The one-year, $23.15 million offers went out Monday as free agency opened ahead of a looming lockout deadline.
Free agency officially opened Monday at 5 p.m. ET, and with it came one of the smallest batches of qualifying offers since the system began in 2012. Only eight players received the one-year, $23.15 million offer, a league-record value that tops every one of those players' 2026 salaries, yet still down from the 13 handed out last year.
The list includes Mariners outfielder Randy Arozarena, who is coming off the strongest season of his career and is expected to decline in search of a multi-year deal, along with Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki, Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers, Yankees closer David Bednar, Pirates second baseman Brandon Lowe, and Brewers first baseman Jake Bauers.
Players have until Nov. 17 to decide whether to accept or decline. A record four players accepted qualifying offers last year, a sign some may again choose the guaranteed payday over testing a market widely described as thin.
Teams now have roughly four weeks to make moves before a potential lockout halts activity, which could push front offices toward quick, pre-deadline agreements rather than drawn out negotiations.