MLB qualifying offer price rises to $21.05 million from $20,325,000

 The price of a qualifying offer for this year's major league free agents rose to $21.05 million from $20,325,000 last offseason, a $725,000 hike that represented a 3.6% increase.

The figure is determined by the average of the top 125 major league contracts this year. The price dropped by $100,000 to $17.8 million in 2019, then rose to $18.9 million in 2020, fell $500,000 in 2021 and rose to $19.65 million in 2022.

Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 13 of 131 offers have been accepted.

A free agent can be made a qualifying offer only if he has been with the same team continuously since opening day and has never received a qualifying offer before.

Among the top players who can become free agents after the World Series and are eligible to receive qualifying offers are New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto, Baltimore right-hander Corbin Burnes, Atlanta left-hander Max Fried, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Houston third baseman Alex Bregman, Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander and Milwaukee shortstop Willy Adames.

Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Jack Flaherty is ineligible because he was acquired from Detroit at the July 30 trade deadline.

San Francisco left-hander Blake Snell also is ineligible. Snell could become a free agent if he opts out of the second season of his contract and gives up a $30 million salary for 2025, but he was among seven free agents who turned down qualifying offers last November.

A qualifying offer can be made through the fifth day after the World Series, and a player has a week after that to accept.

If a team makes a qualifying offer to a player who signs a major league contract with another club before the amateur draft, his former club would receive a draft pick as compensation at the end of the first round or at the end of competitive balance round B. The placement depends on the amount of the new contract and the revenue-sharing and luxury tax status of the team losing the player.

Qualifying offers began at $13.3 million. The players who accepted are: Baltimore catcher Matt Wieters, Houston outfielder Colby Rasmus and Dodgers left-hander Brett Anderson ($15.8 million for 2016); Mets second baseman Neil Walker and Philadelphia right-hander Jeremy Hellickson ($17.2 million for 2017); Dodgers left-hander Hyun Jin Ryu ($17.9 million for 2019); Chicago White Sox first baseman José Abreu and Minnesota right-hander Jake Odorizzi ($17.8 million for 2020); San Francisco right-hander Kevin Gausman and Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman ($18.9 million for 2021); Giants first baseman Brandon Belt ($18.4 million for 2022; Texas left-hander Martín Pérez and Giants outfielder Joc Pederson ($19.65 million for 2023).