Report: Ian Kennedy to decline qualifying offer from Padres

Free agent starting pitcher Ian Kennedy will look for a multi-year deal after rejecting the San Diego Padres‘ qualifying offer.

Starting pitcher Ian Kennedy will test the open market after rejecting a qualifying offer from the San Diego Padres, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports on Twitter.

Accepting the qualifying offer would have paid Kennedy $15.8 million for one season, and the Padres will now receive a draft pick if he signs with a team who doesn’t have a protected selection. Colby Rasmus became the first player ever to accept a qualifying offer yesterday.

Almost all of the top free agents are either going to get multi-year deals or aren’t worth nearly $16 million. However, Kennedy was one of the few free agents who arguably may have been better off accepting the qualifying offer.

Kennedy is coming off of one of the worst seasons of his career, as he posted a 4.28 ERA (4.51 FIP) in 30 starts per FanGraphs.com. Durability has been a major plus for Kennedy over the past few years, but teams are going to be concerned after he posted the lowest innings total of his career in 2015 at 30 years old.

The good news for Kennedy is that his strikeout rate has gone significantly up from earlier in his career and he is just a year removed from a 3.5 WAR season. Kennedy’s decision to reject the qualifying offer is understandable, but a one year deal to rebuild value might have helped Kennedy get a better contract next offseason.

Despite the concerns, Kennedy should receive about three-year deal for around $35 million. The fact that Kennedy will now come attached to giving up a draft pick will cost Kennedy some money, but he should still be able to sign this winter and avoid a Kendrys Morales situation from two years ago.

San Diego is likely happy that Kennedy declined the qualifying offer, as it can save some money and will get a draft pick to help repair a farm system that was dismantled last offseason. A couple of teams in win-pnow mode looking for a cheaper starting pitcher could be interested in Kennedy.

The Toronto Blue Jays will want to upgrade their starting pitching the offseason, but probably do not have the financial resources to sign an ace, so Kennedy could be a nice fit. Elsewhere, the Detroit Tigers will be in the market for multiple starting pitchers, and Kennedy is a solid secondary target.