The deadline for teams to extend qualifying offers (a one-year, $19.65 million deal for 2023) to their free agents is today at 5 p.m. ET.
Players who accept qualifying offers are signed with their teams for the next season at the designated value. Those who don’t accept remain free agents, and if a new team signs them, their old team receives Draft pick compensation. From the time the system was implemented in 2012, only 11 of the 110 players to receive a QO have accepted it.
We’re keeping track of this year’s qualifying-offer decisions below. (Also included below is a breakdown of the rules regarding Draft compensation and penalties tied to the QO.)
Cubs: C Willson Contreras (per report)
The rebuilding Cubs were expected to move Contreras prior to the Trade Deadline in 2022, but they surprisingly held onto him. He has received a qualifying offer from the club, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman. The 30-year-old is a free agent after seven seasons with Chicago, during which he hit .256 with 117 homers and an .808 OPS. He finished 2022 with 22 homers and a career-high 128 OPS+.
Rangers: LHP Martín Pérez (per report)
A free agent for the fifth straight offseason, Pérez could see a greater demand for his services after notching a 2.89 ERA over 196 1/3 innings for the Rangers in 2022. The veteran left-hander, who signed a one-year, $4 million contract with Texas last March, had a 4.71 ERA for the Rangers, Twins and Red Sox across his first 10 seasons. The Rangers are planning to extend a QO to Pérez, according to MLB Network insider Jon Heyman.
Yankees: OF Aaron Judge
Judge’s final year before free agency was one of the ages, as the 6-foot-7 slugger set an AL record with 62 homers while leading MLB in RBIs (131), runs (133), OPS (1.111) and WAR (10.6). Since his 2017 rookie season, Judge has hit 28 more dingers than anyone else. He’s also an above-average defender in right field and showed the ability to handle center field on a consistent basis in 2022. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed that the Yankees will extend a QO to Judge.
Yankees: 1B Anthony Rizzo
After being dealt from the Cubs to the Yankees at the 2021 Trade Deadline, Rizzo was ineligible to receive a qualifying offer when he reached free agency last offseason. The first baseman became a free agent again when he opted out of the final year on his two-year, $32 million contract with New York. The 33-year-old improved his value with 32 homers and a 131 OPS+ over 130 games in 2022. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman confirmed that the Yankees will extend a QO to Rizzo.
MOST LIKELY CANDIDATES TO RECEIVE QO
Braves: SS Dansby Swanson
The No. 1 overall pick in 2015, Swanson has developed into one of the best all-around shortstops in baseball, blasting 52 homers over the past two seasons and leading his position with 21 outs above average in 2022. His 5.7 WAR put him third among shortstops behind Tommy Edman and Xander Bogaerts this past season.
Dodgers: LHP Tyler Anderson
Anderson’s $8 million deal with the Dodgers last March marked his third straight one-year contract (each with a different team) in free agency. However, the left-hander’s value is significantly higher after his breakout 2022 season, which saw him post a 2.57 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and a 4.06 K/BB ratio in 178 2/3 innings.
Dodgers: SS Trea Turner
Turner is not only one of the fastest players in baseball, he’s also a potent hitter, winning a batting title in 2021 and posting a .311/.361/.509 slash (131 OPS+) since the beginning of 2019. Only nine position players across the Majors had more WAR than Turner (11.2) in the past two years.
Giants: LHP Carlos Rodón
The White Sox opted not to extend a qualifying offer to Rodón when he became a free agent last offseason. The left-hander became a free agent when he opted out of the last year on his two-year, $44 million contract with the Giants. Rodón dealt with persistent injuries and performed inconsistently prior to 2021, but he’s pitched like an ace over the past two seasons, recording a 2.67 ERA and a 12.2 K/9 over 55 starts.
Mets: RHP Chris Bassitt
A late-bloomer, Bassitt is a free agent for the first time at the age of 33. After throwing just 191 1/3 innings through his age-29 season, the right-hander has posted a 3.31 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and a 3.43 K/BB ratio over 546 innings since the start of 2019. He made a career-high 30 starts and had a 3.42 ERA in 2022 after being traded from the A’s to the Mets in March.
Mets: RHP Jacob deGrom
One of the most dominant hurlers in the game when healthy, deGrom became a free agent for the first time when he opted out of the final year left on his five-year, $137.5 million deal with the Mets. The 34-year-old has battled injuries in recent years, but he’s a two-time Cy Young Award winner with a career 2.52 ERA and 5.30 K/BB ratio.
