TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays confirmed Monday that they have extended qualifying offers to sluggers Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion.
Extending a qualifying offer — worth US$17.2 million — ensures that a team would receive draft pick compensation if a player signs elsewhere as a free agent.
Both Encarnacion and Bautista are coming off the option years of their respective contracts. Encarnacion earned US$10 million last season while Bautista earned $14 million.
Players have one week to decide whether to accept the one-year offer or reject it and try for a better deal on the open market.