Will they bet on free agency or secure the hefty one-year deal?
Thirteen players were presented with a qualifying offer, a one-year, $21.05 million contract for the 2025 season, right before Monday’s deadline. These players now have until 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 19 to decide if they’ll take the offer or pass on it.
If a player accepts the qualifying offer, they’re set for the next season with their current team at the specified amount. But if they decline, they remain free agents, and their previous team gets a draft pick as compensation if another team signs them.
Since the system’s introduction in 2012, only 13 players out of 131 have accepted a qualifying offer up until 2023. Here’s a breakdown of the players who received a qualifying offer this year and some key names who didn’t.
Adames had a stellar contract year in 2024, hitting career highs with 32 homers, 112 RBIs, and 21 stolen bases, plus a .794 OPS (118 OPS+) across 161 games. The 29-year-old is tied with Corey Seager for the most home runs by a shortstop (112) since 2021.
Alonso has dominated as one of baseball’s power hitters since debuting in 2019, ranking just behind Aaron Judge with 226 homers. The durable first baseman holds a lifetime .854 OPS and has consistently hit over 34 homers in every full season (excluding 2020).
Though Fried doesn’t rack up strikeouts at an elite rate, he has the highest ERA+ (151) among pitchers with over 500 innings since 2020. In 2024, the lefty made 29 starts, posting a 3.25 ERA with 166 strikeouts across 174 1/3 innings, bouncing back strong after an injury-hit 2023.
Hernández, who joined the Dodgers on a $23.5 million deal last offseason, hit a career-high 33 homers with an .840 OPS, a jump from the .741 OPS he had with the Mariners in 2023. Since 2018, he’s accumulated 180 homers and a 122 OPS+ for teams including the Blue Jays, Mariners, and Dodgers.
After a tough couple of years with the Padres and Giants, where he posted a 4.73 ERA in 67 appearances, Manaea revitalized his career with the Mets at age 32. Tossing a career-high 181 2/3 innings, he ended the season with a 3.47 ERA and 184 strikeouts. He opted out of his two-year, $28 million contract with New York after the season.
Bregman is entering free agency for the first time after a nine-season run with the Astros, where he contributed to seven AL West titles, three pennants, and two World Series wins. Though he hasn’t replicated his 2018-19 peak (72 HR, 157 OPS+, 16.8 WAR), Bregman remains one of MLB’s top third basemen.
Despite a slow start in 2024, he closed with 26 homers, a .768 OPS (118 OPS+), and a 4.1 WAR (Baseball-Reference).
Burnes impressed following his trade from the Brewers to the Orioles, earning a fourth All-Star nod and finishing with a 2.92 ERA and 181 strikeouts in 194 1/3 innings. The 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner holds a 2.88 ERA over the past five seasons, with 816 2/3 innings pitched, the third-highest in MLB over that time.
Martinez, who signed a two-year, $26 million contract with the Reds, recorded a 3.10 ERA across 142 1/3 innings, including a standout 2.42 ERA in 11 starts after taking on a full-time role in Cincinnati’s rotation in August. Since returning from Japan, the 34-year-old has maintained a 3.31 ERA over three seasons and chose free agency by opting out.
The 31-year-old posted a 4.14 ERA over 27 appearances for Boston in 2024, though his expected ERA was lower at 3.59. His 28.9% strikeout rate ranks him in the 88th percentile among qualified pitchers, and his walk rate of 6.1% is in the 80th percentile. Since his debut with the Phillies in 2007, he’s logged a 4.33 ERA (102 ERA+) over 129 outings (105 starts) for the Red Sox from 2021-24.
Santander hit a career-high 44 home runs with 102 RBIs and an .814 OPS (134 OPS+) in 155 games in 2024. The switch-hitter ranked third in MLB homers and became only the eighth player in history to hit 40-plus homers as a switch-hitter in a season.
Severino, who endured a rough 2023 season with a 6.65 ERA for the Yankees, turned things around after moving to the Mets, signing a one-year, $13 million deal. He stayed healthy and posted a 3.91 ERA across 182 innings, his most since 2018.
Soto put up another incredible season in 2024, with career-highs in homers (41), RBIs (109), and a .989 OPS after a trade to the Yankees. With 201 homers and a .953 OPS (160 OPS+) through his age-25 season, he is firmly on a Hall of Fame trajectory and is the top free agent of this offseason.
Walker, a late bloomer now in his 10th season, is set for free agency for the first time at age 33. A powerful hitter with a stellar glove, he’s one of the best first basemen in the league. Since 2022, Walker has hit 95 homers with an .813 OPS (123 OPS+) and leads his position with +38 Outs Above Average.
Teams can extend a qualifying offer to a player who hasn’t received one before and played the full 2024 season with the team.
The qualifying offer is a one-year contract based on the average salary of MLB’s 125 highest-paid players, valued this year at $21.05 million. Players have until 4 p.m. ET on Nov. 19 to decide on these offers.
If a player declines the qualifying offers and signs elsewhere, their former team gets a compensatory draft pick, while the new team signing them loses at least one draft pick.
Last year, MLB teams offered qualifying offers to seven players, including Shohei Ohtani, but none accepted. Since 2012, players have accepted only 13 out of 131 total qualifying offers, according to MLB.com.
Here are some standout names who were eligible but didn’t receive qualifying offers:
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