The Orioles have extended the qualifying offer to free agents Corbin Burnes and Anthony Santander, the club announced Monday afternoon.

Burnes and Santander are expected to be highly sought after in free agency and will almost certainly decline the qualifying offer to test the open market. They have until 4 p.m. on Nov. 19 to accept or decline the one-year, $21.05 million offer — a predetermined amount by MLB.

If they both reject it and are signed by another club for at least $50 million this offseason, the Orioles would net two compensatory picks in the 2025 draft — a boon to an organization that is seen as one of the top drafting teams in MLB. Last offseason, all seven players who received the qualifying offer declined it. Since 2012, only 10% of players have accepted the offer.

Burnes and Santander rejecting the qualifying offer does not mean they can’t or won’t re-sign with Baltimore. For players of their caliber, the offer is a procedural move that is meant as a competitive balance measure across MLB. Aside from Burnes and Santander, 11 other players across MLB received the qualifying offer: New York Yankees slugger Juan Soto, Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman, Atlanta Braves left-hander Max Fried, Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Willy Adames, New York Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, Los Angeles Dodgers Teoscar Hernández, Boston Red Sox right-hander Nick Pivetta, Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker, Cincinnati Reds right-hander Nick Martinez and New York Mets pitchers Sean Manaea and Luis Severino.

Burnes, a client of mega-agent Scott Boras, is expected to receive the largest contract of any starting pitcher on the market, including some projections that have him making more than $200 million. The right-hander was a Cy Young Award candidate for much of 2024 — his first and perhaps only year in Baltimore — and has been one of baseball’s best aces since 2020.

Santander, meanwhile, is coming off a career year, ranking third in MLB with 44 home runs for one of the best power seasons by a switch-hitter in baseball history. The right fielder began his Orioles career as a Rule 5 draft pick in 2016 and ascended to become an All-Star in 2024. It’s unclear what type of market Santander will have in free agency, but he will likely sign a contract worth approximately $20 million per year.

The decisions ended a busy day for the Orioles before free agency officially began at 5 p.m. Baltimore exercised team options for first baseman Ryan O’Hearn ($8 million), right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez ($8 million), left-handed reliever Cionel Pérez ($2.2 million), while surprisingly declining southpaw Danny Coulombe’s $4 million option.

Have a news tip? Contact sports editor Tim Schwartz at timschwartz@baltsun.com, 410-332-6200 and x.com/timschwartz13