No Q.O.

Monday was MLB's deadline for teams to present qualifying offers to pending free agents. While most of the decisions were expected -- such as the Indians making one to 1st baseman/on-base percentage machine Carlos Santana and the Cardinals to pitcher Lance Lynn -- one omission surprised me. After a breakout season with a career-best 38 home runs, the Rays chose not to give the Q.O. to DH/1st baseman Logan Morrison. Did their cost-conscious management believe his season was a bit of a fluke? He hadn't broken the 20 homer plateau since 2011, when Morrison was still a Marlin.
Does that mean -- as we saw at the July trade deadline -- teams putting less value on the hardball? Or was Tampa Bay skeptical that this was the "real" Logan Morrison?
Either way, he hits free agency with no cost to a new team in draft picks. And the Rays, who picked up Lucas Duda from the Mets, might have more incentive to sign that other power-hitting lefty.
(This image of Morrison is from an April 2016 game at Yankee Stadium.)

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