Brett Anderson Accepts Dodgers’ Qualifying Offer

Before today, no player under the current format had accepted a qualifying offer.

QO’s were always a formality that a team would offer as insurance. If they re-sign the player, the qualifying offer meant nothing. If the player signed with another team, that team would lose a draft pick and the former team would gain a comp pick.

Today, three qualifying offers were accepted. Brett Anderson could have been the first player in baseball history to accept one, but he waited too long and got beaten out by Colby Rasmus and Matt Wieters.

Nonetheless, Anderson will be back in Dodger blue next year as he agreed to the one-year, $15.8 million dollar contract.

Anderson drew the ire of many Dodger fans late in the season and had a forgettable postseason start. His overall numbers were fine, but many lost sight of the fact that he was signed to be the Dodgers’ number five starter, and injuries forced him into a much bigger role. If he put up a 3.69 ERA in 31 starts as a number five starter and had the lowest ground ball rate in baseball since 2006, we all would have been elated.

Oct 1, 2015; San Francisco, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Brett Anderson (35) pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at AT&T Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

If Anderson is the number three starter headed into next season, the Dodgers will once again be in trouble. It’s fair to assume that the rotation will feature more than Clayton Kershaw, Alex Wood and Brett Anderson next year. Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-jin Ryu will both eventually be back, and the Dodgers have the money for some of the high-end pitching available in free agency.

It’s a bit of a risk for him to accept the qualifying offer, as he’s been plagued with injuries and last year was only his second season of over 20 starts in his seven year career.

Dodger fans should be happy with this news. Anderson isn’t quite a premier pitcher, but he’s a damn good back-of-the-rotation option and the one-year contract makes the risk minimal. If the Dodgers signed him to a three year deal worth roughly $15 million/year, that would be a different story. But the risk for the Dodgers is tiny. Anderson is risking a lot, but he’s betting on himself staying healthy and being stronger down the stretch.

Howie Kendrick and Zack Greinke, obviously, declined their qualifying offers. The Dodgers are rumored to be interested in having both of them back, but if they sign with other teams the Dodgers will receive compensation in form of draft picks.

Anderson will be 28 in February and another solid, healthy season could give him a bigger contract heading into what should be the prime of his career.

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