MLB has reportedly set this year's qualifying offer salary at $18.4 million, a drop of a half-million dollars from the $18.9 million figure this past offseason.
The decline would be the second time in the 10-year history of the offer that the value dropped from one year to the next, as the $17.8 million tag in the 2019-20 offseason was a tick below 2018-19's $17.9 million mark.
Still, as the offer is reflective of the average of the 125 highest-paid players in baseball, it is still over $5 million more than the $13.3 million value it had in its first season of use, 2012-13. Six players received the qualifying offer last winter, with only one, Mets hurler Marcus Stroman, accepting.
The news is likely of little effect to the Yankees, who only have one true free agent in Corey Kluber and three – Brett Gardner, Darren O'Day, and Joely Rodriguez – who could receive it if options on their deals are declined. Anthony Rizzo is not eligible after being acquired mid-season, and of the four players mentioned, all are veterans and Kluber's one-year, $11 million deal was the richest of the bunch in 2021.
However, the Mets do have two key free agents in Michael Conforto and Noah Syndergaard who are possibilities for the offer, the latter especially coming off virtually two full seasons lost to Tommy John surgery.
Conforto made $12.25 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility, while Syndergaard made $9.7 million.
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Stroman is ineligible for a second offer under MLB rules preventing players from being tagged more than once, and four mid-season acquisitions – Javier Baez, Brad Hand, Rich Hill, and Heath Hembree – who are also ineligible.
However, the Mets could also consider Jeurys Familia (coming off a three-year, $30mm deal where he made $11.67mm in actual money), and have three other free agents who are unlikely to receive the offer: Dellin Betances ($6mm), Jonathan Villar ($3.5mm), and Aaron Loup ($3mm).
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