Under the current collective bargaining agreement, there are two reasons a player can be ineligible for a qualifying offer in a given offseason: they received one in a previous offseason, or they were traded during the just-completed season. The trade hall pass only applies to that specific year.
Sometimes it can be difficult to remember whether a current free agent received a QO years ago, so I’ve compiled a list of such active players. It remains to be seen how the qualifying offer system might be modified in a new CBA. Here’s the list:
Jose Abreu
Brett Anderson
Jake Arrieta
Trevor Bauer
Madison Bumgarner
Lorenzo Cain
Robinson Cano
Alex Cobb
Gerrit Cole
Patrick Corbin
Nelson Cruz
Wade Davis
Josh Donaldson
Dexter Fowler
Kevin Gausman
Yasmani Grandal
Zack Greinke
Bryce Harper
Jason Heyward
Greg Holland
Eric Hosmer
Kenley Jansen
Ian Kennedy
Dallas Keuchel
Craig Kimbrel
DJ LeMahieu
Lance Lynn
Mike Moustakas
Jake Odorizzi
Marcell Ozuna
AJ Pollock
J.T. Realmuto
Anthony Rendon
David Robertson
Hyun Jin Ryu
Pablo Sandoval
Carlos Santana
Ervin Santana
Max Scherzer
Will Smith (pitcher)
George Springer
Stephen Strasburg
Marcus Stroman
Justin Turner
Justin Upton
Zack Wheeler
Tim, thanks for going the extra mile in creating this list. It’s a list worth saving for hot-stove obsessives like myself.
Hey Cey Hey,
Do you compulsively arrange your spices in alphabetical order? 😉
I thought you could only get the qualifying offer once not if you got one “last season”
This is the active players who ever had one previously in their career.
The second part of the statement refers to the fact that you needed to be on a team’s roster all season long to qualify to be issued one. It’s a different way of wording it, but if you read too fast it might seem to suggest something different
I know Joey Gallo was traded at the trade deadline this season. but if the Yankees fail to resign him to an extensioncan when he becomes a free agent after next season can he receive a qualifying offer?
By the way thank you for putting this list together Tim.
Yes
@TheTrotsky Thanks for letting me know.
BTW thanks for putting this list together Tim.
As long as he’s on the team from the start to finish for the duration of that season
Yes he can
What teams have never offered a qualifying offer to a player? I’d say the Bucco’s would be one.
They did for at minimum Russell Martin and Francisco Liriano
Don’t think the A’s have QO’d anybody
Don’t believe the Brewers, Marlins or Angels have either.
Brett Anderson seems to be the most unlikely name. I think that was the Dodgers.
If he didn’t take it he’s a fool – can’t believe he got one, was that back when it was only like $13M
Yeah and he decided to take it while claiming he had a bigger offer on the table. Would have given the Dodgers an extra draft pick they would have used on Bryan Reynolds. Thanks Brett!
The Pirates submitted qualifying offers to Russell Martin and Francisco Liriano in 2014.
It’s only active players
This is great, many thanks for putting togather!
Thanks Tim
The companion list of players drafted from compensation picks derived from QOs would be intriguing too.
If a player like Nick Castellanos opts out of their contract can the team then offer a QO?
I’m not an expert, but I believe they can make a QO if someone opts out.
Yes. Opting out as opposed to becoming a free agent because your contract expires has no bearing on your OQ eligibility. Zack Greinke and Stephen Strasburg received QO’s after they opted out of their contracts, for instance.
Yes
The key question is: How many of them accepted it?
According to this November 2020 story from mlb.com, 10 of 96 players offered a QO accepted it., including Kevin Gausman and Marcus Stroman prior to this season. A full list and circumstances are included.
https://www.mlb.com/news/players-who-have-accepted-qualifying-offers
The Cardinals received a compensatory pick in 2012 (which they used to select Michael Wacha) for losing Albert Pujlos to the Angels in free agency after the 2011 season. So was that compensatory pick because they issued him a qualifying offer? If so, he should be on the list.
The current qualifying offer as we know it didn’t exist prior to the 2012-2016 collective bargaining agreement. Before that teams received compensation for free agents ranked by Elias.
Good job!!!!