Cody Snavely
The Dodgers had two players eligible to receive a qualifying offer this season and chose not to offer it to either player. This year, QO was set at 23.325 million, and both Clayton Kershaw and J.D. Martinez had the opportunity to receive it.
The Dodgers and Andrew Freidman have made it known in the past that out of respect, they would not offer him the qualifying offer as they want him and his family to take time in their decision, especially this offseason when Kershaw will now be recovering from major shoulder surgery. In a baseball economic sense, it makes even more sense now, based on the recent news of surgery, as Kershaw will miss a significant amount of time in 2024, and making a 23.325 million dollar commitment is very risky.
As for J.D. Martinez, the move to not offer him the QO legitimizes the club’s current interest in Shohei Ohtani, who, if signed, would take over the DH role for the foreseeable future. While Martinez may have played himself to a multi-year deal to close out his career, getting a 10 million dollar pay raise for one year could be very enticing to a player. While LA will bite the bullet on receiving a draft pick if Martinez signs elsewhere, they do not want to complicate things in the Ohtani raise in early November.
With the club options and qualifying offers done, MLB free agency has officially started, with all free-agent players allowed to sign with any club. Be sure to follow us here on DodgersBeat and listen to the Bleed Lod Podcast for all Dodgers news, rumors, and opinions.
