If the Philadelphia Phillies want to sign a qualified free agent this winter, they will have to surrender their second-highest selection in the 2022 MLB Draft and lose $500,000 of international signing bonus pool money.
Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors was the first one to note this, as the Phillies are one of 15 teams that wasn’t over the luxury tax threshold and wasn’t a revenue sharing recipient.
The Phillies were in the same situation after the 2019 season, and ultimately signed Zack Wheeler to a five-year/$118 million deal. Because Wheeler declined a qualifying offer from the New York Mets before becoming a free agent, he was a qualified free agent.