Six out of seven Free Agents who have been submitted a qualifying offer for the 2019 season have rejected it. Only Hyun-Jin Ryu remains with the Los Angeles Dodgers for a fixed sum of $17.9 million.
Those who accept the offer will immediately receive a one-year contract for an annually fixed guarantee amount. In the previous year, the offer was still at 17.4 million dollars. However, if a bid is rejected, the submitting team is guaranteed compensation in the form of at least one additional draft pick determined according to a fixed key. However, this only applies to players who sign contracts worth at least $50 million elsewhere.
Similarly, the receiving team must assign a draftpick and possibly also a portion of its available quota of bonus money for international amateur players.
Left-hander Ryu is the only one this year who has opted for the guaranteed money for over a year. However, he was also the player of the seven with such an offer who would have had the least chance of a high end long-term deal.
The other six, led by Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals, on the other hand, have lucrative new contracts lasting several years.
This article was published without prior review by Major League Baseball.