Important MLB Offseason Dates

The Texas Rangers won their first-ever World Series championship on Wednesday night, and now the 2023-2024 offseason begins. The New York Mets started theirs already by hiring David Stearns as president of baseball operations. Both Buck Showalter and Billy Eppler are gone, multiple directors in other areas have been fired, and about 10 scouts are not returning. And of course, the Mets are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons on the field in franchise history.

It will be a busy offseason for Stearns and the folks he decides to keep/hire in the front office, and that work has already begun with manager interviews with Andy Green and Carlos Mendoza. Soon, we will start hearing player-related news and rumors and the hot stove season will be in full swing.

Let’s take a look at the important upcoming dates!

Nov. 2, 9:00 a.m. ET – Free Agency Begins

Players who are eligible officially become free agents, though they have to wait five days before they can talk to different teams. The Mets have only one major league player who is definitely heading to free agency: veteran pitcher Carlos Carrasco.

Right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino has a $6.75 player option to stay with the Mets for 2024 and catcher Omar Narváez has a $7 million player option for the 2024 season. The Mets hold a $6.5 million option ($1.25 million buyout) for lefty reliever Brooks Raley.

Nov. 6 – Players Can Find New Homes

The big one here on this date is that players can start signing with new organizations. Superstar Shohei Ohtani is the big name to watch this free agency. Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Josh Hader are some of the other big names to watch.

Also happening on this date:

Finalists for 2023’s major awards will be announced during a live MLB Network broadcast at 6 p.m. ET.
Decisions on contract options (like Ottavino, Narváez, Raley) must be made.
Deadline to give players the qualifying offer.

Nov. 7-9: GM Meetings

The GM Meetings will take place in Scottsdale, Arizona, where it’s typical to see conversations about any necessary rule changes. Also, it’s a time when we see some early player moves happen and typically front office/coach hirings as well.

Nov. 14 – Deadline for QO Decision, Rule 5 Decisions

The deadline for players to accept or reject the qualifying offer. Players who accept will sign a one-year, $20.5 million contract. Last year, 12 players were given the qualifying offer, with two accepting.

It’s also the deadline for teams to add prospects to their 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft that takes place at the Winter Meetings. We took a look at the Mets prospects that are eligible.

No. 14-16: Owners Meetings

It is notable this year because they will vote on the potential relocation of the Athletics from Oakland to Las Vegas.

Nov. 15 – Cy Young Awards Announced

The Cy Young Awards will be announced on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET. Mets right-hander Kodai Senga will likely land in the top 5 in voting.

Nov. 16 – MVP Awards Announced

The MVP Awards will be announced on MLB Network at 6 p.m. ET. Not likely that any Mets will finish high in the voting, though Francisco Lindor will probably get some down-ballot votes.

Nov. 17 – Non-Tender Deadline

Teams must make a decision whether to tender pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players a contract. This is a big one for the Mets this season with many arbitration-eligible players, including multiple players that could be non-tendered, like Daniel Vogelbach, Trevor Gott, and Tim Locastro. A couple of players who were arbitration-eligible have already been cut: Rafael Ortega, Michael Perez, and Danny Mendick.

Cody Bellinger, Jeimer Candelario, and Jeff Hoffman are notable players who were non-tendered at the deadline last year and went on to play key roles on new teams in 2023.

Nov. 20 – Hall of Fame Ballot Announced

The 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame Ballot will be announced. David Wright will be among the first-time eligible players, including Joe Mauer, Chase Utley, and Adrián Beltré.

Dec. 4-7: MLB Winter Meetings

The MLB Winter Meetings take place in Nashville, Tennessee this year. This is where a ton of action typically happens and conversations that lead to more player movement in the days following as well.

Dec. 5 – Draft Lottery

The draft lottery takes place live on MLB Network. The Mets have a 4.3% chance of getting the first overall pick. Because the Mets exceeded Major League Baseball’s highest Competitive Balance Tax threshold again this season, their first-round pick is at risk of dropping 10 spots in next year’s Draft. Only the top six picks in the Draft are protected from that penalty.

Dec. 6 – Rule 5 Draft

One of my favorite parts of every offseason, the Rule 5 Draft, takes place on the last day of the Winter Meetings. There is a Major League and Minor League phase, and the Mets took right-hander Zach Greene in the majors portion last year but returned him to the Yankees during spring training. Ryan Noda (A’s) and Blake Sabol (Giants) were both taken in last year’s Rule 5 draft and stayed with their new teams in productive 2023 seasons.

Joshua Palacios was taken in the minors portion by the Pirates and hit 10 home runs in the big leagues. The Mets took Jonathan Araúz in the minor league portion and he played in 27 big league games for them this season.

Jan. 12 – Arbitration Salary Figure Deadline

It’s the deadline for teams to exchange salary figures with arbitration-eligible players. This will be particularly interesting to watch with the Mets and Pete Alonso. The slugger is in his final season of arbitration before he hits free agency following the 2024 season.

Jan. 15 – International Free Agency Begins

The 2024 International Free Agent period begins at 9 a.m. ET, though most of these deals have already been agreed upon, with some of them being done for over a year. The Mets are expected to sign Venezuelan catcher Yovanny Rodriguez, a top 10 player to watch in the class, according to Baseball America.

Jan. 23 – Hall of Fame Class Announced

The 2024 National Baseball Hall of Fame class will be announced. Former Mets closer Billy Wagner keeps getting closer to the 75% vote he needs, coming in at 68.1% last year. Former Mets outfielder and manager Carlos Beltrán received 46.5% last year in his first year on the ballot.