NEW YORK, N.Y. — Eight players headed for free agency were handed one-year qualifying offers worth $23.15 million for 2027 before Monday’s deadline, Major League Baseball said, and the open market began right after.
The group: outfielder Randy Arozarena of the Mariners, second baseman Brandon Lowe of the Pirates, outfielder Seiya Suzuki of the Cubs, left-hander Trevor Rogers of the Orioles, first baseman Jake Bauers of the Brewers, reliever Adrian Morejon of the Padres, catcher Ryan Jeffers of the Twins and closer David Bednar of the Yankees.
Each player has until 4 p.m. Eastern on Nov. 17 to decide. A player who says yes is locked in with his club for next season at that salary. A player who says no stays on the market, and if another team signs him, his old team gets a draft pick in return. Only 18 players have taken the offer since the system began in 2012.
Bauers is one of the more interesting cases. He hit 26 home runs during the regular season and was named NLCS MVP on the way to the Brewers title, and the offer would be a huge jump from the $2.7 million he made this year. Morejon is a rare setup man to get one; earlier relievers who drew an offer had all been closers.
Monday was also the day teams had to settle player, club and mutual options and get their 40-man rosters down to the limit. With the exclusive window for teams and their own pending free agents closed, every free agent is now free to talk with all 30 clubs.
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