Thirteen players received a qualifying offer (a one-year, $22.025 million deal for 2026) before Thursday’s deadline.

Those players have until 4 pm ET on November 18 to accept. Those who accept remain with their teams for the next season for the designated value. Those who don’t enter free agency, and if a new team signs them, their former club receives compensation in the Amateur Draft.

Since the system was implemented in 2012, only 14 players who received a qualifying offer have accepted it.

Below is a breakdown of the players who received a qualifying offer this year, along with some notable figures who did not receive one and others who were ineligible to receive one.

THEY RECEIVED A QUALIFIED OFFER

Players listed in order of 2025 WAR (per FanGraphs)

Kyle Schwarber, DH (Phillies)

Schwarber’s contract year couldn’t have turned out much better, as he led the National League in home runs (56) and the Majors in RBIs (132) with a career-high 150 OPS+ in 162 games, capping off his four-year, $79 million deal with the Phillies in a big way. Over the course of that deal, only Aaron Judge had more home runs than Schwarber’s 187. He has also been an important postseason player, hitting 23 home runs in the playoffs.

Kyle Tucker, OF (Cubs)

Viewed as the top player in the 2025-26 free agent class, Tucker will enter his age-29 campaign having posted 23.4 WAR (per FanGraphs) and 145 OPS+ since the start of 2021. Despite dealing with a hairline fracture in his right hand and a left calf strain in 2025, he still posted his third 20-20 season (22 HR, 25 BR) with a 143 OPS+ in 136 games for the Cubs, who acquired him from the Astros in December.

Ranger Suárez, starter (Phillies)

Suárez has posted a 3.39 ERA in 116 starts since joining the Phillies’ rotation in 2021, the 13th-best mark among MLB starters during that span (minimum 100 starts). He also has an impressive record of playoff success, with a 1.48 career earned run percentage in 42.2 postseason innings.

Framber Valdez, starter (Astros)

Valdez, who might be a better starter in a market lacking a true ace, has found a formula for consistent success with the Astros. The Dominican left-hander has a 3.23 ERA in 973 innings since the start of 2020, combining solid strikeout numbers with a strong dose of ground balls.

Bo Bichette, SS (Blue Jays)

After posting a .598 OPS in 81 games in an injury-plagued 2024 campaign, Bichette entered 2025 needing a strong year to regain his value before free agency. He more than delivered, looking like his old days while hitting .311 with 18 home runs, 94 IC and .840 OPS.

Dylan Cease, starter (Padres)

Results have been inconsistent, but Cease has an excellent repertoire and has proven to be quite durable. The right-hander led all starters (minimum 1,000 swings) with a 33.8% swing-miss rate in 2025, marking his fifth straight season with at least 214 strikeouts and 32 games started.

Trent Grisham, OF (Yankees)

Grisham, one of the biggest surprises of 2025, set career highs in several categories this past season, including home runs (34), RBIs (74), walks (82) and OPS (.811). That was a big jump from 2022-2024, when he hit .191/.298/.353 with 39 home runs in 381 games.

Gleyber Torres, 2B (Tigers)

The Yankees did not extend a qualifying offer to Torres when he was a free agent last offseason, so he was still eligible to receive one from the Tigers, who signed the second baseman to a one-year, $15 million deal in December 2024. Torres was called to the All-Star Game by Detroit but regressed in the second half (.659) and finished with 16 homers, 74 RBIs and a .745 OPS (108 OPS+), numbers in line with its 2024 production.

Edwin Díaz, reliever (Mets)

Diaz did not receive a qualifying offer the last time he was a free agent at the end of the 2022 season, as the Mets re-signed him to a five-year, $102 million deal (a record for a reliever) before the deadline to extend the offer. The Puerto Rican, who finished 2025 with a 1.63 ERA and 13.3 K/9, opted out of his contract this offseason.

Brandon Woodruff, starter (Brewers)

Woodruff has missed substantial time due to injuries in his career — including all of 2024 following right shoulder surgery — but few starters have been better per inning since 2019. Before a right lat strain put him back on the disabled list in September, Woodruff had a 3.20 ERA and 5.93 K/BB in 12 starts for the Brewers.

Zac Gallen, starter (Diamondbacks)

The Diamondbacks traded several pending free agents at the Trade Deadline, but ended up holding on to Gallen, who posted a career-worst 4.83 ERA in 33 starts in 2025 — a far cry from his 3.29 ERA from 2019-24.

Shota Imanaga, starter (Cubs)

Although Imanaga had a 3.28 ERA and 5.39 K/BB in 54 starts in 2024-25, the Cubs declined their three-year, $57 million club option on the left-hander at the end of the 2025 season. Imanaga subsequently declined his $15 million player option for 2026, becoming a free agent as a result.

Michael King, starter (Padres)

King successfully transitioned to a full-time starting role in 2024, finishing seventh in NL Cy Young voting. He was on pace for another breakout year in 2025 before injuries intervened, costing him nearly half the season.

NOTABLE PLAYERS WHO DID NOT RECEIVE A QUALIFIED OFFER

INELIGIBLE FOR OFFER

Not every free agent can receive a qualifying offer. Players who have previously received one are ineligible, meaning these free agents were not eligible to receive one:

Players who were not continuously with an organization, whether in the minors or MLB, from Opening Day to the end of the regular season are also ineligible. Notable free agents in this category that were not mentioned above include:

COMPENSATION AND PENALTIES

If a team gives a qualifying offer to a player who then signs elsewhere, the club that lost the player is eligible for amateur draft pick compensation the following year.

Meanwhile, any team that signs a player who has rejected a qualifying offer is subject to forfeiting one or more amateur draft picks, although a team’s highest first-round pick is exempt from forfeiture. (Players who have not signed after the start of the MLB Draft in the year following the rejection of their qualifying offer are no longer tied to draft pick compensation and can be signed without their new club needing to forfeit a draft pick.)