According to Jon Heyman (FanRag) the Tampa Bay Rays Rays will extend a $17.4-Million qualifying offer to right-hander Alex Cobb.
alex cobb, who’s made $9M in career, will get $17.4M qualifying offer from rays. had 3.66 era in walk year, has top changeup, just turned 30
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 6, 2017
Cobb, 30, is a free agent this offseason after spending his first six big league seasons with the Rays. In his second season removed from Tommy John Surgery, the right-hander made 29 starts and went 12-10 with a 3.66 ERA/4.16 FIP (4.24 xFIP) with 128 strikeouts over 179-1/3 innings. He was good at inducing ground balls (47.8% GB%) — something that is highly coveted by most teams league wide — and limiting walks (2.21 BB/9), although he lagged in the strikeout department last season, culling a 6.42 K/9 which was down from his career 7.33 K/9. The drop in Cobb’s strikeout rate is largely attributed to the absence of his much ballyhooed changeup which he had a hard time regaining the feel for after undergoing the knife in 2015. He made up for the loss with his curveball, as well as a two-seam fastball that he mixed in every now and then.
The qualifying offer is a one-year deal worth $17.4-Million for 2018, the average salary of MLB’s 125 highest-paid players. If Cobb turns it down and signs elsewhere, Tampa Bay would receive a 2018 draft pick as compensation.
However, there is a caveat. As Marc Topkin (Tampa Bay Times) explained, the Rays, as a revenue sharing recipient, would get a compensation pick after the first round of the 2018 draft if Cobb signs for $50-Million plus, a pick after the second round if less. Cobb and his agent have until November 16 to decide whether to take the qualifying offer and stay with the Rays for one more season (thus becoming a free agent following 2018) or test the free agent market now.
Topkin also listed some key dates/deadlines to look forward to:
Monday, 5 PM: Free agents can sign with new teams, qualifying offers made
November 16: Decisions due on qualifying offers
November 20: Additions made to 40-man roster to protect players from Rule 5 draft; several Rays prospects in play, led by 1B/OF Jake Bauers, RHP Brent Honeywell
December 1: Nontender decisions on arbitration eligible players
The St. Petersburg mayoral election is Tuesday
For those of us tired of the muckraking associated with a long mayoral campaign cycle, fret not, we’ve only got two more days to deal with the Tampa Bay Times‘ one-sided reporting in favor of Rick Baker. Personally, I cannot wait to not be bombarded by campaign advertisements dealing with the release of partially treated sewage, among other things. Not that release of partially treated sewage didn’t happen (it did) and not that it wasn’t dealt with improperly by the Kriseman administration (it wasn’t) — which the Mayor fessed up to on multiple occasions. More so, however, I am highly skeptical that Mr. Baker can move us forward, especially taking into consideration how he ran the city in the early aughts.
I wrote about that very subject a week back:
Opinion Piece: I will not be voting for Rick Baker, and neither should you
But, I left out one huge reason not to vote for Mr. Baker … one that relates directly to this blog and the Tampa Bay Rays’ stadium search.
As Noah Pransky (Shadow of the Stadium blog, WTSP News) wrote back in August, St. Pete’s next mayor will help determine if the city will be the long-term home to a major league baseball team or a major league soccer team. In short, Mayor Kriseman is the best bet for keeping the Rays in St. Petersburg.
Pransky went into the nuts and bolts on how the mayoral election could effect the stadium saga both here and here. Learn up on the issues and cast your ballot wisely on Tuesday, I already know who I won’t be voting for (cough, Rick Baker).