The qualifying offer for Major League Baseball free agents is expected to jump from $15.88 million last winter to $16.7 million this winter, according to sources.

If a player who is set to become a free agent played the entire season with one team, that team is able to extend a qualifying offer to him. The qualifying offer is a one-year deal worth the average of the top 125 salaries in baseball.

If a player declines a qualifying offer, he becomes a free agent. Any team that signs the free-agent player loses its top draft pick -- if it's not one of the top-10 draft picks, which are protected.