Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu took the qualifying offer -- a one-year contract worth $17.9 million (the mean salary of MLB's 125 highest-paid players). He will become only the sixth player among the 80 to receive offers since 2012 to accept. None of the other six free agents who received offers accepted them.
Teams had to extend prospective free agents a qualifying offer by Nov. 2. Those players had 10 days to either accept the offer or reject it in search of a multiyear deal out in the market, and the deadline for that decision was today at 5 p.m. ET.
In the six previous offseasons in which this system has been in place, only five (Brett Anderson, Jeremy Hellickson, Colby Rasmus, Neil Walker and Matt Wieters) of 73 players had accepted the qualifying offer.
The rules regarding Draft pick compensation for signing players who rejected QOs changed after the implementation of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement prior to the 2017 season, and the penalties for signing such players are less strict.
• Qualifying offer rules explained
Here are the seven free agents who received the qualifying offer last week, and what Draft compensation their 2018 teams stand to receive if the players sign elsewhere.
Astros -- LHP Dallas Keuchel: Pick after Competitive Balance Round B
D-backs -- LHP Patrick Corbin and OF A.J. Pollock:
A) If either player signs for at least $50 million: Pick between 1st round and Competitive Balance Round A
B) If either player signs for less than $50 million: Pick after Competitive Balance Round B
Dodgers -- C Yasmani Grandal and LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu: Pick after Competitive Balance Round B
Ryu was the only player to accept the qualifying offer, so he'll stick with Los Angeles on a one-year deal.
Nationals -- OF Bryce Harper: Pick after Round 4
Red Sox -- RHP Craig Kimbrel: Pick after Round 4
Compensation for losing players who reject qualifying offers
The current Collective Bargaining Agreement rules state that if the team that loses the free agent is a revenue-sharing recipient, based on its revenues and market size, then the selection -- if and only if the lost player signs for at least $50 million -- will be awarded a pick between the first round and Competitive Balance Round A of the 2019 MLB Draft. If the player signs for less than $50 million, the compensation pick for those teams would come after Competitive Balance Round B, which follows the second round.
The following 16 teams currently qualify for these picks: A's, Braves, Brewers, D-backs, Indians, Mariners, Marlins, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers and Twins.
If the team that loses the player does not receive revenue sharing and did not exceed the luxury-tax salary threshold the previous season, its compensatory pick will come after Competitive Balance Round B. The value of the player's contract doesn't matter in this case. The 12 clubs that fall into this category are the Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, White Sox and Yankees.
If the team that loses the player went over the luxury-tax threshold, the compensation pick will be placed after the fourth round has been completed (as with the previous scenario, it doesn't matter how much the player signs for). The only two clubs that exceeded the threshold in 2018 are the Nationals and Red Sox.
Penalties for signing players who reject QOs
Any team that signs a player who has rejected a qualifying offer is subject to the loss of one or more Draft picks. However, a team's highest first-round pick is exempt from forfeiture, which is a big change that went into effect with the new CBA. Three tiers of Draft-pick forfeiture -- based on the financial status of the signing team -- are in place to serve as a penalty for signing a player who rejected a qualifying offer:
• A team that exceeded the luxury tax in the preceding season will lose its second- and fifth-highest selections in the following year's Draft, as well as $1 million from its international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period. If such a team signs multiple qualifying-offer free agents, it will forfeit its third- and sixth-highest remaining picks as well.
Teams that are in this group this offseason: Nationals, Red Sox
• A team that receives revenue-sharing money will lose its third-highest selection in the following year's Draft. If it signs two such players, it will also forfeit its fourth-highest remaining pick.
Teams in this group: A's, Braves, Brewers, D-backs, Indians, Mariners, Marlins, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Rays, Reds, Rockies, Royals, Tigers and Twins.
• A team that neither exceeded the luxury-tax threshold in the preceding season nor receives revenue sharing will lose its second-highest selection in the following year's Draft, as well as $500,000 from its international bonus pool for the upcoming signing period. If it signs two such players, it will also forfeit its third-highest remaining pick and an additional $500,000.
Teams in this group: Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Cubs, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, White Sox and Yankees.