Ervin Santana officially extended qualifying offer by Atlanta Braves

The first order of actual business for the Atlanta Braves in the 2015 off-season is in the books, as the team has officially issued a qualifying offer to free agent starting pitcher Ervin Santana.

This move was widely expected, but in short, the organization has offered Santana a one-year, $15.3 million contract for the 2015 season. If Santana chooses to accept the deal, the deal represents a reasonable market value for the now 31-year-old, and it would be just a slight bump from the $14.1 million that the right-hander earned during the 2014 campaign. On the flip, Santana could reasonably decline the tender in search of a multi-year agreement in Atlanta or elsewhere, and if that takes place, any team that signed “Big Erv” would owe a compensatory draft pick to the Braves in 2015.

In 31 starts last season, Ervin Santana accumulated 196 innings with a 3.95 ERA (as mentioned above), and given his potential upside above and beyond that mark, it would certainly not be a disaster if he chose to accept the offer. The Braves have some decisions to make with regard to next season’s starting rotation, and locking up a very solid option at a reasonable price would certainly alleviate some of the growing concern about who will fill the trio of spots in addition to Alex Wood and Julio Teheran.

Ervin Santana will now have a week to make his decision, and we will bring you the latest at that point. Stay tuned.