By 5pm today we will know if the Blue Jays have extended a qualifying offer to Josh Johnson. The qualifying offer does not guarantee that JJ will return but it seems inlikely that a team would sign Johnson and surrender a first round draft pick as well.
The Jays have had lots of time to debate this, does the thin market for free agent pitchers over-ride Johnson's terrible 2013? Does Johnson's post season surgery help or hinder the process? What are the "payroll paramaters" for 2014, will the offer to Johnson deplete the Jays pocketbook?
I assume that AA will hit the airwaves once the decision is announced so we should get the logic then.
https://www.battersbox.ca/article.php?story=20131104093448384