The price of a qualifying offer for this year's major league free agents rose 5.1% to $23.15 million, up from $22,025,000. The figure is determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year.
The qualifying offer has moved up and down in recent years. It dropped by $100,000 to $17.8 million in 2019, then rose to $18.9 million in 2020, fell $500,000 in 2021 and rose to $19.65 million in 2022, $20,325,000 in 2023 and $21.05 million in 2024. Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 18 of 157 offers have been accepted.
A free agent can receive a qualifying offer only if he has been with the same team continuously since opening day and has never received one before. Among the top players eligible are Seattle outfielder Randy Arozarena, New York Yankees left-hander David Bednar, Pittsburgh second baseman Brandon Lowe and Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki. A record four players accepted offers last year: Shota Imanaga, Brandon Woodruff, Trent Grisham and Gleyber Torres.
A qualifying offer can be made through the fifth day after the World Series, and a player has a week to accept. If a player signs elsewhere before the amateur draft, his former club receives a draft pick as compensation, with the placement depending on the new contract's amount and the former team's revenue-sharing and luxury tax status.
Source: ESPN MLB · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing