Record-Breaking Four Players Accept $22M Qualifying Offers, Removing Themselves from Free Agency
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A historic four players have accepted qualifying offers worth $22,025,000 from their former teams, taking them out of the free-agent market. Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga, Milwaukee right-hander Brandon Woodruff, New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham, and Detroit second baseman Gleyber Torres are among those who accepted the one-year deals. In contrast, nine players rejected the offers and chose to remain free agents. The list includes several high-profile names such as Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker, Toronto shortstop Bo Bichette, and Philadelphia designated hitter Kyle Schwarber. The qualifying offer system allows a team to retain a key player by offering them a one-year deal. If the player signs with another team before the next July's amateur draft, their former club receives draft pick compensation. However, players who have accepted qualifying offers in the past can become free agents without this compensation after the next season. This year's qualifying offers have broken the previous record of three players, set in 2015 when Matt Wieters, Brett Anderson, and Colby Rasmus accepted offers worth $15.8 million. The qualifying offer system has been in place since 2012, with only 18 of 157 offers being accepted.
