He’ll sign in January when the 2020-2021 international signing period begins, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him in Spring Training come February, with a host of fellow Cubans (Yuli, Yordan, Aledmys, Cionel Perez, Armenteros) there to roll out the welcome wagon. The Astros would have signed him July 2 this year except MLB pushed the start date for international signings by 6 months on account of COVID.
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Patrick Creighton, who I gather is a Houston radio guy, tweeted last night that he’s hearing that Springer does not want to return to Houston. I wouldn’t put much stock into a Twitter rumor that cites zero sources, except that I think I remember our own Navin Johnson posting something similar a few months back.
Guess we’ll know in about a week if the Astros extend a QO.
Question:
Why would management not extend a QO to both Springer and Brantley? Aren’t both no-brainers? The only reason would be worry about overpaying, correct? I would expect that management would be more than happy to pay a 20% premium or more if only committed to a 1 year deal, which is exactly what the QO is. Just making sure I’m not missing something.
Not my money, and I haven’t thought through all the permutations, but I don’t see any downside to offering both. Any extra draft picks over the next couple of years would be most welcome.
I think you’re only allowed to extend 1 QO. Springer’s deal will be more per year than the qualifying amount. Brantley’s maybe not.
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From MLB site on QOs:
Clubs wishing to receive compensatory Draft picks for the loss of a free agent can make a one-year “qualifying offer,” worth the mean salary of MLB’s 125 highest-paid players, to their impending free agents prior to the onset of free agency if and only if:
- That player has never received a qualifying offer previously in his career.
- That player spent the entire season on that team’s roster (in-season acquisitions are ineligible).
Isn’t there a deadline for QO-offered FAs who sign in order for the former club to get a pick?
I seem to recall something along those lines with Keuchel. (He signed in-season with Atlanta).
The deadline is the next Draft Day. From MLB.com’s explanation of qualifying offers:
Blockquote
Players who are unsigned after the start of the Rule 4 Draft in the year that follows the rejection of their qualifying offer are no longer tied to draft pick compensation and can be signed without their new club needing to forfeit a draft pick.
You are correct about Keuchel. He and Craig Kimbrel both received QOs after the end of the 2018 season and both remained unsigned until after draft day 2019.
Nice article on Joe Smith. He lost his mother to Huntington’s over the summer. There’s a moving video on YouTube somewhere that chronicles her battle and he and his wife’s endeavors to have a Huntington’s-free child and to help others do the same.