Author's note: This is the second part of a two-part breakdown of the skills and effect of draft pick compensationon the free agent markets of theten starting pitchers saddled with a qualifying offer. examines the top five pitchers by projected contract: Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann, Jeff Samardzija, Wei-Yin Chenand Ian Kennedy.

The owners and the players union have struggled to devise a fair system for bringing balance to the unfair game of free agency. In a sport devoid of a salary cap and with a tremendous range in club payrolls, the current qualifying offer system represents an improvement over the former Type A/Type B free agent proce s, but still leaves much Marquise Goodwin Jerseys to be desired.

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The biggest losers in the qualifying offer system are not the clubs losing the draft picks to sign free agents, but rather the players with draft pick compensation attached. A suming rational actions of the clubs, every offer to a player with draft pick compensation attached will already factor in the cost of losing a pick, and ultimately come at the expense of the player.

For example, consider a player that a team valued at $30 million dollars over three years. Without draft pick compensation attached, the team would feel comfortable offering the full $30 million to the player. Contrarily, with draft pick compensation attached, a team would be forced to surrender an approximately $6-10 million a set (the draft pick) plus the money to sign the player, taking the total value of a sets required to sign the player to $36-$40 million. Instead of simply footing the bill, the team will either move on to a different player, driving the market down, or offer the player a le ser contract based on the difference between the value of the player and the value of the pick in our example, this would amount to a three year, $20-24 million contract.

There are ten free agent pitchers who have been saddled with the qualifying offer. Some, like Zack Greinke, will be receiving such a large payday that the qualifying offer will seem to have little effect on his market. Others, like Marco Estrada, could see their market collapse as a result. This article examines five moreavailable starting pitchers with a qualifying offer attached. The breakdown on each pitcher will include an analysis of the skills each brings to the table, a discu sion on the effect of the qualifying offer on their market, and a projected contract value.

6. Yovani Gallardo

In spite of changing his approach in response to dwindling fastball velocity as he ages, Yovani Gallardo has been a model of consistency during his nine-year career. Since solidifying a spot in the Brewers rotation in 2009, Gallardo has posted fWAR totals of at least 2.0 in each subsequent season. That consistency makes him a cheaper, righthanded version of Wei-Yin Chen, who was covered in the previous post.

On the negative side, Gallardos stellar 2015 season in Texas required significant good fortune. His strikeout rate fell for the seventh season in a row, this time all the way down to just 15.3 percent, while his walk rate climbed back up to 8.6 percent. FIP tells us that his 3.42 ERA should have been closer to a 4.00, but Gallardos status as a ground ball pitcher who forces opposing hitter to put just under half of balls in play on the ground mitigates some of the concern. The recent rise of the sinker in his arsenal, along with the continued increase of his slider usage last year up to 31.8 percent helps him keep the ball below the sweet spot of the barrel.

Gallardo will be marketed as a consistent mid-rotation starter, but projection systems are unsurprisingly forecasting regre sion from the 29 year old. His true talent over his next contract will likely be closer to a number four starter, and it is very difficult to justify surrendering both a draft pick and a significant amount of money for that level of production.

Effect of the qualifying offer : medium/high

MLB Trade Rumors projected contract : four years, $52 million

7. John Lackey

John Lackey enjoyed a great season in his only full season in St. Louis, allowing an ERA of just Roquan Smith Jerseys 2.77, keeping home runs down to le s than one per game, and posting strikeout and walk rates better than his career average. Despite mi sing the entire 2012 season due to injury, Lackey has returned with even more velocity than before, and sat 91.6 mph with his heater this season.

Lackey showed a slight change in approach in his two seasons in St. Louis. He increased his fastball rate to 67.6 percent and improved his first pitch strike rate to 70.8 percent. Former teammate Lance Lynn could be to thank for this change, as the now-injured righty is notorious for attacking hitters with fastball after fastball. In any case, the change worked, and Lackeys 3.6 fWAR was his highest since 2007, when he won 19 games.

For that level of production, Lackey can command a significant average annual value, but his age will scare teams away from making a significant commitment in years. If Lackey remains good over the course of a short-term contract, there is a very good chance he will receive and decline a qualifying offer after the conclusion of the contract he receives this winter. This means that a team with a protected pick could potentially surrender a second-round pick to acquire Lackey, let him walk in two-three years, and then acquire a supplemental first round pick in the ensuing draft. Retirement may foil this plan, but like the Orioles with Nelson Cruz, the draft pick compensation rule could actually drive up the market for a shrewd team who believes in his continued health and performance over the length of the contract.

