12 players decline qualifying offer; 2 accept

12 players decline qualifying offer; 2 accept

January 3rd, 2023

Fourteen players were tendered a qualifying offer (a one-year, $19.65 million deal for 2023) this offseason, but Rangers left-hander Martín Pérez and Giants outfielder were the only ones who accepted.

Players who accept qualifying offers are signed with their teams for the next season at the designated value. Those who don't accept remain free agents, and if a new team signs them, their old team receives Draft pick compensation.

From the time the system was implemented in 2012, only 13 of the 124 players to receive a QO have accepted it.

Here's a breakdown of this year's decisions, as well as the 2023 Draft compensation each club received for losing a QO free agent to another team.

ACCEPTED QO

Giants: OF Joc Pederson

Pederson's first year in San Francisco saw him earn his second All-Star Game selection and record a career-best 144 OPS+. His .521 slugging percentage was nearly a 100-point improvement from his 2021 season, which was split between the Cubs and Braves. The lefty slugger is heading into his age-31 season.

Rangers: LHP Martín Pérez

A free agent for the fifth straight offseason, Pérez could have seen a greater demand for his services after notching a 2.89 ERA over 196 1/3 innings for the Rangers in 2022. However, the veteran left-hander, who signed a one-year, $4 million contract with Texas last March, opted to remain with the Rangers, with whom he also spent the first seven seasons of his MLB career. Entering 2022, Pérez had a 4.71 career ERA for the Rangers, Twins and Red Sox.

DECLINED QO (SIGNED ELSEWHERE)

Braves: SS
New team: Cubs (seven years, $177 million)

The No. 1 overall pick in 2015, Swanson has developed into one of the best all-around shortstops in baseball, blasting 52 homers over the past two seasons and leading his position with 21 outs above average in 2022. His 5.7 bWAR put him third among shortstops behind Tommy Edman and Xander Bogaerts last season.

Braves' 2023 Draft compensation: Pick after Competitive Balance Round B

Cubs: C
New team: Cardinals (five years, $87.5 million)

The rebuilding Cubs were expected to move Contreras prior to the Trade Deadline in 2022, but they surprisingly held onto him. The 30-year-old became a free agent after seven seasons with Chicago, during which he hit .256 with 117 homers and an .808 OPS. He'll be switching sides in the Cubs-Cards rivalry after St. Louis tabbed him to replace retired backstop Yadier Molina behind the plate.

Cubs' 2023 Draft compensation: Pick after Competitive Balance Round B

Dodgers: LHP
New team: Angels (three years, $39 million)

Anderson’s $8 million deal with the Dodgers last March marked his third straight one-year contract (each with a different team) in free agency. But after posting a 2.57 ERA, a 1.00 WHIP and a 4.06 K/BB ratio over 178 2/3 innings during a breakout 2022 season, Anderson declined Los Angeles' qualifying offer and reached a three-year deal with the Angels.

Dodgers' 2023 Draft compensation: Pick after the completion of Round 4

Dodgers: SS
New team: Phillies (11 years, $300 million)

Turner is not only one of the fastest players in baseball, he’s also a potent hitter, winning a batting title in 2021 and posting a .311/.361/.509 slash (131 OPS+) since the beginning of 2019. Only nine position players across the Majors had more bWAR than Turner (11.2) in the past two years. Fresh off a World Series appearance with a roster led largely by free-agent signings, the Phils struck again when they reached a deal with Turner at the Winter Meetings.

Dodgers' 2023 Draft compensation: Pick after the completion of Round 4

Giants: LHP
New team: Yankees (six years, $162 million)

Rodón became a free agent when he opted out of the final year on his two-year, $44 million contract with the Giants. Rodón dealt with persistent injuries and performed inconsistently prior to 2021, but he’s pitched like an ace over the past two seasons, recording a 2.67 ERA and a 12.2 K/9 over 55 starts.

Giants' 2023 Draft compensation: Pick after Competitive Balance Round B

Mets: RHP
New team: Blue Jays (three years, $63 million)

A late bloomer, Bassitt became a free agent for the first time at the age of 33. After throwing just 191 1/3 innings through his age-29 season, the right-hander has posted a 3.31 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and a 3.43 K/BB ratio over 546 innings since the start of 2019. He made a career-high 30 starts and had a 3.42 ERA in 2022 after being traded from the A’s to the Mets in March.

Mets' 2023 Draft compensation: Pick after the completion of Round 4

Mets: RHP Jacob deGrom
New team: Rangers (five years, $185 million)

One of the most dominant hurlers in the game when healthy, deGrom became a free agent for the first time when he opted out of the final year left on his five-year, $137.5 million deal with the Mets. The 34-year-old has battled injuries in recent years, but he’s a two-time Cy Young Award winner with a career 2.52 ERA and 5.30 K/BB ratio. The pitching-needy Rangers pounced on the opportunity, signing deGrom to a five-year deal.

Mets' 2023 Draft compensation: Pick after the completion of Round 4

Red Sox: RHP
New team: Rangers (Two years, $34 million)

Reaching free agency after finishing up a four-year, $68 million contract with the Red Sox, Eovaldi declined Boston's QO and subsequently inked a two-year deal with the Rangers. After struggling in 2019, the right-hander posted a 3.79 ERA with a 5.65 K/BB ratio over 61 starts in the past three seasons. He made the All-Star Team for the first time in 2021 and placed fourth in the AL Cy Young Award voting at the end of the year.

