Which MLB Free Agents Can’t Receive a Qualifying Offer?

Every year, teams around the league have the option to issue a one-year “qualifying offer” to specific pending free agents from their organization. They have until five days after the World Series ends to determine whether or not they’re going to extend the offers or not.

This year, the value of the qualifying offer has been set at $21.05 million. This is a $725K increase from last year’s QO which was set at $20.325 million. The value is determined by finding the mean salary of the league’s top 125 highest-paid players.

Should a player accept the offer, they’ll return to their organization on a one-year pact valued at that $21.05 million figure. If they decline, their next team will have to give up a pick in the following year’s MLB Draft to the organization whose offer was rejected.

We recently ran through a list of which players we believed were locks to get a QO this winter, which ones were on the bubble and which eligible players simply wouldn’t receive one from their respective teams. Check it out below.

Upcoming free agents who are ineligible to receive a qualifying offer only get there by either A.) having previously been offered one, or B.) gotten trade during this past season.

Let’s take a look around the league and determine which players won’t be able to get a QO this winter.

Which Free Agents Can’t Receive a Qualifying Offer

Catchers (2)

This list is a pretty short one. The only catchers who are hitting the open market that can’t receive a QO this offseason are Carson Kelly and Danny Jansen. Since they were both traded at the deadline, they are automatically not able to get one this winter.

First Basemen (7)

Here’s where the list grows a bit.

Josh Bell, another player who was traded at this year’s deadline, saw his ability to get a QO fly out the window once he was dealt. The switch-hitter moved from the Marlins to the Diamondbacks, where he filled in for an injured Christian Walker and performed well, hitting five home runs with a 121 OPS+ in 41 games post-trade.

Mark Canha also was traded at the deadline, going from the Tigers to the Giants. Typically an outfielder, Canha made more appearances at first base than any other position this year. Similarly to Bell’s situation, Canha performed better on his new club and he remained a lefty-masher throughout the year. He won’t have a problem finding a new home on a power hungry club.

J.D. Davis was sent from Oakland to the Bronx in a minor trade at the deadline, but this move eliminates the possibility of him being extended a QO. Ditto for Yuli Gurriel, who was flipped from the Braves to the Royals in an August trade.

Carlos Santana is the first player here to be ineligible due to the fact that he’s previously received a QO. He received and rejected one from the Cleveland Indians back in the 2017-18 offseason.

Anthony Rizzo also received one from the Yankees, which he declined, after the 2022 season. He wound up re-signing in the Bronx anyways, but his numbers have fallen off a cliff thanks to a variety of different concussion-related ailments.

That brings us to Justin Turner. The 39-year-old is baseball’s oldest position player, but his numbers remain strong. He’s no longer much of a defender at either of the infield corners, but he can hold his own there and still carries a strong bat. All told, he posted a 114 OPS+ through 139 games between the Blue Jays and Mariners this season.

He’s ineligible here for both possible reasons, having received a QO back in 2016 and also getting traded during the 2024 season.

Second Basemen (2)

Only two second basemen make the cut here: Cavan Biggio and Amed Rosario. They were both traded this season, so they are automatically ineligible due to the fact that they didn’t spend the entire season on their respective teams.

Third Basemen (0)

There are no primary third basemen who are ineligible to receive a qualifying offer this offseason.

Shortstops (1)

Another trade piece from this year’s deadline, Paul DeJong, most recently of two AL Central teams, is ineligible after being traded from the White Sox to the Royals this year. The eight-year veteran had an offensive resurgence this season, hitting 24 home runs and driving in 56 runs, which are both the highest he’s had in a single season since 2019.

Left Fielders (4)

Since he received a QO back in the 2021-22 offseason, Michael Conforto is ineligible to receive one this year. The 31-year-old had a strong bounce-back performance this season with the Giants, putting together what was his best overall year since the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

After previously being traded during the 2022-23 offseason, Jesse Winker was moved in-season this time around. At the 2024 deadline, he went from the Nationals straight to a playoff race with the Mets. The outfielder saw his offense dip a bit post-trade, but his overall numbers show that he bounced back nicely from an awful 2023 showing with the Brewers.

Other players who were moved at this year’s deadline that are now ineligible include Tommy Pham and Austin Slater.

Center Fielders (0)

There are no primary center fielders who are ineligible to receive a qualifying offer this offseason.

Right Fielders (1)

Quite a few right fielders have hit the open market, but only veteran Jason Heyward is ineligible for a QO this winter. The 35-year-old failed to replicate his strong 2023 showing with the Dodgers this year, so they released him and he wound up signing with the Astros. The QO the Cardinals offered him, which he turned down, came in the 2015-16 offseason.

Designated Hitters (2*)

*Marcell Ozuna is also ineligible, but the Braves plan on picking up their team option over him.

The vast majority of Eloy Jimenez’s playing time in his career has come as a left fielder, but he didn’t log an inning at the position in 2024. Instead, he made one appearance in right field and 61 of them as a designated hitter. Him and Joc Pederson are the two players who spent the majority of their playing time this year as a DH.

Jimenez’s midseason trade takes him off the table and Pederson’s having previously received one does the same for him.

Starting Pitchers (12*)

*Gerrit Cole and Nathan Eovaldi are both ineligible, but it remains to be seen whether they are officially going to hit the open market or not. They do not count towards the total of 10.

Since there are so many starters that can’t get a qualifying offer this offseason, we’ll make it easy to maneuver through. As it turns out, there’s an equal amount of pitchers who have previously received a QO than there is ones who got traded this year.

The following pitchers are ineligible because they’ve previously received one: Alex Cobb, Patrick Corbin, Max Scherzer, Blake Snell, Justin Verlander.

The following pitchers are ineligible because they were traded in 2024: Jack Flaherty, Cole Irvin (claimed off waivers) Jakob Junis, Yusei Kikuchi, Michael Lorenzen, Frankie Montas, Martin Perez.

Relief Pitchers (15)

As is the case with starting pitchers, there are quite a few relief pitchers who can’t get a QO this winter. It’s not often that you see a reliever get a qualifying offer, as the dollar amount is too high to justify for a pitcher whose workload is as small as a bullpen arm’s is.

Even still, Kenley Jansen is ineligible because the Dodgers previously gave him a QO back in 2016, which he declined. Of course, he wound up re-signing with the Dodgers on a new contract anyway. The 37-year-old isn’t quite the closer he once was, but he’s still an above-average arm that’s as durable as they come. He’ll easily land a new deal this winter.

Then there’s Craig Kimbrel, another top-shelf relief pitcher who got and declined a qualifying offer (2018). Kimbrel fought through some wild second-half struggles this year that ultimately saw him get released from the Orioles. He looked excellent in the first half, so there appears to still be something left in the tank that teams could try and capitalize on in 2025.

Jansen and Kimbrel are the only relievers to make this list because of the fact that they’ve previously gotten a qualifying offer. Aside from that duo, Jalen Beeks, Carlos Estevez, Dylan Floro, Luis Garcia, Yimi Garcia, Trevor Richards, Tanner Scott, Lucas Sims, Ryne Stanek, Mitch White and Ryan Yarbrough all were traded at midseason in 2024, so they’re not able to receive one either.

Since neither Jorge Lopez and Hector Neris spent their entire seasons on the Cubs and Astros, respectively, they are also ineligible.