'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Free agency is officially here in the MLB, which means teams are beginning to look at which players they want to add to their rosters for the upcoming season. It also means that teams send out qualifying offers to certain players, as they do every year.
Qualifying offers are a unique part of MLB's free agency format, which is among the most unique in pro sports.
According to MLB.com, it is defined as:
"The qualifying offer is a competitive balance measure that was implemented as part of the 2012-16 Collective Bargaining Agreement and restructured under the 2017-21 Collective Bargaining Agreement."
Qualifying offers are given to players about to enter free agency. It's essentially a one-year offer for the mean of MLB salaries.
Trending
If the player rejects the offer and signs with a new team, their former team will be granted a compensatory draft pick. If they sign back with the team they were with, then the qualifying offer is irrelevant.
Only players who have spent the entire season on the same team and have not received a qualifying offer before are eligible to receive one, which is why there are so few given out each year.
MLB players who received qualifying offers
Any player that is eligible for a qualifying offer and is worth the salary it would guarantee them is usually offered one. It's not worth not offering them the deal since they can either retain the player or get a draft pick for them.
This year, several stars received qualifying offers:
- Dansby Swanson
- Xander Bogaerts
- Nathan Eovaldi
- Willson Contreras
- Aaron Judge
- Anthony Rizzo
- Trea Turner
- Tyler Anderson
- Chris Bassitt
- Brandon Nimmo
- Jacob deGrom
- Carlos Rodon
- Martin Perez
Many times, the qualifying offer is declined. In this case, most of these players would receive more and a longer contract on the open market, so they often turn it down and try to get a better deal from somewhere.
That may be the same team they were just with or it may not be, but most players who receive the offer don't take it.
