Major League Baseball’s qualifying offer is a one-year deal clubs can present players entering free agency in order to bring back value, either in the player agreeing to it or via draft pick if they move on.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will most assuredly hand a qualifying offer to starting pitcher Zac Gallen, who hits the market after spending the past 6.5 years with the club.
The qualifying offer this offseason increased by 4.6%, going from $21.05 million to $22.025 million, which is the average of the top 125 major league contracts.
The Diamondbacks extended the qualifying offer to free agent Christian Walker last offseason, which he declined before signing a $60 million deal with the Houston Astros. Since the deal was worth more than $50 million, the D-backs received a compensatory draft pick after the first round, which they used on Louisville pitcher Patrick Forbes.
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Gallen is the only Diamondbacks free agent who will receive the offer, considering the club traded many of its expiring contracts at the trade deadline (Eugenio Suarez, Merrill Kelly and Josh Naylor, among them).
Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro has said there is no chance Gallen accepts the qualifying offer, as he and his agent, Scott Boras, will explore the market.
Gallen had a down season with a strong finish, producing a career-worst 4.83 ERA, 21.5% strikeout rate and 3.8% home run rate. He worked a 3.32 ERA after the trade deadline to keep the Diamondbacks alive in the postseason chase and rebuild his stock going into the winter.
Even if a one-year, prove-it deal is something to pursue, there is recent precedent for pitchers taking more money than the qualifying offer presents.
Jack Flaherty took a one-year, $25 million deal in Detroit with a player option last offseason. Boras had several clients after the 2023 season take one-year deals with options, such as Blake Snell. Snell signed a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants that he opted out of after one season, albeit he won the Cy Young in 2023.
Spotrac projects the market value of players and evaluated Gallen at four years and nearly $75 million. This free agent class for pitching has some heavy hitters (Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez among them), so that figure can vary based on the market movement. There are several options that can deepen the talent pool, as well.
Gallen has been open about loving his time in Arizona and being open to coming back if it can be worked out, but this is his chance to cash in if the opportunity arises. D-backs owner Ken Kendrick has also been on record complimenting Gallen as a Diamondback, saying it is not “out of the touch of reality” to bring him back.
Who can receive a qualifying offer?
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 Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, San Diego right-hander Michael King, Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, San Diego right-hander Robert Suarez and Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker.
Potential free agents ineligible for qualifying offers include New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger, Boston third baseman Alex Bregman and Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto.
A qualifying offer can be made through the fifth day after the World Series, and a player has a week after that to accept.
Qualifying offers began after the 2012 season, and only 14 of 144 offers have been accepted.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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