Major League Baseball teams expecting to receive compensation for their departing free agent players will have the option to make them a qualifying offer of $17.2 million this offseason. That number is up from $15.3 million the previous year. Although the collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which sets the rules for free agent compensation, is set to expire on December 1, the current qualifying offer rules are expected to remain in place until a new agreement is reached.
The qualifying offer is an average of the 125 highest salaries in MLB, including bonuses. The Detroit Tigers won’t be making any qualifying offers this year, since their only pending free agents are Erick Aybar, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Casey McGehee.