More From Joel Sherman The qualifying offer almost certain to be extended to looming free-agent stars such as Pete Alonso and Juan Soto currently projects at $21.2 million, The Post has learned. This is based on initial projections by the league. MLB and the Players A sociation do not finalize the qualifying offer which is based on the mean salary of the 125 highest-paid players from the current season until October. But these initial projections are that it will be a record at a little over $21 million with the current expectation being just about $21.2 million. The previous high was last offseason, at $20.325 million. The increase is 4.3 percent, which is better than the 3.4 percent from 2022 ($19.65 million) to last year, but le s, for example, than the 6.8 percent jump from 2021 ($18.4 million) to 2022. Teams must decide by five days after the World Series whether to tender a qualifying offer to a free agent. Players have until Eric Paschall Jersey 4 p.m. on Nov. 19 to accept or reject. If the player accepts this offseason, for example, he is a signed player at $21.2 million for the 2025 season. If the player rejects, he is a free agent and the team that extended the qualifying offer receives draft-pick compensation when the player signs elsewhere. Yankees outfielder Juan Soto will likely enter free agency following the 2024 season. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con In general, most players reject the qualifying offer just 13 of 131 players have accepted the offer since its inception in 2012. All seven players who received the $20.325 million qualifying offer last offseason, including Shohei Ohtani, rejected it. Players who have received the qualifying offer previously, such as Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Nathan Eovaldi and Blake Snell, cannot be made the qualifying offer again. All four of those players have player options for 2025 that they can reject to become free agents. Players who switched teams during the season such as looming free agents Jack Flaherty and Yusei Kikuchi also cannot be made the qualifying offer. Mets first baseman Pete Alonso will likely be a free agent this offseason. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports Without a severe change like a significant injury, free agents such as Alonso, Soto, Baltimores Corbin Burnes and Atlantas Max Fried will be made a qualifying offer and almost certainly reject it. It is the next tier of players on which there will be questions. The Brewers, for example, will probably put the qualifying offer on shortstop Willy Adames in the belief that he will reject it, and, even if he doesnt, have him on a favorable one-year contract theyd be happy to keep or find easy to trade. Will an extremely payroll-conscious team such as the Orioles do the same with Anthony Santander? Will the Padres, who already have so many big contracts, run the risk of Ha-Seong Kim accepting the one-year deal? Would Arizona make first baseman Christian Walker the qualifying offer? The Dodgers would probably make the qualifying offer to Teoscar Hernandez, who is having a good year and actually is making more in 2023 ($23.5 million) than the expected qualifying offer. The Yankees almost certainly would not risk making Gleyber Torres the qualifying offer because of a strong po sibility he accepts it coming off a subpar season. The Mets might have among the most interesting decisions. Sean Manaea almost certainly will reject his $13.5 million player option for 2025 if he doesnt suffer a downturn in performance or health the rest of this season. As of now, he could be looking at something like a three-year, $45 million or better deal this offseason. So his annual value will likely fall well short of $21.2 million. But would the Mets feel comfortable paying a bit of a premium for just one more year of Manaea rather than gambling on a longer pact, with the potential of getting draft-pick compensation if he signed elsewhere? The Mets could consider the same with Luis Severino. Damion Lee Jersey