The deadline for teams to tender qualifying offers to their pending free agents came and passed today at 5 p.m. EST. The Yankees reportedly tendered an offer to only one player, reliever David Bednar.
This was the expected outcome for the Bombers, but it’s still notable that Bednar was the only one they saw fit for a QO. It seemed very plausible ahead of the 2026 season that Jazz Chisholm Jr. would receive an offer as he headed into free agency, but an inconsistent campaign for the infielder convinced
the Yankees to let Chisholm become a free agent without any restraints.
Bednar now has about two weeks (until November 17th) to decide whether to accept the $23.15 million QO, or to reject it and test the waters. The general expectation seems to be that Bednar will not accept the offer, though stranger things have happened, and it’s not unheard of for non-elite free agents who to flounder on the market after receiving and rejecting a qualifying offer. Accepting the offer would make Bednar the highest paid reliever in MLB on a per-year basis.
Though the Yankees got burned the last time a player accepted a QO (see: Grisham, Trent), they obviously wouldn’t be upset to see Bednar return on a one-year pact. Top-end relievers typically earn in the $20+ million range in free agency these days, and Bednar was a stabilizing force at the back of the Yankee bullpen for the last season and a half even as he progresses through his early-30’s.
If Bednar rejects the offer and signs elsewhere, the Yankees will be in line for draft-pick compensation. Bednar is one of eight players to receive the offer this year: Randy Arozarena, Jake Bauers, Seiya Suzuki, Trevor Rogers, Adrian Morejón, Ryan Jeffers, and Brandon Lowe all also received the QO.
