I think we'll see a few surprising guys get QO's this year as it looks like the market is going to go bonkers. $20 mil will be the new mid-range price (solid regular, might make an AS team or two, but not a HOF type guy) if it isn't already. The QO is $19.65 mil for one year. The old saying that there is no such thing as a bad 1 year deal could cause teams to get silly this year with it. This feels a lot like the late 80's early90's when prices skyrocketed after collusion - highest ever was $2.6 mil in the 1989 season, then new records set 6 times in the offseason, broke again in April, then in June Canseco signed for $4.7 mil a year - an 81% increase from the all-time record from less than a year earlier. In the 91/92 offseason $5 mil was broke by Clemens, $7 mil hit by Sandberg in March 92 before things stabalized until after the strike. Then Albert Belle cracked $11 million in early 96, peaking at $17 mil in late 2000 before A-Rod shattered things with his $25 per deal, which he later broke with $27 per in 2007, $30 mil finally set by Manny Machado in 2019, broke by Trout's $35 mil. Cole barely broke that with $36 mil then Scherzer got $43 per starting this past season. If Judge doesn't crack $50 mil per I'd be surprised (only way he doesn't if it is done for luxury tax reasons - spread out over 15 years or something when the team only expects 10 max then pays him to sit at home).

Smart teams will sign guys quickly this winter.