Let the Offseason Begin

The World Series is over, unfortunately a bit sooner than I’d like since one team showed up and the other one kept tripping over themselves. Then again, it appears that full on free agency will begin on Monday, which happens to be five days after the Dodgers clinched. They already have a parade set up for Friday, which is a very quick turnaround. Meanwhile we see at least one new managerial hire other than Terry Francona (welcome to hell, Will Venable!) and a few option decisions, trades can start up again, and we’re a few weeks from the qualifying offer and non-tender decisions.

Here are some of the more important milestones to look for:

• November 4 @ 5 PM Eastern — Free agents can now sign with any team
• Also on November 4 — option decisions must be made, and qualifying offers are extended
• November 19 @ 4 PM Eastern (why two weeks though?) — QO guys need to accept or decline
• November 22 — nontender deadline
• December 11 — Rule 5 Draft

I know in the last Dreamcast we talked about a game to fix up the Cubs this offseason but since I’m still unemployed and it’s depressing I haven’t set it up. In the meantime, we can check out the free agent list and the top trade candidates provided by MLBTR. I expect we will have more clarity on who’s available come Monday.