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Of the long list of free agents hitting the market now that the season is over, thirteen have received qualifying offers. Here's a quick rundown of the list.
Outfield
- Carlos Beltran
- Shin-Soo Choo
- Nelson Cruz
- Jacoby Ellsbury
- Curtis Granderson
First base
- Mike Napoli
- Kendrys Morales
Shorstop
- Stephen Drew
Starting pitcher
- Ubaldo Jimenez
- Hiroki Kuroda
- Ervin Santana
Second base
- Robinson Cano
Catcher
- Brian McCann
Under Major League Baseball's current collective bargaining agreement, each player has six days to decide whether or not to accept the qualifying offer. That's a one-year contract which is worth $14.1 million this year. If the player declines the offer, the team that signs him must surrender its highest unprotected draft pick as compensation. His former team receives a pick in the sandwich round between the first and second rounds of the following season's amateur draft.
The Mets are clearly looking to upgrade in the outfield, at shortstop, and possibly at first base. Several of the players who received qualifying offers seem like pretty natural fits, assuming the Mets actually have the ability and desire to sign free agents of significance this winter.