What happens if a player accepts or rejects an MLB qualifying offer, and when is the deadline?

A player who accepts is signed with the offering team for the 2027 season at the designated value. A player who rejects remains a free agent, and if he signs elsewhere, his former club receives a draft pick as compensation. The deadline to accept is 4 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 17.

How did accepting a qualifying offer affect Ryu Hyun-jin’s career?

Ryu accepted the Dodgers’ qualifying offer in 2018. In 2019, he led MLB with a 2.32 ERA, started the All-Star Game and finished second in National League Cy Young Award voting, then signed a four-year, $80 million free-agent contract with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Kim Ha-seong not tendered qualifying offer by Braves

Q: Why did the Atlanta Braves not give Kim Ha-seong a qualifying offer?

Kim hit.116 with no home runs and nine RBIs in 51 games after missing time with a torn tendon in his right middle finger and later inflammation in the surgically repaired finger. He also went 1-for-28 in June.

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Summary

The Atlanta Braves did not extend a qualifying offer to Kim Ha-seong after an injury-plagued season in which he batted.116 in 51 games. Kim missed time with a torn tendon in his right middle finger and later inflammation in the surgically repaired finger. Eight other players received the one-year offer worth $23.15 million, and they have until Nov. 17 to accept. Kim’s next team remains uncertain.

Key Facts

Kim played the 2026 season on a one-year, $20 million contract with the Braves.
He made his season debut on May 12 and went 1-for-28 in June.
Kim played 24 games for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025 after returning from shoulder surgery, then joined the Braves after they claimed him off waivers in September.
Players who reject a qualifying offer remain free agents, and their former club receives a draft pick if they sign with another team.
Since the qualifying-offer system began in 2012, only 18 players have accepted an offer, according to the article.

By Yonhap

Published Nov 3, 2026 1:48 pm KST

Atlanta Braves shortstop Ha-Seong Kim talks to his teammate during batting practice ahead of Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Atlanta, Oct. 7. AP-Yonhap

Korean infielder Kim Ha-seong has not received a qualifying offer from the Atlanta Braves after an injury-plagued season.

Eight players received the one-year qualifying offer worth $23.15 million, the mean salary of the 125 highest-paid players in Major League Baseball (MLB), on Monday (U.S. local time).

Kim played this season on a one-year, $20 million deal but batted just .116 with zero home runs and nine RBIs in 51 games.

He missed the early part of the season after suffering a finger injury in January while in Korea — he slipped on ice and fell, tearing a tendon in his right middle finger — and never found his rhythm at the plate. He made his season debut on May 12 but then missed about a month, from early July to early August, with inflammation in his surgically repaired finger. He batted just 1-for-28 in June.

After four seasons with the San Diego Padres from 2021 to 2024, Kim joined the Tampa Bay Rays in early 2025 as a free agent. He only played in 24 games for the Rays after returning from shoulder surgery he had undergone the previous winter, and then the Braves selected him off waivers in September 2025.

Kim batted .253 with three homers and 12 RBIs in his 24-game audition for the Braves, who brought him back on that one-year contract to be their primary shortstop for 2026.

Those plans went awry even before the season began as Kim suffered his finger injury, and it remains to be seen if any other club will go after the 31-year-old who has been slowed by injuries the past two seasons.

Players who have received a qualifying offer have until 4 p.m. (Eastern Time) on Nov. 17 to accept it. Those who do so are signed with that team for the 2027 season at the designated value. Players who reject this offer remain free agents, and if they sign with a new team, then their previous club receives a draft pick as compensation.

Since the system was implemented in 2012, only 18 players to receive a qualifying offer have accepted it. It is a way for players to bet on themselves to have one more productive season to further increase their value before exploring the open market.

Former Korean big leaguer Ryu Hyun-jin accepted the qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018, and it worked out well for the left-hander. In 2019, Ryu led MLB with a 2.32 ERA and started the All-Star Game while also finishing second in the National League Cy Young Award voting. Ryu parlayed that into a four-year, $80 million contract in free agency with the Toronto Blue Jays.

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