Mets: OF Brandon Nimmo
Nimmo finished 2022 with a .274/.367/.433 slash, 16 homers, 102 runs scored and 5.0 WAR over a career-high 151 games, marking just the second time in seven seasons (including the shortened 2020 season) that he reached 100 games played. Having proved to be a capable defender in center field as well as a disciplined hitter with some pop, Nimmo could capitalize on a weak center-field market in free agency.
Red Sox: SS Xander Bogaerts
Bogaerts had three years left on his six-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox, but he opted out to become a free agent. The four-time All-Star ranks third among shortstops behind Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor with 33.7 wins above replacement, per Baseball-Reference, since the beginning of 2015.
Red Sox: RHP Nathan Eovaldi
Entering his 12th MLB season, Eovaldi just finished up a four-year, $68 million contract with the Red Sox. After struggling in 2019, the right-hander posted a 3.79 ERA with a 5.65 K/BB ratio over 61 starts in the past three seasons. He made the All-Star team for the first time in 2021 and placed fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting at the end of the year.
INELIGIBLE FOR QUALIFYING OFFER
Not every free agent can receive the QO. Players who have previously received a QO are ineligible, which means the following free agents are not eligible to receive one:
José Abreu (White Sox), Brandon Belt (Giants), Carlos Correa (Twins), Nelson Cruz (Nationals), Zack Greinke (Royals), Kenley Jansen (Braves), Craig Kimbrel (Dodgers), AJ Pollock (White Sox), David Robertson (Phillies), Carlos Santana (Mariners), Will Smith (Astros), Noah Syndergaard (Phillies), Justin Verlander (Astros)
Players who weren’t continuously with an organization, either in the Minors or Majors, from Opening Day until the end of the regular season are also ineligible. Notable free agents in this category include:
Elvis Andrus (White Sox), Josh Bell (Padres), Andrew Benintendi (Yankees), Brandon Drury (Padres), Joey Gallo (Dodgers), Trey Mancini (Astros), David Peralta (Rays), Tommy Pham (Red Sox), José Quintana (Cardinals), Taylor Rogers (Brewers), Christian Vázquez (Astros)
Compensation for losing players who reject their QO
• If a team gives a qualifying offer to a player who then signs elsewhere, the club that lost the player is eligible for Draft pick compensation. The QO rules state that if the team that loses the free agent is a revenue-sharing recipient, based on its revenues and market size, then the selection — if and only if the lost player signs for at least $50 million — will be awarded a pick between the first round and Competitive Balance Round A of the 2022 MLB Draft. If the player signs for less than $50 million, the compensation pick for those teams would come after Competitive Balance Round B, which follows the second round.
The following 14 teams currently qualify for these picks: Athletics, Brewers, D-backs, Guardians, Mariners, Marlins, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers and Twins.
• If the team that loses the player does not receive revenue sharing and did not exceed the luxury-tax salary threshold the previous season, its compensatory pick will come after Competitive Balance Round B. The value of the player’s contract doesn’t matter in this case.
The 10 teams in this category: Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Nationals, Rangers and White Sox.
• If the team that loses the player went over the luxury-tax threshold, the compensation pick will be placed after the fourth round has been completed (as with the previous scenario, it doesn’t matter how much the player signs for).
Six clubs exceeded the threshold in 2022: Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees
Penalties for signing players who reject their QO
Any team that signs a player who has rejected a qualifying offer is subject to the loss of one or more Draft picks. However, a team’s highest first-round pick is exempt from forfeiture. Three tiers of Draft pick forfeiture — based on the financial status of the signing team — are in place to serve as a penalty for signing a player who rejected a qualifying offer:
• A team that exceeded the luxury tax in the preceding season will lose its second- and fifth-highest selections in the following year’s Draft, as well as $1 million from its international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period. If such a team signs multiple qualifying-offer free agents, it will forfeit its third- and sixth-highest remaining picks as well.
Teams in this group this offseason: Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees
• A team that receives revenue-sharing money will lose its third-highest selection in the following year’s Draft. If it signs two such players, it will also forfeit its fourth-highest remaining pick.
Teams in this group: Athletics, Brewers, D-backs, Guardians, Mariners, Marlins, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers and Twins.
• All other teams will lose their second-highest selection in the following year’s Draft, as well as $500,000 from their international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period. If one of these teams signs two such players, it will also forfeit its third-highest remaining pick and an additional $500,000.
Teams in this group: Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Nationals, Rangers and White Sox.