3 players who'd be better off accepting their qualifying offers than testing free agency

Not only was Monday the deadline for players and teams to figure out player and club options, but it was also the deadline for teams to decide whether to extend qualifying offers to soon-to-be free agents.

According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, 13 players received qualifying offers, which is essentially a one-year deal worth $21.05 million.

For most of the 13 players who received the offer, it's nothing more than a formality. They'll decline the offer. The reason that, for example, the New York Yankees sent a qualifying offer to Juan Soto, a player who might make more than $700 million, was to ensure that if he left the organization as a free agent, they'd recoup a draft pick as compensation.

Most of the players who received the qualifying offer will decline it, but a small group of these players have difficult decisions to make. These three players in particular might accept it. In fact, an argument can be made that they'd be better off accepting the offer rather than testing free agency.

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3 players who should accept their qualifying offers instead of testing free agency

3) Luis Severino has more to prove before testing the free agency waters

Luis Severino signed a one-year deal worth $13 million to join the New York Mets last offseason hoping to resurrect his career. He did just that, posting a 3.91 ERA in 31 starts and 182 innings of work during the regular season, and pitching pretty well in the postseason as well.

Severino's talent has never been a question, but his durability has been throughout most of his nine-year career. After pitching like one of the best pitchers in the American League from 2017-2018, he made just 45 appearances (40 starts) from 2019-2023. Most starting pitchers make 30 or more starts over the course of one regular season. A myriad of injuries impacted Severino's availability greatly.

The fact that he was as healthy as he was in 2024 was great news for Severino and is why the Mets gave him the qualifying offer, to begin with, but it's tough to envision teams being willing to commit to multiple years to an injury prone starter who will be 31 by Opening Day when they also have to part with a draft pick to get him to sign.

Severino has a lot to gain if he proves he can put together back-to-back fully healthy seasons. If he can do that, he'll have a chance to really cash in and can do so without the draft pick being attached.

2) Nick Pivetta's inconsistency would come back to bite him in free agency

One of the more surprising qualifying offer decisions made was the Boston Red Sox extending one to Nick Pivetta. This choice was definitely a head-scratcher.

Pivetta has thrown at least 140 innings in each of his last four seasons which is definitely a plus, and the Red Sox rotation would definitely take a hit if he walked, but it's not as if Pivetta has the results that warrant receiving the qualifying offer. He had a 4.14 ERA in 27 appearances (26 starts) and 145.2 innings of work this past season and had a 4.29 ERA in parts of five seasons with the Red Sox. He was serviceable, no doubt, but $21.05 million is steep.

Pivetta has proven over the years that he's got tremendous stuff, but his inconsistency is maddening. On any given day, the right-hander can give his team seven shutout innings and follow that up with a three-inning dud five days later. This season alone he had seven starts in which he went at least six innings and allowed one run or fewer. He also had four starts in which he failed to pitch into the fifth inning and allowed five or more runs.

At the end of the day, Pivetta is a fine mid-rotation arm. He's worthwhile for most teams to roster, but not at the $21.05 million price tag. It's only a one-year deal, but for a team like the Red Sox who have been unwilling to spend like they should in recent years, it's strange that this was even offered. Pivetta should take it, have his best season yet, and then cash in next offseason when teams don't have to worry about giving up a draft pick to sign him.

1) It'd be shocking if Nick Martinez didn't accept the Reds qualifying offer

An argument can be made that no pitcher was more valuable than Nick Martinez in the month of September. The right-hander allowed just three earned runs in 32.2 innings pitched across five September starts en route to being named the NL pitcher of the month. As impressive as he was down the stretch and in his first season with the Cincinnati Reds, it's pretty surprising that he received the qualifying offer.

At 34 years old who just set career highs in innings pitched (142.1) and strikeouts (116), this might be Martinez's best chance to cash in on a lucrative multi-year deal. Will any team really give that to him, though?

As great as Martinez was this season, he was much better as a reliever (1.86 ERA in 26 appearances) than he was as a starter (3.84 ERA in 16 starts). This has been the case throughout his career as well (2.90 ERA as a reliever, 4.56 ERA as a starter). He's valuable as a swingman who can pitch out of the bullpen and start, but is a swingman worth over $21 million?

Martinez might be able to get a couple of years in free agency, but it's hard to see a team giving him that when they also have to give up a draft pick, especially when his track record isn't anything to write home about.