With the offseason officially underway for all 30 Major League Baseball teams, the Philadelphia Phillies have some decisions to make this winter. They weren't part of the playoff equation after being eliminated in the NLDS, so the front office has had plenty of time to strategize and plan for free agency.
While teams were free to negotiate with their own free agents immediately after the World Series ended, full free agency didn't start until Thursday at 5:00 p.m. ET. Teams also extended qualifying offers to their eligible free agents ahead of this deadline.
The one-year qualifying offer price for the 2025-26 offseason was set at $22.025 million. If a player rejects the qualifying offer and signs with a different team, their former team receives draft-pick compensation.
Among the Phillies' stable of free agents, two of their own received qualifying offers: Kyle Schwarber and Ranger Suárez. If either player rejects the offer (which they will) and signs with a new team (which they might), the Phillies will be reimbursed with a compensatory draft pick after the fourth round of the 2026 MLB Draft.
Players have until Nov. 18 to accept or reject qualifying offers. But what about if the Phillies decide to sign a free agent who rejects a qualifying offer?
How much will the Phillies be penalized if they sign a free agent who rejects a qualifying offer?
The Phillies finished the 2025 season with one of the highest payrolls in MLB, bursting over the fourth and final luxury tax threshold ($301 million) at an estimated $312.55 million, according to FanGraphs.
As such, the Phillies are among the group of six high-spending teams that will face the stiffest penalties for signing a qualifying offer-rejecting free agent, per MLB Trade Rumors. As a competitive balance tax payer, the Phillies will have to surrender $1 million in international bonus pool money plus two draft picks (their second- and fifth-highest) in next year's draft.
If they sign two qualifying offer-rejecting free agents they would also face a heavier penalty. They'd end up losing four draft picks, their second, third, fifth, and sixth highest.
So as they explore all possible avenues to improve this winter, the Phillies will have to keep the penalties in mind. That begs the question, which eligible free agents could come with a qualifying offer price tag?
After Thursday, we now know that in addition to Schwarber and Suárez, 11 other free agents received qualifying offers.
- Kyle Tucker, OF
- Trent Grisham, OF
- Bo Bichette, SS
- Gleyber Torres, 2B
- Framber Valdez, SP
- Dylan Cease, SP
- Brandon Woodruff, SP
- Zac Gallen, SP
- Shota Imanaga, SP
- Michael King, SP
- Edwin Díaz, RP
The good news is that the Phillies can re-sign their own free agents without any penalty. So, after Schwarber and Suárez reject their qualifying offers, the Phillies can try to bring them back without worrying about anything but the contract.
Schwarber is the top priority and will command a hefty contract. Suárez seems destined to move on after spending the entirety of his career up to this point in Philadelphia.
For now, it's just a matter of waiting to see how free agency plays out across the league.