Playoff hero Daniel Murphy one of many players to receive a qualifying offer

(AP Photo) The World Series may have just ended, but the offseason is already in full swing. Players have already opted out of their deals and trades have already been completed. Now, we’re about to take on the next step: Qualifying offers.

Every Major League Baseball team has until 5 p.m. ET on Friday to extend a qualifying offer to their pending free agents. If a player is given a qualifying offer, he has one of two choices: He can accept the offer and return to the club on a one-year, $15.8 million deal, or he can decline the offer and enter the free-agent pool.

There are advantages and disadvantages to a team giving a player a qualifying offer. If the player declines and signs elsewhere, his former club will receive draft pick compensation. For example, the New York Yankees received an extra draft pick last season after closer Daniel Robertson signed with the Chicago White Sox. That’s because the team had previously given him a qualifying offer, but he rejected it.

The disadvantage for a team is reading the market wrong for an iffy player, and having that player accept the offer and return at an elevated salary. That’s actually never happened, though, so perhaps that fear is overblown. In this scenario, the club would get their player back on a one-year deal, but there would be draft pick compensation involved. The player would just return at a high salary.

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While no player has yet to accept a qualifying offer, teams still need to be cautious about which players receive one. Once a player gets a qualifying offer, they have one week to accept or decline that deal.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the players who have been given qualifying offers Friday. We’ll be constantly updating the list throughout the day.

DANIEL MURPHY, NEW YORK METS
This is a mild surprise, but Murphy’s excellent postseason may have forced the Mets’ hands. He’s likely to receive a multi-year deal on the market, so he will probably decline the offer.

JASON HEYWARD, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
A no-brainer. Heyward will decline the offer as he’s probably the best position player on the market and is set to make over $100 million this offseason. The Cardinals will get an extra draft pick.

ZACK GREINKE, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
No surprise here. Greinke will make a ton on the market and the Dodgers, unless they re-sign him, will get a draft pick.

ALEX GORDON, KANSAS CITY ROYALS
Another easy call. Gordon will decline and make a ton of money as a free-agent.

JEFF SAMARDZIJA, CHICAGO WHITE SOX
This one is tough. Samardzija is coming off a down season and he could benefit from taking a one-year offer to rebuild value. He’ll easily get a multi-year deal on the market, but it might not top $15.8 million per season. Samardzija will reportedly decline the offer, according to Bruce Levine of 670 The Score.

MARCO ESTRADA, TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Another tough decision. Estrada is coming off a nice year, but probably won’t get $15.8 million per season in his next contract.

JOHN LACKEY, ST. LOUIS CARDINALS
Lackey is 37 and made the league minimum last season. Accepting a qualifying offer would be a huge boost in salary, but he’s likely earned a two-year deal if he declines.

BRETT ANDERSON, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Anderson was healthy for the first time in a long time, and turned in a strong season. After posting a 3.69 ERA over 180 1/3 innings, he may be looking to secure a multi-year deal with another club. His value is the highest it’s been in forever.

HOWIE KENDRICK, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Kendrick is one of the better second basemen on the market. He’ll probably decline and take a bigger deal elsewhere.

IAN KENNEDY, SAN DIEGO PADRES
This is big test of the qualifying offer. Kennedy posted a 4.28 ERA with some major home run issues this season. He could accept the offer and try to rebuild some value, or maybe he, like everyone else, will prefer to receive a multi-year deal. If he declines, his market could be severely depressed, as he’s not the type of player teams want to surrender a draft pick to sign.

DEXTER FOWLER, CHICAGO CUBS
Fowler isn’t a huge name, but he had a nice season. He falls into the same category as Estrada or Lackey. He won’t make $15.8 million annually during his next deal, but signing a four-year contract with a club might be enticing.

COLBY RASMUS, HOUSTON ASTROS
Playoff heroics aside, Rasmus really only has one skill: Power. While that’s often coveted on the market, it’s unclear whether any team will want to give up a first-round draft pick to sign Rasmus. This one is difficult. Rasmus could be the first player to accept the qualifying offer.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik

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