There are seven players who get a $20.325 million deal from MLB. Rhys Hoskins as well as Teoscar Hernández aren’t in that group.
The first important date in the 2023–24 MLB winter schedule was Monday, November 6. Teams had until that time to make a qualifying offer to any free agents who were still qualified.
The exact time limit was 5 p.m. ET. The qualifying offer has a one-year deal that finds the middle point between the top 125 baseball pay. Over the off-season, that’s $20.325 million.
Free agents who take the qualifying offer sign a one-year, $20.325 million deal to return to their team. Pay for draft picks is tied to free agents who turn down the qualifying offer.
Players must have spent the whole 2023 season in one team as well as not gotten the offer before in order to be eligible to receive the qualifying offer.
This page tells you everything you require to know regarding a qualifying offer and how to get paid. It also lists the best 50 free agents for 2019.
These represent the seven individuals who got the qualifying offer before the deadline on Monday. They have until November 14 at 4 p.m. ET to accept or refuse.
It wasn’t a surprise when the Angels said they offered Ohtani a qualifying offer, and it won’t be a surprise when we turn it down on November 14.
Ohtani is about to sign the biggest deal in baseball history, even though he had surgery on his arm last year.
This year, the Angels were very close to the $233 million competitive balance tax threshold. We won’t know if they will get a compensation pick prior to the third round (stayed under the CBT threshold) or in the fourth round (went over the CBT threshold) until December, when MLB officially figures out CBT payrolls.
A lot of the players in this year’s class were not eligible, which was the most surprising thing.
Fourteen players were given the QO last winter. In the end, Joc Pederson as well as Martín Pérez agreed to take on borderline situations.
This winter, teams were much less willing to take risks. They avoided making big commitments to all but the best choices on the market.
Now that the QO choices have been made, every freed agent can start talking to other teams.
They can no longer negotiate with their current club during the five-day window. If such players sign with another team, their old teams will be able to get money for them.
The Twins will get the most money because they will be getting a cut of the profits. Next year’s replacement pick would come after the first round if Gray beats a $50 million guarantee, which is a good bet.
It’s possible for the Cubs to get Bellinger between Competitive Balance Round B as well as the start of the third round because they don’t have to pay or receive the luxury tax.
Martinez could have made a good case for getting the QO on his own, but the fact that he’s mostly just a designated hitter probably worked against him.
The Dodgers are thought to be one of the best places for Shohei Ohtani to sign. Ohtani will only be designated hitter in 2024, but he will need a lot of time in that role even if he returns with pitching in 2025.
Martinez might have agreed to the QO if the Dodgers had offered it to him, since it’s more than twice what he made in 2023.
Ohtani and him being on the same team would not work well together since he has played just 12 games in the field over the last two seasons.
The club didn’t give him the QO because he was reportedly trying to decide whether to return to the Dodgers, join his hometown Rangers, or retire.
This way, he could take his time making a choice. This winter, there is even more doubt because the southpaw had surgery on his shoulder and doesn’t know when he will be able to play again.