13 gamers have been tendered a qualifying provide (a one-year, $22.025 million deal for 2026) earlier this month.
These gamers have till 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to simply accept. Gamers who settle for qualifying gives are signed with their groups for the following season on the designated worth. Those that do not settle for stay free brokers, and if a brand new staff indicators them, their outdated staff receives Draft choose compensation.
Because the system was carried out in 2012, solely 14 gamers to obtain a QO have accepted it.
This is a breakdown of the gamers who acquired a qualifying provide this 12 months, together with some notable gamers who didn’t get one and others who have been ineligible to obtain one.
Gamers listed so as of 2025 WAR (per FanGraphs)
Schwarber’s stroll 12 months couldn’t have gone a lot better, as he led the NL in homers (56) and the Majors in RBIs (132) with a career-high 150 OPS+ over 162 video games, wrapping up his four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies in grand trend. In the course of the course of that deal, solely Aaron Choose had extra dwelling runs than Schwarber’s 187. He is additionally been an impactful postseason performer, hitting 23 playoff dingers.
The highest participant within the 2025-26 free-agent class, Tucker will enter his age-29 season having recorded 23.4 WAR (per FanGraphs) and a 145 OPS+ because the starting of 2021. Regardless of coping with a hairline fracture in his proper hand and a left calf pressure in 2025, he nonetheless posted his third profession 20-20 season (22 HR, 25 SB) with a 143 OPS+ over 136 video games for the Cubs, who acquired him from the Astros in December.
Suárez has posted a 3.39 ERA over 116 begins since becoming a member of the Phillies’ rotation in 2021, the Thirteenth-best mark amongst MLB starters throughout that span (min. 100 begins). He additionally has a formidable monitor report of playoff success, with a lifetime 1.48 ERA over 42 2/3 innings within the postseason.
Maybe one of the best starter in a market missing a real ace, Valdez has discovered a components for constant success with the Astros. The lefty owns a 3.23 ERA over 973 innings because the starting of 2020, combining strong strikeout numbers with a heavy dose of floor balls.
After recording a .598 OPS over 81 video games in an injury-plagued 2024 season, Bichette entered ’25 needing a robust 12 months to recuperate his inventory forward of free company. He delivered in a giant approach, trying like his outdated self whereas hitting .311 with 18 homers, 94 RBIs and an .840 OPS.
The outcomes have been inconsistent, however Stop has glorious stuff and has confirmed to be fairly sturdy. The correct-hander led all starters (minimal 1,000 swings) with a 33.8% whiff charge in 2025, which marked his fifth straight season with at the very least 214 Okay’s and 32 video games began.
One of many greatest surprises of 2025, Grisham set profession highs in quite a lot of classes this previous season, together with homers (34), RBIs (74), walks (82) and OPS (.812). That was a giant step up from 2022-24, when he slashed .191/.298/.353 with 39 dwelling runs in 381 video games.
The Yankees didn’t prolong a qualifying provide to Torres when he was a free agent final offseason, so he was nonetheless eligible to obtain one from the Tigers, who signed the second baseman to a one-year, $15 million deal in December 2024. Torres made the All-Star staff for Detroit however regressed within the second half (.659) and completed with 16 homers, 74 RBIs and a .745 OPS (108 OPS+), numbers consistent with his 2024 manufacturing.
Díaz didn’t obtain a qualifying provide the final time he was a free agent on the finish of the 2022 marketing campaign, because the Mets re-signed him to a five-year, $102 million deal (a report for a reliever) earlier than the QO deadline. Díaz, who completed 2025 with a 1.63 ERA and a 13.3 Okay/9, opted out of his contract this offseason.
Woodruff has missed substantial time on account of accidents in his profession — together with all of 2024 following proper shoulder surgical procedure — however few starters have been higher on a per-inning foundation since ’19. Earlier than a proper lat pressure put him again on the shelf in September, Woodruff had a 3.20 ERA and a 5.93 Okay/BB over 12 begins for the Brewers.
The D-backs shipped off quite a lot of pending free brokers on the Commerce Deadline however ended up holding onto Gallen, who recorded a career-worst 4.83 ERA over 33 begins in 2025 — a far cry from his 3.29 ERA throughout ’19-24.
Though Imanaga had a 3.28 ERA and a 5.39 Okay/BB over 54 begins in 2024-25, the Cubs declined their three-year, $57 million membership choice on the lefty on the finish of the 2025 season. Imanaga subsequently turned down his $15 million participant choice for 2026, changing into a free agent in consequence.
King made a profitable transition to a full-time beginning job in 2024, ending seventh within the NL Cy Younger Award voting. He was on his strategy to one other excellent 12 months in ’25 earlier than accidents intervened, costing him roughly half the season.
NOTABLE PLAYERS WHO DID NOT RECEIVE QO
Not each free agent can obtain a QO. Gamers who’ve beforehand acquired a QO are ineligible, which suggests these free brokers weren’t eligible to obtain one:
Pete Alonso (Mets), Tyler Anderson (Angels), Chris Bassitt (Blue Jays), Cody Bellinger (Yankees), Alex Bregman (Pink Sox), Alex Cobb (Tigers), Michael Conforto (Dodgers), Patrick Corbin (Rangers), Jason Heyward (Padres), Raisel Iglesias (Braves), Kenley Jansen (Angels), Nick Martinez (Reds), Martín Pérez (White Sox), Marcell Ozuna (Braves), J.T. Realmuto (Phillies), David Robertson (Phillies), Carlos Santana (Cubs), Max Scherzer (Blue Jays), Chris Taylor (Angels), Justin Turner (Cubs), Justin Verlander (Giants)
Gamers who weren’t constantly with a company, both within the Minors or Majors, from Opening Day till the top of the common season are additionally ineligible. Notable free brokers on this class who weren’t talked about above embody:
COMPENSATION AND PENALTIES
If a staff offers a qualifying provide to a participant who then indicators elsewhere, the membership that misplaced the participant is eligible for Draft choose compensation the next 12 months.
In the meantime, any staff that indicators a participant who has rejected a qualifying provide is topic to the lack of a number of Draft picks, although a staff’s highest first-round choose is exempt from forfeiture. (Gamers who’re unsigned after the beginning of the MLB Draft within the 12 months that follows the rejection of their qualifying provide are not tied to Draft choose compensation and will be signed with out their new membership needing to forfeit a Draft choose.)
For particulars on how compensation and penalties are decided for certified free brokers, click on right here.
