Guys like Santana and Jiminez (and the other guys with draft pick compensation attached) are in tough for a variety of reasons but I expect some of it might be temporary. I'm not too put off by the offers they Jays have been reported to offer because there are two pitchers left at this point so they can play a game of chicken with them. Maybe one of them panics and accepts the deal (or counters with something that is not far off, like 11 million for 3 years). What do you have to lose at this point? That being said, the tune will change when there is only one of them left. I expect both Santana and Jiminez are hoping to be the latter of the two that sign.
Perhaps we will see players begin to accept qualifying offers from teams after the upcoming season. The numbers thrown around (not just in this report but also things that are floating around for Drew) are far less than the 14.1 million in qualifying offers. The draft pick compensation along with the lost signing bonus money seems to be a huge drag on free agent compensation. It makes you wonder what the MLBPA was expecting or hoping for when they agreed to this system.
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