Red Sox's 2023 Draft compensation: Pick after the completion of Round 4

Red Sox: SS
New team: Padres (11 years, $280 million)

Bogaerts had three years left on his six-year, $120 million deal with the Red Sox, but he opted out to become a free agent and signed an 11-year deal with the Padres after declining Boston's qualifying offer. The four-time All-Star ranks third among shortstops behind Carlos Correa and Francisco Lindor with 33.7 bWAR since the beginning of 2015.

Red Sox's 2023 Draft compensation: Pick after the completion of Round 4

DECLINED QO (RE-SIGNED WITH SAME TEAM)

Mets: OF
New contract: Eight years, $162 million

Nimmo finished 2022 with a .274/.367/.433 slash, 16 homers, 102 runs scored and 5.0 bWAR over a career-high 151 games, marking just the second time in seven seasons (including the shortened 2020 season) that he reached 100 games played. He declined the Mets' qualifying offer but ultimately returned to the club on an eight-year deal.

Yankees: 1B
New contract: Two years, $34 million

After being dealt from the Cubs to the Yankees at the 2021 Trade Deadline, Rizzo was ineligible to receive a qualifying offer when he reached free agency last offseason. The first baseman became a free agent again when he opted out of the final year on his two-year, $32 million contract with New York, but he returned to the Yanks on a multiyear deal after declining the QO. The 33-year-old produced 32 homers and a 131 OPS+ over 130 games in 2022.

Yankees: OF
New contract: Nine years, $360 million

Judge’s final year before free agency was one for the ages, as the 6-foot-7 slugger set an AL record with 62 homers while leading MLB in RBIs (131), runs (133), OPS (1.111) and bWAR (10.6). Although he received serious interest from the Giants and Padres, Judge ultimately returned to the Bronx as he landed the largest free-agent contract in MLB history.

NOTABLE PLAYERS WHO DID NOT RECEIVE QO

Astros: OF
Dodgers: LHP , LHP
Mariners: OF
Mets: RHP
Padres: RHP , LHP
Red Sox: DH , RHP
Yankees: RHP

INELIGIBLE FOR QUALIFYING OFFER

Not every free agent can receive the QO. Players who have previously received a QO are ineligible, which means the following free agents were ineligible to receive one:

José Abreu (White Sox), (Giants), (Twins), (Nationals), (Royals), (Braves), (Dodgers), (White Sox), (Phillies), (Mariners), (Astros), (Phillies), (Astros)

Players who weren't continuously with an organization, either in the Minors or Majors, from Opening Day until the end of the regular season are also ineligible. Notable free agents in this category included:

(White Sox), (Padres), (Yankees), (Padres), (Dodgers), (Astros), (Rays), (Red Sox), (Cardinals), (Brewers), (Astros)

Compensation for losing players who reject their QO

• If a team gives a qualifying offer to a player who then signs elsewhere, the club that lost the player is eligible for Draft pick compensation. The QO rules state that if the team that loses the free agent is a revenue-sharing recipient, based on its revenues and market size, then the selection -- if and only if the lost player signs for at least $50 million -- will be awarded a pick between the first round and Competitive Balance Round A of the 2022 MLB Draft. If the player signs for less than $50 million, the compensation pick for those teams would come after Competitive Balance Round B, which follows the second round.

The following 14 teams currently qualify for these picks: Athletics, Brewers, D-backs, Guardians, Mariners, Marlins, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers and Twins.

• If the team that loses the player does not receive revenue sharing and did not exceed the luxury-tax salary threshold the previous season, its compensatory pick will come after Competitive Balance Round B. The value of the player's contract doesn't matter in this case.

The 10 teams in this category: Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Nationals, Rangers and White Sox.

• If the team that loses the player went over the luxury-tax threshold, the compensation pick will be placed after the fourth round has been completed (as with the previous scenario, it doesn't matter how much the player signs for).

Six clubs exceeded the threshold in 2022: Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Phillies, Red Sox and Yankees

Penalties for signing players who reject their QO

Any team that signs a player who has rejected a qualifying offer is subject to the loss of one or more Draft picks. However, a team's highest first-round pick is exempt from forfeiture. Three tiers of Draft pick forfeiture -- based on the financial status of the signing team -- are in place to serve as a penalty for signing a player who rejected a qualifying offer:

• A team that exceeded the luxury tax in the preceding season will lose its second- and fifth-highest selections in the following year's Draft, as well as $1 million from its international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period. If such a team signs multiple qualifying-offer free agents, it will forfeit its third- and sixth-highest remaining picks as well.

Teams in this group this offseason: Dodgers, Mets, Padres, Phillies, Red Sox, Yankees

• A team that receives revenue-sharing money will lose its third-highest selection in the following year's Draft. If it signs two such players, it will also forfeit its fourth-highest remaining pick.

Teams in this group: Athletics, Brewers, D-backs, Guardians, Mariners, Marlins, Orioles, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers and Twins.

• All other teams will lose their second-highest selection in the following year's Draft, as well as $500,000 from their international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period. If one of these teams signs two such players, it will also forfeit its third-highest remaining pick and an additional $500,000.

Teams in this group: Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Braves, Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, Nationals, Rangers and White Sox.