DENVER -- Keeping the door open to re-signing free-agent Michael Cuddyer but also protecting themselves if they can't, the Rockies extended a $15.3 million qualifying offer for 2015 to the first baseman-outfielder on Monday.
Cuddyer, who becomes eligible to sign with another club on Tuesday, has until next Monday at 3 p.m. MT to accept. Should he sign with another team before the deadline or decline the offer, the Rockies will receive a compensatory selection between the first and second round of the 2015 MLB First-Year Player Draft. 
In three seasons with the Rockies, which included a National League batting championship in 2013, Cuddyer has hit .307 with 76 doubles, six triples, 46 home runs and 173 RBIs."Michael is someone who has had a great impact on this organization both on and off the field for the past three years," Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich said in the official announcement. "After weighing our options, we felt the qualifying offer was in the best interest of the organization."The Rockies as currently constructed offer an uncertain fit for Cuddyer, but the club could attempt to make it work. Cuddyer could have a number of suitors who could offer a multiyear deal, but those teams also have to weigh an extensive injury history. His statistics with the Rockies have been strong, but he has played in 280 games in the three seasons -- or just under 58 percent of the possible games. In 2014, he went to the disabled list twice with left hamstring injuries and missed 60 games with a fractured left shoulder.Cuddyer could also accept the Rockies' offer or use it as basis for a multiyear deal and see where the club goes in putting together its 2015 roster.Justin Morneau, who won the NL batting title in 2014, is the first baseman, and Carlos Gonzalez is expected to return from season-ending knee surgery and start in right field after playing left previously. Corey Dickerson, who batted .312 in 131 games last year and established himself as a youthful outfield option, figures to play in left field.Cuddyer, who turns 36 in March, has said he does not consider himself a platoon player.
Thomas Harding/ MLB.com
In three seasons with the Rockies, which included a National League batting championship in 2013, Cuddyer has hit .307 with 76 doubles, six triples, 46 home runs and 173 RBIs."Michael is someone who has had a great impact on this organization both on and off the field for the past three years," Rockies general manager Jeff Bridich said in the official announcement. "After weighing our options, we felt the qualifying offer was in the best interest of the organization."The Rockies as currently constructed offer an uncertain fit for Cuddyer, but the club could attempt to make it work. Cuddyer could have a number of suitors who could offer a multiyear deal, but those teams also have to weigh an extensive injury history. His statistics with the Rockies have been strong, but he has played in 280 games in the three seasons -- or just under 58 percent of the possible games. In 2014, he went to the disabled list twice with left hamstring injuries and missed 60 games with a fractured left shoulder.Cuddyer could also accept the Rockies' offer or use it as basis for a multiyear deal and see where the club goes in putting together its 2015 roster.Justin Morneau, who won the NL batting title in 2014, is the first baseman, and Carlos Gonzalez is expected to return from season-ending knee surgery and start in right field after playing left previously. Corey Dickerson, who batted .312 in 131 games last year and established himself as a youthful outfield option, figures to play in left field.Cuddyer, who turns 36 in March, has said he does not consider himself a platoon player.
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