Dodgers Opinion: Who is eligible for the Qualifying offer, and what does the team do?

The 2023 MLB season is officially over, with the Rangers defeating the NL West rival Diamondbacks, thus kicking off the offseason. Here at DodgersBeat, we have already covered the Dodgers’ six club options and the team’s free-agent pool, but LA also has two players who could receive the qualifying offer.

This year’s qualifying offer is set at 20.5 million dollars and, if offered, would compensate the team with a draft pick if that player declines and leaves in free agency.

Clayton Kershaw

The Dodgers’ longtime ace is heading to free agency for the 2nd straight season; however, compared to last offseason, Kershaw has a lot to consider due to his overall health and if he would like to potentially leave LA and go to his hometown Rangers who just made it to the World Series.

The Dodgers and Andrew Freidman have made it clear that the team would not offer Kershaw the qualifying offer out of a sign of respect, as once a player is offered the QO, he must accept or decline within five days. With Kershaw taking time to get his shoulder checked and the uncertainty with his future, I imagine the Dodgers front office will keep that promise and allow Kershaw to think about his potential baseball future.

However, the team has already expressed interest that if Kershaw wants to play in 2024, they would gladly welcome him back. While Kershaw was not sharp in October, he was one of the Dodger’s best starters this year when healthy, posting a 2.46 ERA in 131.2 IP.

J.D. Martinez 

If it were any other offseason, this would be a no-brainer decision for the Dodgers to offer Martinez the qualifying offer; however, with Ohtani on the market, this offseason is anything but ordinary.

The Dodgers took a chance on Martinez, who was returning from an up-and-down 2022 campaign, which saw his offensive production diminish due to health down the stretch of the season. The Red Sox moved on, and Martinez went to the Dodgers to reunite with his former teammate and friend, Mookie Betts, and his hitting coach, who helped him revitalize his career.

Martinez bet on himself and won, posting his best season since 2019, hitting 33 bombs, 103 RBI, 134 OPS+, and a .893 OPS in 113 games this past season. With this production, he played himself to a nice pay raise and, potentially, a multiyear deal. However, as mentioned, Ohtani could complicate things for the Dodgers as he is expected to be their number one target this offseason, and he cannot pitch or play the field next year due to a UCL surgery.

If the Dodgers offer Martinez the QO and he accepts, the team cannot trade him until after June 15th, and if they somehow land Ohtani, you would have two designated hitters on the team. With that being said, the Dodgers more than likely will pass on the QO, which is unfortunate as they lose the possibility of getting a draft pick for him.

However, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic wrote that because of the season Mariznez had and this age, he could potentially look to take on a multiyear deal rather than the one-year 20.5 million dollar option.

It’s a market that Martinez should be at least near the top of. A multiyear deal seems like a strong possibility. Something that could hinder his market, however: The Dodgers can still give Martinez the qualifying offer (a one-year deal worth approximately $20.5 million), meaning whoever signed him would have to surrender a draft pick to Los Angeles. The Dodgers will have up to five days after the World Series to make that decision.

via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic

Conclusion

The Dodgers only have two eligible players for qualifying offers this offseason. I expect both players not to get the offer extended to them out of respect for Kershaw and not to hinder their chances for Ohtani in the first five days of the offseason.