Cubs Make Qualifying Offer To Dexter Fowler

(CBS) As expected, the Cubs made a one-year qualifying offer to center fielder Dexter Fowler on Friday, ahead of the start of free agency at 11:01 p.m. CT. The offer is worth $15.8 million, and Fowler has one week to decide whether he'll accept it.

He's expected to turn it down to seek a longer-term deal with far more guaranteed money, as no player under the current system has ever accepted a qualifying offer. If Fowler does decline it and signs elsewhere, the Cubs will receive a sandwich pick in the 2016 draft.

While it's more likely than not that Fowler leaves Chicago, he's still on the team's mind. Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein has expressed a desire to have a free-agent meeting with Fowler, and Epstein knows the value of a high on-base percentage player atop a powerful lineup.

Fowler hit .250 with a .346 on-base percentage and 102 runs in 2015.

There are many dynamics at play for the Cubs regarding their outfielder options, as Bruce Levine writes here.