The MLB offseason has officially begun. And while it might be cliche to say, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.
With the World Series now over, Thursday marked the start of a five-day period in which teams can negotiate with their own free agents. True free agency begins Tuesday, which coincides with the start of the general manager meetings. The trade window has also reopened.
The next few days will mostly be about teams laying the framework for the offseason. Qualifying offers will be extended and teams will make 40-man roster moves since they can no longer keep players on the 60-day injured list.
The Mets don’t have any departing free agents they are likely to negotiate with. Right-hander Carlos Carrasco’s time in Queens has come to an end after a dismal season. Right-hander Adam Ottavino and catcher Omar Narvaez hold player options, which will be decided Monday unless their contracts specify different dates. Monday is also the day teams have to tender qualifying offers to free agents, but the Mets don’t have to worry about that.
Players can only accept qualifying offers once. The Los Angeles Angels will extend a qualifying offer — likely to be around $20.5 million this year — to Shohei Ohtani. He is not expected to accept it.
Here’s a look at key dates for the offseason and what to expect from the Mets as the offseason gets underway:
NOV. 6: FREE AGENCY OPENS
Unlike in the NBA and NHL, MLB free agency is much less frenzied. In a league without a salary cap, players don’t have to worry about teams running out of salary space, even if some teams act as though the luxury tax threshold is a hard cap.
NOV. 7-9: GM MEETINGS
The winter meetings have become a marquee event on the baseball calendar that garners round-the-clock headlines and primetime coverage. The general manager meetings aren’t quite the same event. These meetings are typically more of the procedural variety, where things like rule changes are discussed. However, they’ve become a precursor for the winter meetings because when you have 30 GMs in one room, transactions are probably going to be discussed too. The Mets do not currently have a general manager since Billy Eppler resigned last month. It will be the first major offseason event for president of baseball operations David Stearns.
NOV. 9,13-14: AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS
Silver Slugger Awards will be announced Nov. 9, with Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor both in contention. Rookie of the Year Awards are revealed Nov. 13 and Manager of the Year follows on Nov. 14. Last year, Buck Showalter was named the NL Manager of the Year. This year, the Mets are looking for a new manager. However, the Mets do have two candidates for NL Rookie of the Year in right-hander Kodai Senga and catcher Francisco Alvarez, but Arizona’s Corbin Carroll is the favorite.
NOV. 14: DEADLINES TO ACCEPT QUALIFYING OFFERS, ADD RULE 5 PLAYERS
A lot of minor league trades typically go down on these days as teams attempt to clear 40-man roster space. Rule 5-eligible players this season are college players drafted 2020 or before, high school players drafted 2019 or before and players who signed internationally 2019 or before.
Players who accept qualifying offers can’t be traded without their consent before June 15. Teams receive draft pick compensation for qualified free agents. So if Ohtani leaves, the Angels will receive a draft pick next year, while his new team will forfeit one, as well as forfeit international bonus money.
NOV. 14-16: OWNERS MEETINGS
The big item on the agenda is the potential relocation of the Oakland A’s to Las Vegas. The A’s need 22 of 29 votes and they are expected to receive them.
NOV. 15-16: CY YOUNG AND MVP AWARDS
Senga’s consistent performance and his second-half dominance have earned him some Cy Young votes, but Arizona’s Zac Gallen might be the favorite.
NOV. 17: NON-TENDER DEADLINE
This is the deadline for teams to offer their pre-arbitration or arbitration-eligible players contracts for next season. Players who are not tendered contracts will become free agents. We previously looked at the Mets’ arbitration candidates a few weeks ago and will have a look at the pre-arb candidates as well.
NOV. 20: HALL-OF-FAME BALLOTS RELEASED
DEC. 3: VOTING RESULTS RELEASED
David Wright, Jose Reyes and Bartolo Colon will join Carlos Beltran on the ballot this year. Other notable former Mets include Billy Wagner (ninth year), Francisco Rodriguez (second year) and Gary Sheffield, who is entering his final year on the ballot.
DEC. 3-5: WINTER MEETINGS
The hot stove gets lit. GMs talk face-to-face with agents, drinks are had at the hotel bar and Scott Boras holds court. The Rule 5 Draft and the draft lottery also take place, but those events aren’t nearly as exciting as Boras talking about the Roman Empire or something of the sort. Worth noting: Alonso has retained Boras’ services. The homegrown first-base star will be a free agent following the 2024 season.