in demand this offseason, but he isn’t adding the same offensive value he did a few years ago.
5. Kevin Youkilis, White Sox, 1.4 WAR – Youkilis’ contract includes a $13MM club option for 2013.
6. Eric Chavez, Yankees, 1.2 WAR – We’re getting into backup territory here. No disrespect to Chavez, who has had an excellent career and continues to add value, but it’s hard to believe he’s the sixth-best free agent infielder out there.
7. Mark Reynolds, Orioles, 1.0 WAR – The hot-hitting Reynolds offers more power than any free agent infielder except LaRoche with 21 home runs. The Orioles have an $11MM club option for 2013.
8. Ronny Cedeno, Mets, 1.0 WAR – One of the top ten free agent infielders available this winter is Cedeno, the Mets' backup shortstop/second baseman.
9. Scott Rolen, Reds, 0.9 WAR – Once a force on offense and defense, Rolen can no longer be counted on for 100-plus games.
10. Adam Kennedy, Dodgers, 0.8 WAR – To put 0.8 wins above replacement in context it's the ninth-best total in Kennedy's career. Yet it's enough for him to place among the top ten infielders available.

The contract options for Jhonny Peralta and Robinson Cano figure to be exercised, so those players aren't included above.

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• Week In Review - It's remarkable how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, we summarize the week's biggest stories in our Week In Review posts.
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Few teams have open 40-man roster space once rosters swell to accommodate late season reinforcements in September. In the last week alone teams have purchased the contracts of 37 players, including prospects such as Jurickson Profar and Shelby Miller, veterans like Fred Lewis and Xavier Nady and a variety of others. The result: just five teams have open 40-man roster space. 

The Royals (two open spots), Angels (two open spots), Brewers (two open spots), Twins (one open spot) and Reds (one open spot) are the only MLB teams that presently have open 40-man spots, according to MLBDepthCharts.com. These clubs are well-positioned to claim someone should an intriguing player be placed on waivers.

For context there were six waiver claims last September, eight waiver claims in 2010 (remarkably three of them involved Cesar Carrillo) and five waiver claims in 2009. MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently recapped some of the best waiver claims of the past year.

Keep in mind that the 25 teams with full 40-man rosters could create roster space by moving a player to the 60-day disabled list or by releasing, outrighting or designating for assignment a rostered player.

The December non-tender deadline is an often-overlooked part of MLB’s offseason schedule, but it’s a significant day. The free agent market is flooded with a couple dozen reinforcements following the annual deadline for teams to extend offers of arbitration to their eligible players. Some of those non-tenders rebound with strong seasons, often in new environments. 

Teams non-tender players for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the clubs would rather risk losing the players to rival teams than go through the potentially expensive arbitration process. In other cases, teams don't have 40-man roster spots to spare or they view players as injury risks.

In total 29 players were non-tendered last offseason and a handful of them have added value for their current organizations. Here’s a look at some 2011 non-tenders who are contributing so far in 2012:

• Jose Mijares, Giants (non-tendered by Twins) – The left-hander has a 2.86 ERA with 8.6 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 50 1/3 total innings with the Royals and Giants. He's arbitration eligible again this offseason so he’ll be back in San Francisco — unless the Giants non-tender him again.
• Aaron Laffey, Blue Jays (non-tendered by Royals) – Laffey has made 11 starts and six relief appearances with the Blue Jays, posting a 4.46 ERA in 78 2/3 innings with Toronto.
• Joe Saunders, Orioles (non-tendered by Diamondbacks) – The Diamondbacks re-signed Saunders for $6MM — less than he would have obtained going through the arbitration process — and obtained 130 solid innings from him before sending him to Baltimore last month. In 141 2/3 total innings, Saunders has a 4.26 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.
• Mike Baxter, Mets (non-tendered by Mets) – The outfielder has a .285/.390/.444 batting line in 172 plate appearances with the Mets. Terry Collins has limited Baxter's exposure to left-handers this year.
• Jeff Keppinger, Rays (non-tendered by Giants) – As I explained yesterday, Keppinger is adding lots of value with his versatility and bat. The lefty-masher is hitting .328/.375/.443 in 2012.
• Pedro Ciriaco, Red Sox (non-tendered by Pirates) – Ciriaco has played second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions for the Red Sox this year while posting a .312/.324/.422 batting line and stealing ten bases in as many attempts. An unexpectedly valuable pickup by GM Ben Cherington.
• Ryan Theriot, Giants (non-tendered by Cardinals) – Theriot has picked up lots of playing time in San Francisco, posting a .265/.314/.313 batting line in 364 plate appearances.
• Luke Scott, Rays (non-tendered by Orioles) – Scott has 13 home runs but he's hitting just .223/.274/.439 in Tampa Bay and missed time with a strained oblique and back spasms.