As expected, the Phillies did not extend qualifying offers to pitcher Roy Halladay and catcher Carlos Ruiz, according to Todd Zolecki and other sources. What does this mean? Not too much. It does not rule out that either would return to the Phillies. But, here is what the process means, for those not familiar.
In the latest collective bargaining agreement the free agent compensation process was revised. When players hit free agency, the team who held the contract of the player can extend what they refer to as a "qualifying offer" to the player of a one-year contract. The financial compensation would be the average salary of the highest-paid 150 players for that one-year deal.
If the team extends the offer, they would received a compensatory draft pick after the first round if that player signs with another team. If a team signs a player who received an offer, then they will surrender their first round draft pick, provided they did not finish in the bottom 10 in the standings.
So, if the Phillies gave Halladay or Ruiz a qualifying offer, they would essentially be offering each player a one-year deal for $14.1 million. Neither player is likely worth that. That number could be closer to what Ruiz gets for two years from a team, and Halladay probably needs to sign a low-value, incentive-laden deal to help him rebuild his value as he rebuilds his health.
Either player is free to sign deals such as the aforementioned one with the Phillies or another team. So, in essence, nothing has really changed.
