Blue Jays Extend Qualifying Offer To Marco Estrada

The Blue Jays have extended a qualifying offer to Marco Estrada. The 32 year old right hander will have until November 13th to accept or decline the one year contract. The qualifying offer is worth 15.8 million dollars. If Estrada declines and signs elsewhere, the Blue Jays would receive a compensatory draft pick after the end of the first round. 

Estrada broke out last season, posting a 3.13 earned run average across 181 innings. Though he was terrific in the playoffs, this offer does carry some significant risk. Estrada has yet to throw 200 innings in one season, while more advanced statistics were not as high on him. 

It will be extremely interesting to see whether or not Estrada accepts the offer. He may be looking to cash in on a multi-year deal, but he would likely receive a lower annual salary in this scenario. If he takes a gamble on himself and accepts the offer, another strong year could net him yet another significant qualifying offer. 

Against Estrada last season, hitters were making a significant amount of contact when swinging at pitches outside of the strike zone. It seems that Estrada generated a ton of weak contact as a result. The question becomes: Is this a sustainable skill set going forward? 

Now that Estrada has been extended a qualifying offer, do we want him to accept or decline? Let us know what you think in the poll.