http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/sports/baseball/deadline-looms-for-baseball-teams-on-eligible-free-agents.html 2014-11-01 23:42:36 Deadline Looms for Baseball Teams on Eligible Free Agents Monday is the deadline teams will have to decide whether they want to offer their eligible free agents a $15.2 million qualifying offer that will protect them from receiving no compensation if a player decides to sign elsewhere. === On Thursday, more than 100 players became free agents, and a few dozen more could be granted free agency depending on the status of their contract options. Though the 2015 season is six months away, Monday represents a huge deadline: Teams will have to decide whether they want to offer their eligible free agents a $15.2 million qualifying offer that will protect them from receiving no compensation if a player decides to sign elsewhere. Sentimentality and sports do not often go well together, so what is a team to do when, shortly after winning the World Series, it suddenly has to decide how to handle the free agency of one of its most popular and productive players? In the case of In the spring, the Giants reportedly offered Sandoval a three-year, $40 million contract, which he rejected, and after he collected 26 postseason hits, and caught the final out of the World Series, he has made the decision that much harder. “Look, we’ll do the best we can,” Larry Baer, the Giants’ chief executive, told reporters when asked about the situation. “And up till now, the best we can has been to secure our guys.” A two-time All-Star with a .294 career batting average, Sandoval, 28, is an intriguing case because he has not performed at an elite level over the last several regular seasons and has the type of heavyset body that does not usually remain resilient. The Boston Red Sox, a team that could pursue Sandoval aggressively in light of their needs at third base, wrote the blueprint for succeeding without sentimentality by letting Pedro Martinez walk after they won the World Series in 2004. Like Sandoval, Martinez was a colorful and popular player, but the Red Sox determined that paying top dollar would be unwise. The move worked out well for Boston, as Martinez managed 30 or more starts just once in his last five seasons. If the Giants make a similar decision, their Panda-hatted fans may not be as accommodating as the Red Sox fans were about saying goodbye to their idol. Fourteen pitchers have each received contracts worth $100 million or more. Of that group, five were major disappointments, and another three have the potential to end up in that category. But history is unlikely to stop teams from handing out two or more $100 million deals before next season. The right-hander Also entering the “my grandchildren will be wealthy” category is James Shields The two best hitters available are Nelson Cruz For teams intrigued by Cruz’s power but wary of his age and inconsistent production, an alternative is It seems a little strange for Several quality relievers are available. The best one is The next tier of available relievers includes those with experience closing games like There comes a time for players when potential can no longer excuse a lack of production. A number of players appear to have hit that wall going into free agency this season. It may finally be time to abandon the hope that Asdrubal Cabrera For In the category of “they should have seen this coming,” And as painful as it is to say, A number of big-name players became free agents but are unlikely to return to the game. If he lives up to his word, Joining Dunn in retirement will be The legend of the right-hander Raul Ibanez Once a doubles machine and a major threat to steal a base,