Cleveland Indians: Lack of qualifying offers isn’t a surprise

The Cleveland Indians didn’t extend a single qualifying offer before today’s deadline. That should not come as a surprise given the price.

The Cleveland Indians had the chance to extend qualifying offers to some big name players today.

Andrew Miller, Michael Brantley and Cody Allen were the top candidates to receive the one-year offer worth $17.9 million.

That is a high price tag when the team can still negotiate cheaper deals with the players, so the Indians decided to test the market.

Before some fans panic, this only means that the Indians aren’t offering those specific one-year deals. The team will still certainly remain favorites to re-sign one or all of the players, depending on the price.

I am not surprised by this decision. Our Matt Bretz wrote earlier today that he believed both Miller and Brantley should have received the offers. I would agree if the Indians had the financial flexibility, but I was of the belief that the team would not even consider extending a qualifying offer to any of the eligible players.

Right when this news was announced, Buster Olney decided to keep the news coming.

I see this relating to the qualifying offer decisions. The Indians didn’t want to commit to anyone until they know the situation of many others on the team. If payroll can be cut by trading a big name, that could clear up space for someone like Brantley to sign a multi-year deal.

The obvious big contract to move would be that of Edwin Encarnacion. The key with that would be to find a replacement that doesn’t set the team back in the name of cutting costs.

One thing to remember is that the Indians are only listening to offers. As they should. Every team should listen to offers for big name players. If a team is willing to make a deal that would actually benefit the Indians, it is worth it. Fans would get over it if the new players contributed to a World Series title.