Free Agent Gerrit Cole got the expected $17.8 million qualifying offer from the front office of the Houston Astros. This is basically a mere formality that safeguards the Astros the eligible compensatory draft pick if he happens to sign elsewhere.
The $17.8 figure is pretty much an amount set by the rules agreed upon in the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The “qualifying offer” is a set number that is the average of the top paid 125 players in the Major Leagues.
This doesn’t mean that Cole and the Astros won’t or aren’t possibly discussing any type of future contract.