Five MLB free agents who could have qualifying offer issues

Ian Desmond

The Washington Nationals shocked no one when they extended Ian Desmond a qualifying offer earlier this winter. The shortstop has been a fixture in Washington since becoming the starter in 2010 and had been a staple of consistency for the club. With the club likely needing a one year bridge to top prospect Trea Turner, the Nationals were more than willing to fork over the $15.8 million for one season.

While the Nationals extending the offer shocked no one, neither did the fact that Desmond turned it down. The Scott Boras client is in his prime and likely looking to take advantage as the best power-hitting middle infielder in the market.

Unfortunately, the timing could not have been worse for Desmond. During his walk year, the shortstop produced a dreadful .233/.290/.384 slash-line with a career-high 187 strike-outs.

Given his dip in at the plate, and his struggles defensively at shortstop this past season, Desmond may have misread his market significantly.

At last update, he and Boras were talking to the San Diego Padres about a deal. However, it appears San Diego has moved on to Alexei Ramirez, presumably because he offers a similar level of production to Desmond while not having draft pick compensation attached to him.

MLB Trade Rumors projected Desmond as signing a potential five-year, $80 million deal this winter. Had he been coming off of a solid performance, that may have been accurate, but with teams getting tapped out of resources and the market shifting toward second-tier arms and bullpen pieces, position players like Desmond may be forced to come down heavily on their prices if they want to find a home before Spring Training.

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