The Chicago White Sox surprised the baseball world this past weekend by not extending a Qualifying Offer (QO) to LHP Carlos Rodón. While most free agents don’t accept QOs, instead hoping to test the market to get a bigger and/or longer-term deal, there was a small chance the 28-year-old might have accepted the QO—this year set at $18.4M, not an insignificant amount—in an attempt to rebuild value for a longer contract after a disappointing second half. Instead, Rodón will potentially walk, and the White Sox will receive no draft pick compensation when and if he does.
The White Sox’s motivation in not extending the QO to Rodón is largely a cost-saving (read: cheap) move, especially after they picked up Craig Kimbrel’s $16M option, but there are other factors at play, at well.