The qualifying offer price for this year’s major league free agents has increased to $21.05 million, up from $20,325,000 last offseason. This is a rise of $725,000, which represents a 3.6% increase.
This amount is based on the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year. The price dropped by $100,000 to $17.8 million in 2019, then rose to $18.9 million in 2020, fell by $500,000 in 2021, and went up to $19.65 million in 2022.
Qualifying offers were introduced after the 2012 season, and only 13 out of 131 offers have been accepted.
A free agent can receive a qualifying offer only if they have been with the same team since opening day and have never received one before.
Some top players who can become free agents after the World Series and are eligible for qualifying offers include New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto, Baltimore right-hander Corbin Burnes, Atlanta left-hander Max Fried, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Houston third baseman Alex Bregman, Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander, and Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames.
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty is not eligible because he was traded from Detroit at the July 30 trade deadline.
San Francisco left-hander Blake Snell is also not eligible. Snell could become a free agent if he decides to opt out of the second year of his contract and gives up a $30 million salary for 2025. He was among seven free agents who rejected qualifying offers last November.
A qualifying offer can be made within five days after the World Series, and a player has one week after that to accept it.
