NEW YORK — The price of a qualifying offer for this year’s major league free agents rose 4.6% to $22,025,000 from $21.05 million.
The figure is determined by 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 $500,000 in 2021 and rose to $19.65 million in 2022 and $20,325,000 in 2023.
Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 14 of 144 offers have been accepted.
A free agent can be made a qualifying offer only if he has been with the same team continuously since opening day and has never received a qualifying offer before.
Among the top players who can become free agents after the World Series and are eligible to receive qualifying offers are Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, San Diego right-hander Michael King, Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber and left-hander Ranger Suárez, San Diego right-hander Robert Suarez, and Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker.
Potential free agents ineligible for qualifying offers include New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger, Boston third baseman Alex Bregman, Cincinnati pitcher Nick Martinez and Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto.
A qualifying offer can be made through the fifth day after the World Series, and a player has a week after that to accept.
If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another club before the amateur draft, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round or at the end of competitive balance round B. The placement depends on the amount of the new contract and the revenue sharing and luxury tax status of the team losing the player.
