MLB Free Agency Dates and Information

What may have been the strangest and most fraught MLB season of all time has come to an end. The 2020 season is officially over as the Los Angeles Dodgers held the Commissioner’s Trophy on Tuesday night. No time to rest, though, because it is almost time to dive into MLB free agency and winter meetings.

Listed here will be some important dates and information about the MLB offseason, especially regarding free agency. As COVID-19 continues to bend the sports world, some of the later dates may change going forward.

Wednesday, Oct. 28- Players are officially considered free agents.

Sunday, Nov. 1- Players may begin to sign with new teams, qualifying offers must be given out and player and team options must be exercised.

Monday, Nov. 2- Award finalists for Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year, Cy Young and MVP are announced.

Tuesday, Nov. 3- Gold Glove winners are announced.

Monday-Thursday, Nov. 9-12- Award winners are announced one at a time throughout the week.

Friday, Nov. 20- Rule 5 draft players must be added to their team’s roster.

Wednesday, Dec. 2- Non-tender deadline. Players who are not tendered become free agents, eligible to be signed by another team.

Sunday-Thursday, Dec. 6-10- Winter Meetings begin.* Rule 5 Draft begins on Thursday, Dec. 10.

* The Winter Meetings will likely be held virtually, depending on COVID-19. They were originally going to be held in Dallas, Texas as the World Series was.

Friday, Jan. 15, 2021- Arbitration deadline. Teams must either agree on a salary with their eligible players, or go into arbitration.

Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021- Spring training is expected to begin.

Featured Image courtesy of Catholic University Communications

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