Michael Cuddyer Extended Qualifying Offer By Colorado Rockies

Michael Cuddyer was extended the $15.3 million qualifying offer by the Colorado Rockies on Monday as the MLB off-season gets underway.

The Colorado Rockies love veteran outfielder Michael Cuddyer. Not only does he bring pop from the right side of the plate, an asset that is hard to find in today’s MLB landscape. He is also a valued leader in the clubhouse, something the Rockies cherish more than some teams.

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Unfortunately for the Rockies, their return on a three-year deal for Cuddyer has been diminished significantly by the injury bug. He won a batting title in 2013, but that was sandwiched in between 2012 and 2014 seasons that were undone by injuries. In 2014 Cuddyer played in just 49 games for the Rockies due to hamstring and shoulder injuries. With his contract up, he is set to hit the open market.

Coming off that kind of limited campaign and entering his age-36 season, it seemed highly unlikely that the Rockies would extend a $15.3 million qualifying offer to the free agent outfielder. The Colorado front office surprised the baseball world, then, by doing just that.

#Rockies have extended a qualifying offer to Michael Cuddyer. He has until next Monday at 3 p.m. MST to accept or decline.
— Colorado Rockies (@Rockies) November 3, 2014

That means that any interested team will have to give up a high draft pick to sign Cuddyer. The New York Mets, for example, were said to be interested in Cuddyer, but it will now cost them the 15th pick in the 2015 draft to sign him. It is unlikely they will pay that price.

We have seen what the qualifying offer does to a free agent’s value. Furthermore, players superior to Cuddyer have seen their market go quiet because of this system (see Nelson Cruz). When considered in those terms, it seems likely that this decision paves the way for Cuddyer’s return to Colorado, whether because he accepts the offers or negotiates a multi-year deal.

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