The season is over, which means the MLB offseason has begun. There are still a few days until things kick off properly. But by this time next week, we could start hearing about moves being made. Usually, it takes a bit longer than that for things to start. The MLB is not the NFL or the NBA where things immediately kick into 5th gear and we get rapid-fire moves on the first day of free agency. But we can at least move on from talking about everything the Phillies did wrong this post-season, and begin talking about what they should do to fix it.
And the Phillies do have a lot of work to do. Namely, what do they do with Aaron Nola? The Phillies’ longtime and often frustrating starter is set to hit Free Agency. And if you believe what Jayson Stark has been saying, he is going to get paid. If not by the Phillies, then by someone else. Do they give him the money he wants? If not, how do they replace him?
They also have to decide if they want to keep this same lineup going forward. All 9 guys who played every day in the playoffs are under contract. But do they want to bring back the same lineup after how poorly they hit in the final games of the NLCS? Or should they shake things up? And what about Rhys Hoskins? After missing all of last season, he is set to be a free agent, but do they want to bring him back? If so who does he replace? The Phillies have to figure all of this out, and soon. But before that, let’s get to know some of the important dates coming up in the MLB offseason.
Here are all the dates Phillies fans should know:
November 6th- Free Agency Begins
There is a lot going on November 6th. It is the last day teams can pick up options on their players. It is also the deadline to give impending free agents a qualifying offer. The Phillies will have a few guys that have to weigh that for, including Rhys Hoskins. But most importantly, it is the official start of Free Agency. But it is not like the NFL or NBA, where the second free agency starts we start getting news. It may take months for some guys to sign.
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November 7th- 9th- General Manager Meetings
GM Meetings are not quite as busy as the Winter Meetings. The purpose of the meetings is to discuss things like rule changes. But when you have all 30 GMs in one place, there will of course be trade talks as well. There will likely be at least a few minor deals worked out in this team. Bigger moves may not happen until December though.
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November 14th- Deadline To Accept Qualifying Offers
The 14th is the final chance players have to accept qualifying offers. In most cases, players wont accept them. It is leaving money on the table. But Rhys Hoskins is the type of guy who could maybe accept it given his situation. Get decent money for 1 year, then try to get the big deal after a bounce-back year. Aaron Nola on the other hand will reject it outright because there is going to be a big multi-year deal out there, whether it is from the Phillies or someone else. The Phillies still need to offer it though, so they get some form of compensation if he does leave.
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November 14th-Deadline To Protect Eligible Minor Leagues From Rule 5 Draft
Team have to decide which eligible players they will protect from the Rule 5 draft by 6pm E.T. on November 14th. Eligible players are any College Player drafted Before 2020, and any High School player or International Player drafted or signed before 2019. Last year the Phillies protected Johan Rojas. Mick Abel will be newly eligible, and will have to be added to the 40-man roster to be protected.
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November 14th-16th - Owners Meetings
The Owners Meetings are not usually a source of Hot Stove News like the GM or Winter Meetings. Owners are not as active in those types of decisions as GMS are. But there will be one huge topic discussed at these Owners Meetings, the vote on the A’s proposed move to Las Vegas. There is no reason to suspect they will vote no. But it is something interesting to follow. They need to get 22 of the other 29 Owners to vote yes for the move to be finalized.
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November 17th- Deadline to Non-Tender Players
The 17th is the deadline for teams to non-tender Arbitration or Pre-Arbitration players. You do not have to finalize a contract with these players, but you have to at least offer them a contract so negotiations can start. If a team decides they just don’t want the player, they can non-tender them, and they will become free agents. It is what happened with Cody Bellinger last year. The Phillies have a decent amount of eligible players this season, so we will see if they do decide to non-tender anyone, but there were no notable players they non-tendered last season.
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November 20th- Hall of Fame Ballot Released
This is not when votes are cast, just when the ballot is released. Jimmy Rollins will be back on the ballot after receiving votes on 12.9% of the ballots last year. But it will also be the first year Chase Utley is on the ballot. Will either have luck? The Sabermetric people love Chase Utley, so maybe he will get more votes than we would think. But Jimmy absolutely deserves more love for what he did compared to other Hall of Fame Shortstops. Just go ask Pat Egan and he will make the case for why J Roll deserves to be in the Hall.
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