Major League Baseball players who didn’t have contracts for next season officially became free agents. Thirteen of those players were tendered one-year qualifying offers from their potentially former teams on November 4. Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes were among the notable names. However, there were also some other interesting names on the list of 13 who received an offer.
All MLB Players to Receive Qualifying Offer in 2024
In total, 13 players received a qualifying offer in 2024. Here’s a look at the 13:
| Name | 2024 Team | Position | 2024 Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willy Adames | Brewers | SS | 118 OPS+, 32 HR, 65 XBH |
| Pete Alonso | Mets | 1B | 123 OPS+, 34 HR, 65 XBH |
| Alex Bregman | Astros | 3B | 118 OPS+, 26 HR, 58 XBH |
| Corbin Burnes | Orioles | SP | 128 ERA+, 181 K over 194.1 IP |
| Max Fried | Braves | SP | 128 ERA+, 166 over 174.1 IP |
| Teoscar Hernandez | Dodgers | OF | 137 OPS+, 33 HR, 67 XBH |
| Sean Manaea | Mets | SP | 3.83 FIP, 184 K over 181.2 IP |
| Nick Martinez | Reds | SP/RP | 142 ERA+, 116 over 142.1 IP |
| Nick Pivetta | Red Sox | SP | 103 ERA+, 172 K over 145.2 IP |
| Anthony Santander | Orioles | OF | 134 OPS+, 44 XBH, 71 XBH |
| Luis Severino | Mets | SP | 4.21 FIP, 161 K over 182 IP |
| Juan Soto | Yankees | OF | 178 OPS+, 41 HR, 76 XBH |
| Christian Walker | Diamondbacks | 1B | 121 OPS+, 26 HR, 52 XBH |
There were some obvious ones among the 13 qualified.
Orioles pitcher Corbin Burnes has the third-most strikeouts (624) in the game over the last three seasons, behind only Dylan Cease and Aaron Nola. Nola, for reference, was qualified himself last year and re-signed with the Phillies on a seven-year, $172MM deal.
Max Fried, a co-ace of the Braves and piece of Atlanta’s 2021 World Series team, has been among the game’s better control artists over the last five years.
Pete Alonso, who hit the fourth-most home runs (157) between 2021-24, was also a given. As was Anthony Santander, a switch-hitter who was 12th (123) on that aforementioned list. Santander hit a career-high 44 home runs in 2024.
Juan Soto, who hit 42 home runs with the Yankees last season and led the league in runs scored (128), is the consensus top name in this year’s draft. Soto reportedly turned down a 14-year, $440MM deal two years ago with the Nationals, which set the stage for his free agency in the 2024-25 offseason. Since then, he’s bounced between the Padres and Yankees.
Soto’s career OBP is .421, the 19th-best of all time in Major League Baseball.
Then, there were some surprises.
Luis Severino netted a qualifying offer after a strong 2024 campaign. Severino went from a strikeout machine with the Yankees to a finesse pitcher, leveraging his sinker more. It gave Severino a key weapon after he lost significant carry on his four-seamer in a tough 2023 campaign. The Mets righty received a one-year, $13MM deal last winter.
In addition to Severino, the Mets tendered Sean Manaea a qualifying offer. Manaea rolled in the second half, as he held opposing hitters to a .593 OPS. He declined a $13.MM player option that was part of the two-year deal Manaea signed with the Mets last winter.
Nick Martinez, who opted out of his deal with the Reds, has never been a relied-upon starter since his return from overseas but has a great changeup and pitched well (.692 OPS, 70 K over 89 IP) when used as a starter with the Reds.
Lastly, Nick Pivetta turned into a strikeout machine over the last two seasons. Pivetta decreased the usage of his curveball and cutter in 2023 and incorporated a sweper into his arsenal. It added more swing and miss into his game. Pivetta’s Whiff% in 2023 jumped to 29.6%, almost a six percentage point jump.
Pivetta’s 355 strikeouts between 2023-24 is 18th-most among all pitchers.
Players who are qualified are eligible to reward their team with MLB Draft compensation should one sign with a different organization.
What is the value of the Qualifying Offer in 2024?
The qualifying offer for 2024 is $21.05MM, up from $20.325MM in 2023.
Players have until November 19, 2024, at 4 PM ET to decide whether to accept or decline.