Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
The Los Angeles Dodgers had 11 players become free agents the morning after the World Series concluded, and may add another to the group this weekend if a team option on Joe Kelly for the 2022 season is declined in favor of a $4 million buyout.
Of the Dodgers’ group of free agents this winter, Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager and Chris Taylor have widely been identified as likely to receive a qualifying offer. The one-year contract is valued at $18.4 million for next season.
On the surface, Kenley Jansen would figure to be a candidate as well. However, a player can only be extended a qualifying offer once in their career — and for Jansen that came in 2016. Furthermore, a player must have spent the entire season with one team to be eligible, which rules out Max Scherzer.
According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, Seager is considered a virtual lock to receive the qualifying offer from the Dodgers, but the expectation is not as clear for Kershaw and Taylor:
Of this class, here is how evaluators see the current QO market:
Will receive: Correa, Seager, Semien, Story, Freeman, Ray
Likely to receive: Castellanos, Syndergaard, Chris Taylor
Could receive: Michael Conforto, Jon Gray, Carlos Rodon, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Belt, Anthony DeSclafani, Raisel Iglesias
Complicated: Verlander, Kershaw
Beyond injury concern with Kershaw, another perceived roadblock to the Dodgers potentially not giving him a qualifying offer is to avoid what fallout could come for the left-hander in free agencyL
The complications with Kershaw: He’s coming off an arm injury — and, if he shows any inclination to leave, perhaps the Dodgers would not saddle him with a QO and harm his market as a thanks for all he has meant to the organization.
If the aforementioned Dodgers free agents are presented with a qualifying offer this weekend, they would have until Wednesday, Nov. 17, to accept or reject it.
Dodgers recent history with qualifying offer
Although players historically have declined the one-year contract from teams, such was not the case for Hyun-Jin Ryu (2019 season) and Brett Anderson (2016).
Both pitchers face health concerns, and it wound up paying off for Ryu as he put together an All-Star season that then led to a four-year, $90 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.
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