The qualifying offer deadline has come and gone, as teams around the league had to make decisions regarding their eligible free agents. Some of those decisions were no-brainers: Yes, the Chicago Cubs did in fact offer Kyle Tucker a one-year, $22 million deal, if you can believe it. Others, though, are a little bit trickier.
While the qualifying offer was instituted as a way to compensate teams after losing star players in free agency, every now and then, the stars align such that it makes sense for both player and team. And sure enough, we've got a few such cases this winter. Here are four players who might actually choose to forgo free agency in order for a short-term
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LHP Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs
To say that Imanaga ended the 2025 season on a down note would be putting it mildly. He put up an ugly 6.51 ERA in the month of September, with 10 homers allowed in just 27.2 innings of work, and he failed to make it out of the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 of the NLDS. (That start went so badly that the Cubs opted not to use him at all with their season on the line in Game 5.)
He just turned 32 years old, and his reliance on deception rather than velocity means that he's got much less margin for error than other pitchers of his stature. The stretch run was a sign of what can happen when things aren't working, and the floor is downright ugly. All of which helps explain why Chicago turned down the chance to lock Imanaga in at $57 million over the next three years.
Imanaga in turn declined a $15 million player option for next year, sending him to free agency. But while the pitching market is always white-hot, it's unclear how eager teams will be to make a meaningful multi-year investment in a guy with a serious home run problem who melted down in October — especially if that investment would also necessitate losing a draft pick. $22 million is probably more than Imanaga can expect to make otherwise in 2026, and accepting the QO would allow him to put together a bounce-back year and hit the open market again on stronger footing. Given his age, a six- or seven-year deal isn't in the cards anyway; trying to maximize the next three to five years feels like the better play.
RHP Brandon Woodruff, Milwaukee Brewers
When Woodruff is healthy, he's among the very best in the game. The problem, as everyone in Wisconsin is aware, is that he's healthy so rarely: This was his second straight season at fewer than 70 innings, and he wasn't able to return in time to make the Brewers' postseason roster. He'll be 33 in February, and while his ceiling is sky high, his future and his market feel uncertain.
All of which is why the QO might make sense for both sides. The Brewers aren't in the habit of giving out big deals in free agency. But they need to add pitching this winter, especially if they pull the trigger on a Freddy Peralta trade; why mess with the open market — one thin on true impact options, especially in Milwaukee's price range — when you can try to keep Woodruff around on a one-year deal that won't hamper your future flexibility?
For Woodruff, meanwhile, he clearly loves playing for the team that drafted him way back in 2014. And accepting the QO would allow him to prove to teams that he can be a healthy ace for 150+ innings, still in plenty of time to cash in with another high-AAV deal next winter. Plus, he won't cost teams a draft pick next time around.
OF Trent Grisham, New York Yankees
Grisham is a fascinating case. He was objectively awesome this season, hitting a career-high 34 homers while serving as New York's leadoff man. Then again, 2025 was his first year with an OPS above .700 since 2021; it was an outlier year in every offensive respect, one that teams will be skeptical he can repeat. Add to that the fact that his defensive metrics fell off a cliff this year, calling into question his ability to stick in center field into his 30s, and you have yourself a very tricky negotiation.
All of which is why the QO might make sense. If Grisham mashes again, while getting back to his usual self in the field, it'll put all those concerns at ease and open up a much more robust market next winter when he's still only 30 years old. If he thinks he can cash in with a draft pick around his neck and a limited track record this offseason, he should absolutely do so. I'm not sure a major four- or five-year deal is out there for him, though, so the one-year route might be best.
(As for the Yankees, you can understand given their outfield uncertainty why they'd be open to bringing Grisham back without having to make a major commitment based on a contract year.)
2B Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers
Torres was probably the biggest surprise of qualifying offer day, as not many expected the Tigers to make this move after he struggled mightily at the plate in the second half. But the more I think about it, the more I come around to Scott Harris' way of thinking — and the more I think Torres might be wise to come back to Detroit for one more go-round.
Torres was reportedly battling a hernia injury down the stretch of this season, which goes a long way toward explaining his poor performance. He was awesome in the first half, and if he can get back to and sustain that form in 2026, he'll still be able to negotiate a nice contract for himself next winter — he won't turn 30 until next December. It might be wise for him to accept a healthy AAV on a one-year basis, build his value back up and then capitalize on what should once again be a thin free-agent crop (especially if the Yankees eventually reach agreement on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. extension).