Effect of the qualifying offer : low

MLB Trade Rumors projected contract : three years, $50 million

8. Hisashi Iwakuma

Hisashi Iwakuma looks like the biggest potential bargain on this list. The right-hander has used a terrific split-fingered fastball and plus command to carve through opposing lineups during his four years in the league. Despite mi sing a significant chuck of the 2015 season with an injury, Iwakuma proved himself in his walk year by throwing a no-hitter, keeping balls in play on the ground over 50 percent of the time, and posting the lowest hard hit rate of his career at 26.1 percent.

Iwakumas Lucas Patrick Jerseys velocity has dropped each season in the majors, from 90.3 his rookie season of 2012 to just 88.4 mph last season, but his biggest strengths, namely a deceptive splitter and the ability to locate all of his pitches, will remain in spite of the declining velocity.

Like Lackey, Iwakuma could conceivably allow his new team to move up in the draft by signing him and eventually letting him walk. The potential of a return to Japan, as is always a po sibility with aging Japanese players, makes this a le s likely outcome for Iwakuma than for Lackey. Most importantly for his dollar figures, the Steamer projection system forecasts a robust 3.3 fWAR and a 3.39 ERA for Iwakuma next season an on-field value that far outweighs the average annual value in his projected contract. A team buying the optimistic projection could be buying a potential bargain, even with the lo s of the draft pick.

Effect of the qualifying offer : low

MLB Trade Rumors projected contract : three years, $45 million

9. Brett Anderson

Here are Brett Andersons career innings pitched totals from 2009 through 2015: 175.1, 112.1, 83.1, 35.0, 44.2, 43.1, 180.1. The 180.1 innings total with the Dodgers last season is encouraging, and gives optimism to the career of a player whose ability to realize his full potential has been compromised by long, frequent trips to the disabled list.

In spite of the injuries, a healthy Anderson is a very good pitcher. The lefty has morphed into a ground ball specialist, and although his strikeout rate is a below-average 15.5 percent, his terrific 66.3 percent ground ball rate helps him steer clear of danger. He does not fool anyone in the zone, allowing a contact rate of 94 percent on pitches within the borders of the strike zone, but he also enjoyed the lowest hard-hit rate of his career at 24.1 percent and a robust 25.3 percent soft-hit rate, which is over five percent higher than last season.

Anderson became the first pitcher to accept the qualifying offer, choosing to bet on himself and his ability to stay healthy over a more lucrative bottom line. As a boom or bust free agent, Anderson certainly had a chance to provide a terrific value on a contract driven down by his ugly medical history, but also had a chance to become a sunk cost very quickly. By accepting the qualifying offer, Anderson gets a higher average annual value than what he likely would have gotten on the open market, while also putting pre sure on himself to enjoy another stellar season that could set him up for an even bigger payday next offseason.

Effect of the qualifying offer : high

Value of the qualifying offer : one year, $15.8 million

10. Marco Estrada

Selected 2015 statistics from Marco Estrada: 89.3 mph average fastball velocity, 18.1 percent strikeout rate (6.51 K/9), 1.19 HR/9, .216 BABIP, 32.2 percent ground ball rate, 4.40 FIP, 4.93 xFIP. It is easy to write off Estradas 3.21 ERA as a fluke, and while some of his succe s was certainly due to good fortune, like New York hip-hop artist AZ, Estradais rather unique. Germain Ifedi Jerseys

ingreater depth late in the season, and the short version is that he uses a rising 89.3 mph fastball, a plus changeup, unpredictable sequencing patterns, and a high rate of soft contact on fly balls to get outs. His status as an extreme fly ball pitcher makes him vulnerable to the longball, but he counters that by being stingy with BABIP. The total package is a low-end number three or solid four starter, depending on the significance of the regre sion.

Estrada saw his market dwindle after receiving the qualifying offer. As questions about his 2015 season as unsustainable lingered, and his profile as a soft-to sing right-hander with a home run problem remained, Estrada's agents would have had a difficult time finding a team to pay both fair market value and surrender a draft pick to acquire him.The Blue Jays, as the only club not having to surrender a draft pick to retain his services, had a ma sive competitive advantage in his watered-down market andwere able to sign him for a two year, $26 million contract. In the context of the qualifying offer, Estrada's new deal e sentially equates to an acceptance of the qualifying offer plus an additional year at $10.2 million a figure significantly le s than the qualifying offer.

Effect of the qualifying offer : high

Value of new contract: two years, $26 million

Dan Weigel is a contributor at Sporting News focusing on pitching. After pitching for the Bucknell University Bison, he has spent the past year working, coaching, and playing baseball abroad. Follow him on Twitter at .