exclusive Joel Sherman MLB’s qualifying offer goes up again but comes with a massive CBA question By Joel Sherman Published Oct. 5, 2026, 5:27 p.m. ET Yankees closer David Bednar (53) throws a pitch. Charles Wenzelberg/NY Post ST. PETERSBURG – The Yankees will have to decide if they want to risk paying David Bednar and Jazz Chisholm Jr. $23.1 million next season, The Post has learned.
MLB and the Players Association have yet to officially agree on what the qualifying offer will be for this coming offseason, but a source told The Post it will rise from the $22.03 million of last season to just about $23.1 million.
The qualifying offer is calculated based on the mean salary of the 125 highest players in MLB. It can be offered to a free agent one time in their careers (so Bo Bichette had it put on him last offseason by the Blue Jays, so can’t this offseason if he opts out of his deal with the Mets).
Teams have until five days after the World Series ends to extend the qualifying offer, and players then have 10 days to accept or decline. A player who accepts, like Trent Grisham last year for the Yankees, is signed and no longer a free agent. A player who rejects becomes a free agent. Teams with players who reject receive draft pick compensation and those that sign such a player forfeit picks depending upon their luxury tax and revenue-sharing status.
