Blue Jays extend qualifying offer to Estrada

Though the Blue Jays are expected to lose several members from their 2015 rotation this winter, right-hander Marco Estrada could be back in Toronto next season, as the veteran received a $15.8-million qualifying offer Friday afternoon.

Estrada, who turned 32 in July, has one week to make a decision, though no player has accepted a qualifying offer since this system was introduced in 2012. If he rejects the one-year offer and heads to free agency, he will force the team that acquires him to forfeit their first pick in the 2016 draft, while the Blue Jays will receive a compensatory pick after the first round.

Acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason, Estrada opened the 2015 campaign in Toronto's bullpen, but was thrust into the rotation in early May. In 28 starts, Estrada fashioned a 3.28 ERA (4.43 FIP) with a 1.06 WHIP, limiting opponents to a .208 batting average, while posting the 17th-highest soft-hit ball rate (20.8 percent) among qualified starters.

Estrada shined in the postseason, too, crafting a 2.33 ERA with a 15:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in three starts, while staving off elimination in both Game 3 of the American League Division Series and Game 5 of the league championship series.