More than a dozen Major League Baseball free agents received a qualifying offer Monday, marking one of the first major moments of the MLB offseason. after the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series victory.
Among the 13 players who received a qualifying offer was New York Yankees star Juan Soto. The 26-year-old is perhaps the best free agent on the market this offseason after his last impressive season with the Yankees, although it’s unclear if he’ll choose to stay in the Bronx.
Soto held a .288 batting average with a career-high 41 home runs and 109 RBIs that season, his first with the Yankees after the team made a deal with the San Diego Padres for him.
Soto is expected to decline the qualifying offer in the near future, sparking a bidding war for him that could go “well beyond” $500 million, . Players have until 4 p.m. ET on November 19 to accept the offer.
“I’m really happy with the city, with the team, but at the end of the day we’ll see,” Soto said after the game. The Yankees fell to the Dodgers in the World Series. “We are going to look at every situation, every offer that we receive. I don’t know which teams want to succeed me, but I will certainly be open to listening to every team. I don’t have any doors closed or anything like that, so we will be available for all 30 teams.”
(LEARN MORE ABOUT MLB FREE AGENCY: Top 50 players available this winter)
The Yankees also reached an agreement for . Cole opted out of his contract last weekend, but the Yankees voided him by adding a year to his current deal. He will now stay with the Yankees through 2029, and the team will pay him an additional $36 million on top of the $144 million he will earn over the next four seasons.
As for the Dodgers, the team sent an offer to Teoscar Hernández on Monday. They didn’t send one to starting pitcher Walker Buehler, however.
Here’s a look at the 13 players who received a qualifying offer on Monday.
List of eligible MLB offers
The deadline to accept a qualifying offer is November 19.
Juan Soto (OF) | New York Yankees
Corbin Burnes (RHP) | Baltimore Orioles
Anthony Santander (OF) | Baltimore Orioles
Alex Bregman (3B) | Houston Astros
Willy Adamès (SS) | Milwaukee Brewers
Pete Alonso (1B) | New York Mets
Sean Manaea (LHP) | New York Mets
Luis Severino (RHP) | New York Mets
Teoscar Hernández (OF) | Los Angeles Dodgers
Nick Pivetta (RHP) | Boston Red Sox
Christian Walker (1B) | Arizona Diamondbacks
Nick Martinez (RHP) | Cincinnati Reds
Max Fried (LHP) | Atlanta Braves
