Qualifying offers are one-year contracts presented from clubs to their newly free-agent players. In 2012, the one-year salary was $13.3 million, which then increased to $14.1 million in 2013. They will now be worth $15.3 million this offseason.
These offers are both beneficial to the ball club and the player. For one, the ball club can potentially avoid signing a particular player to a large multi-year deal if they feel they don't need to or are unable to afford it. As for the player, he'll be making the average annual salary of the top 125 contracts in Major League Baseball, which is the agreement under the current labor contract between the league and the players association.
However, the qualifying offers haven't been effective in terms of luring incumbent free agents back to their team. Last offseason, all 13 free agents who were presented with a qualifying offer opted to reject the $14.1 million and sign elsewhere. For some it worked out, for others it didn't. These players include Carlos Beltran (Cardinals), Robinson Cano (Yankees), Shin-Soo Choo (Reds), Nelson Cruz (Rangers), Stephen Drew (Red Sox), Jacoby Ellsbury (Red Sox), Curtis Granderson (Yankees), Ubaldo Jiminez (Indians), Hiroki Kuroda (Yankees), Brian McCann (Braves), Kendrys Morales (Mariners), Mike Napoli (Red Sox) and Ervin Santana (Royals).
The 8.5% increase is a result of newer and lucrative contracts from the 2014 offseason. Robinson Cano inked a 10-year $240 million deal with the Mariners; Jacoby Ellsbury signed a seven-year, $153 million contract; Brian McCann also signed with New York for five years, $85 million and; Shin-Soo Choo agreed to a seven-year, $130 million deal with the Rangers.
Each MLB team must submit their qualifying offers to incumbent free agents at 5 p.m. ET on the fifth day after the conclusion of the World Series. That player will then have until 5 p.m. seven days after the offer is presented to accept it. If he opts to reject it, he will become a free agent and explore the market. If he signs with another ball club, the team that presented him with the qualifying offer will be awarded with a compensation pick at the end of the first round of the upcoming draft (top 10 picks are excluded).
Some free agents that might receive qualifying offers this offseason include Orioles shortstop J.J. Hardy, Dodgers shortstop Hanley Ramirez, Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval, Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera, Orioles outfielder Nelson Cruz, Tigers first baseman Victor Martinez, Yankees starting pitcher Hiroki Kuroda, Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields, Tigers starting pitcher Max Scherzer, Braves starting pitcher Ervin Santana, Orioles reliever Andrew Miller and Yankees closer David Robertson.
