Major League Baseball’s playoffs will fill the calendar during the month of October, with the World Series set to end no later than November 3, 2024. Here are the key dates to remember as teams negotiate their way through the off season calendar once the 2024 World Series champions are decided.
Free agency begins immediately after the World Series for players with six years of MLB service time who are not under contract to their current teams. They can begin negotiating with teams immediately after the series is over, but can not sign with a new team until five days after the World Series.
The Detroit Tigers have absolutely no players who are scheduled to become major league free agents this winter. In fact, they don’t even have any players in their final year of arbitration eligibility, so there are currently no players set to become six year free agents after the 2025 season, either. The Tigers traded or released their entire would- be crop of free agents in July or August, most of them being signed to one year contracts last winter.
Kenta Maeda is the only Tiger who is due for free agency due to an expiring contract after the 2025 season. He could be joined by a player or two who is signed this off season to a one year contract, as they did with Jack Flaherty, Mark Canha, and Shelby Miller a year ago.
60-day IL activation day: Teams must activate players from the 60 day injured list immediately after the season is over. Normally, clubs get a few vacancies on the roster due to expiring contracts, but not the Tigers this year, so they’ll have to make some cuts to make room for the injured players. Alex Faedo, Sawyer-Gipson Long, Brendan White, and Javier Báez are currently on the 60 day IL. The club does not need to make room for them if they’re going to be released. With 39 players currently on the 40 man roster, the Tigers will have to start making some cuts. This is a good problem to have.
Minor League Free agents: The team could add any players eligible for minor league free agency to the roster at this time. Players who have been released from their original pro contracts, or those with six full years of service in the minor leagues can opt for free agency if they are not on the 40 man roster. They won’t be part of the Rule 5 draft. These players could also be signed to minor league contracts and remain in the organization.
Last year at this time, the Tigers added Keider Montero, who played a role in their playoff run and started a game in the playoffs. 24 other players became minor league free agents. That group included Jack O’Loughlin, Andrew Vasquez, and Trey Wingenter. Players who re-signed will be eligible for free agency again.
Minor league free agents typically either passed their Rule 5 eligibility, which hits at 4- 5 seasons in pro ball, or were at one time released from their original pro contract, so they’re going year to year on minor league deals.
Player and club options: Unless a player’s contract specifically states otherwise, contract options are generally exercised by five days after the World Series. Last season, Javier Báez opted in for four more seasons and the Tigers picked up the club option on catcher Carson Kelly.
This off season, the Tigers have just one team option. That one is for Casey Mize, who avoided an arbitration hearing by giving the club an option for $3.1 million with a $10,000 buyout for 2025. After being injured for much of the 2024 season, they’ll be paying the buyout, making Mize eligible for arbitration for a second time. The Tigers also traded Andrew Chafin, who had a club option for $6.5 million with a $500K buyout.
Qualifying Offers: The last day for clubs to make a qualifying offer to an eligible former player who became a free agent in order to receive free agent compensation comes five days after the end of the World Series at 5:00 p.m. ET. The QO is an average of the top 125 salaries in MLB, which this year comes in at $21.1 million. Since they have no pending free agents, the Tigers won’t be making any qualifying offers this season.
Once offered, players then have 10 days to accept or reject the qualifying offer. If they accept, they have a one year contract for $21.1 million for the 2025 season. If they decline and ultimately sign with a different team, their former club will receive compensation in the form of a draft pick, depending on how much the player signs for with the new team.
November 4- 7, 2024: General managers meetings, San Antonio, Texas
Nov. 15, 2024: By this date, teams must place eligible prospects on the 40-man roster to prevent them from being selected by other teams during the Rule 5 Draft, which typically takes place during the Winter Meetings in December.
Prospects are eligible for the Rule 5 Draft if they were signed at age 18 or younger and have been in the minors for five years, or if they were signed at age 19 or older and have been in the minors for four years.
Dillon Dingler and Wilmer Flores were added to the roster a year ago. BYB will have more on the Tigers’ eligible prospects who are likely to be added to the roster soon.
Nov. 17, 2025: Last day for teams to offer 2024 contracts to (arbitration eligible) unsigned players on their 40-man rosters. This is also called the “non tender deadline”.
If a team does not tender a contract, the player becomes a free agent. Arbitration-eligible players typically include those with three to six years of MLB service time, as well as certain “Super Two” players who have more than two but fewer than three years of service. Akil Baddoo and Alex Lange are potential non tender candidates this winter, and there are always a few surprises around the league.
Hall of Fame and Awards Schedule
November 11: BBWAA award finalists are announced
November 18: Rookie of the Year winners announced
November 19: Manager of the Year winners announced
November 20: Cy Young winners announced
November 21: Most Valuable Players announced
December 8: Hall of Fame Classic Baseball committee vote announced
January 21: BBWAA Hall of Fame vote announcement
Meetings
November 19-21, 2024: Owners meetings in New York.
December 2-6, 2024: MLBPA executive board meetings in Scottsdale, Arizona.
December 8-11, 2024: Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas.
The MLB draft lottery will be held during the winter meetings, and the first 18 picks in the 2025 draft will be determined. Only teams who missed the playoffs are eligible for a lottery pick, and the playoff teams are ranked in order of how they did in the post season, so the Tigers will be picking 24th in 2025. Detroit will also receive a supplemental first round pick in round A of the draft. That Competitive Balance Round A selection should be somewhere close to the 35th overall pick in July’s 2025 amateur draft. In 2024 they took prep lefty handed pitcher Ethan Schiefelbein in the CBA B round with the 72nd overall pick. For lower payroll teams it goes back and forth between rounds A and B from year to year.
December 11, 2024: The last day of the winter meetings is also the day that the Rule 5 draft is actually held.
Transaction dates
November 22: The last day for teams to make a qualifying offer ($21.1 million) to free agent players on their 40-man roster, if they want to receive compensation.
December 11: The 2024 MLB Rule 5 Draft
December 15: The 2024 International signing period closes at 5 p.m. EST
January 9: Salary arbitration figures are exchanged between players and their clubs
January 15: The 2025 International signing period opens at 9 a.m. EST
January 27 to Feb 14, 2025: Salary arbitration hearings in St Petersburg, Florida
2025 Season begins
February 14, 2025: Pitchers and Catchers report to spring training for many clubs.
February 22, 2025: Grapefruit league exhibition season begin: Tigers host the Phillies in Lakeland
March 28, 2025: Tigers open the season at Dodger Stadium with a 3 game series
April 5, 2025: Tigers’ home opener vs Chicago White Sox at Comerica park