The Boston Red Sox have a lot of decisions to make in the coming weeks and months, as they shift their attention from the 2024 season to the future, both short and long-term.
One task on Boston's to-do will be whether or not to extend qualifying offers to pending free agents. The deadline for that decision is five days after the World Series.
Players who received the qualifying offer have until November 14 at 4:00 p.m. ET to accept or reject it. If a player rejects the offer and signs with another team, the team that offered the qualifying offer receives a compensatory MLB draft selection.
How much will it cost this year?
According to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, the qualifying offer for this upcoming offseason is set to be $21.05 million, which is a $725,000 jump from last year.
Boston has a number of players set to hit the market, but will they offer it to any of them? That remains unknown.
Outfielder Tyler O'Neill would probably be the only player who the Red Sox should be considering offering it to. He's projected to receive $18.16 million annually right now (via. Spotrac), but he'll only fit in Boston's lineup in 2025 if other moves are made.
It still could be worth it to try and get a compensatory pick for losing his services.
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