MLB Qualifying Offer Hits Record $23.15 Million
5 sourcesUpdated Oct 20, 20261 min read
MLB’s qualifying-offer price for this year’s free agents increased 5.1% to a record $23.15 million, calculated from the average of the league’s 125 highest-paid players. A qualifying offer is a one-year deal that eligible players may accept or decline; eligibility is limited to players who have stayed with the same team since opening day and have never received an offer before. Teams can make offers through the fifth day after the World Series, and players have a week to decide. Players who decline and sign elsewhere can earn their former team a compensation draft pick. Since the system began after the 2012 season, 18 of 157 offers have been accepted; a record four players accepted last year.
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The jump to 23.15 million shows how fast salaries keep rising at the top and it will only push teams to protect their draft picks more carefully.
Players are right to turn down most of these offers since a long-term deal elsewhere usually pays more than one year at 23 million.
