According to the Associated Press, Major League Baseball has officially set the qualifying offer at $22.025MM. The New York Post’s Joel Sherman reported last month that QO was around $22MM, and it was indeed slightly above that level.
Qualifying offers are calculated based on the average salary of the league’s 125 highest-paid players. Because wages at the top of the market generally rise, it tends to rise year over year. Last year’s QO price was set at $21.05, so it increased by $975,000. QO data in previous years is as follows:
- 2012-13: $13.3MM
- 2013-14: $14.4MM
- 2014-15: $15.3MM
- 2015-16: US$15.8MM
- 2016-17: $17.2MM
- 2017-18: $17.4MM
- 2018-19: $17.9MM
- 2019-20: $17.8MM
- 2020-21: $18.9MM
- 2021-22: $18.4MM
- 2022-23: $19.65MM
- 2023-24: $20.325MM
- 2024-25: $21.05MM
Teams have five days after the World Series to decide whether to extend a qualifying offer to any impending free agent. Players who receive a QO have 15 days to decide whether to accept a one-year deal or decline to find a better (usually multi-year) contract. During these 15 days, they were free to talk to all 30 teams to get an early understanding of their markets.
Not all free agents will be eligible for a qualifying offer. A player cannot be labeled QO more than once during his career. Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso and Cody Bellinger is one of this year’s free agents who has previously received a qualifying offer and therefore cannot be tagged again. Teams can only issue QOs to players who spent the entire previous season on their roster. Trade Deadline Acquisitions Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor and Merrill Kelly are ineligible, as are August Waiver claims Kim Ha Sung (If he opts out of the deal with the Warriors).
A qualifying offer gives the former team the right to draft compensation if the player declines and signs elsewhere. Luxury tax paying clubs receive draft picks after the fourth round. If the player signs at least $50MM guaranteed, revenue share recipients will receive a draft pick at the end of the first round; otherwise, additional draft selections will fall between the Competitive Balance Round B and the beginning of the third round (approximately No. 75). Regardless of the contract value, teams that neither pay the luxury tax nor receive revenue sharing will receive draft picks after the Competitive Balance Round B.
Signing an eligible free agent from another team is subject to draft and/or international bonus pool penalties. Luxury tax taxpayers lose the second- and fifth-highest picks in the 2026 draft, as well as $1MM in the 27-year bonus pool for international amateur players. The revenue-sharing recipients lost their No. 3 pick in the 2026 draft. Teams that neither pay the luxury tax nor accept revenue share will lose their second-highest draft pick and $500,000 in the 27-year international pool. If a team signs multiple eligible free agents in the same offseason, they lose another draft pick and gain a second matching hit in their international player pool.
Last offseason, the team extended qualifying offers to 13 players, with one player accepting. Definitely going to see every one this winter Kyle Tucker, Beau Bichette, Framber Valdez, Dylan Seth, Kyle Schwarber and rangers suarez Accept and reject one copy. Brandon Woodruff, Michael King, Edwin Diaz, Zach Gallen and Trent Grisham Everyone may also reject QO.
The Cubs might make a Shota Imaga Even if they don’t exercise the three-year, $57MM option on his services. Jack Flaherty If he declines his $20MM player option, he’ll be a fringe candidate for QO, and Lucas Giolito, Gleyber Torres and Devin Williams is a long-term possibility. There are usually one or two surprising QO decisions made each winter, among which Nick Martinez and Nick Pivetta A year ago, everyone was an unexpected recipient.
