Free agency has officially begun. A total of six players in Major League Baseball were extended qualifying offers, and one of those was George Springer. However, the Houston Astros did not extend one to Michael Brantley.
The qualifying offer is a one-year offer that teams can extend to their players who are reaching free agency. It is worth the average salary of the 125 highest paid players in the game, which this year is $18.9 million. The player can accept, and thus be under contract at that salary for one year, or he can decline and remain a free agent.