Mark Canha deserves Qualifying Offer

Mark Canha ranks amongst the top of the list when it comes to upcoming decisions for the Oakland A’s. The impressive outfielder is eligible for free agency once the postseason officially comes to an end, leaving the A’s with several options. They could simply let him walk (which is the most likely), attempt to retain his services, and/or place the Qualifying Offer on Canha.

For almost any other team, this would not be much of a debate. Canha deserves the QO, as his presence both in the A’s lineup and his excellent glove in the outfield are vital. But this is the A’s – the idea that any type of money will be spent is laughable at best.

Mark Canha deserves Qualifying Offer

But there are players that the A’s need to break their typical patterns for. Canha is one of those. While his overall numbers may not seem impressive to anyone outside the organization, as he posted a 111 OPS+ with 17 homers and 22 doubles over his 625 plate appearances.

Canha is far more than that. He would be the only given in the A’s outfield at the start of the 2022 season, especially since Ramon Laureano will be missing the first few weeks as his PED suspension comes to an end. The A’s need some stability to begin the year.

He has also been brilliant defensively. Canha has saved 12 runs defensively in left over his career, and is a boon for the A’s pitching staff. As the A’s will probably need to win through pitching and defense in 2022, bringing Canha back for his glovework would make a great deal of sense.

But in the end, these are the Oakland A’s. They have their specific budget and will not stray from that number, no matter which players are available. Or, in this case, no matter how much a player may matter to their roster for the long term.

Mark Canha deserves to receive the Qualifying Offer. The problem is that the Oakland A’s are unlikely to make that offer because of their budget.