Blue Jays offseason primer: Key dates and deadlines to know

Toronto blue jays The fans can’t be blamed for perhaps eliminating this World Series nightmare with division rivals New York Yankees and the Shohei-Ohtani leadership Los Angeles Dodgers.

But with the Dodgers up 3-0 in the Series and one win away from the title, it’s time to look ahead to the offseason, when Toronto is expected to be busy rebuilding their roster into a competitive team.

With that in mind, let’s break down the important dates and deadlines this offseason.

First day after the World Series

After the World Series concludes, free agency will open for all eligible players. However, the five days after the World Series are known as the quiet period, an exclusive window in which teams can negotiate with their departing free agents, but those free agents cannot talk to other teams.

In addition, the trading freeze ends and teams can make deals again.

A product of the Blue Jays sellout at the deadline means their only free agent is a left-handed pitcher Ryan Yarbrough.

Five days after the World Series

• The last day for clubs to make qualifying offers to eligible free agents. Players have until 4:00 PM ET on November 19 per MLB.com, to accept or reject the offer.
• The quiet period is coming to an end, allowing free agents to sign with any team.
• The deadline for teams and/or players to accept or decline club/player or mutual options in 2025.
• Teams must reinstate players on the 60-day injured list to the 40-man roster.

The qualifying offer is a one-year contract worth the average of MLB‘s 125 higher-paid players. This year the amount is expected to be $21.05 million. according to MLB.com.

Teams can offer eligible departing free agents the QO. If the player agrees, he will receive a one-year contract. If he declines, his former club will receive draft pick compensation if he signs with another club. Players eligible for a QO must have been with their team for the entire season – Yusei Kikuchiwho traded Toronto to the Houston Astroscannot receive it – and a QO may not have been previously offered.

Since the Blue Jays’ only free agent is Yarbrough, they don’t have a QO decision. However, the Blue Jays may be interested in signing free agents that QOs could be attached to. This impacts their future draft class because if a player declines a QO and signs with a club other than his previous one, the new club must forfeit a future draft pick.

Players who are in the mix to receive QOs – and therefore could be a draft pick – include Juan Soto (yankees), Anthony Santander (Orioles), Alex Bregman (Astros), Teoscar Hernández (Evaders) and Willy Adames (Brewers).

Losing a draft pick may deter some clubs from signing a free agent, but the Blue Jays have a recent history of signing players with QOs attached to them, including George Springer And Chris Bassitt.

The Blue Jays do not have anyone on the roster for 2025 with a club, player or joint option.

As for players on the 60-day IL, Alek Manoah, Jordan Romano, Will Wagner And Daulton Varsho must be re-added to the 40-man roster. The Blue Jays’ 40-man roster will consist of 43 players after removing Yarbrough, so they will need to clear three spots.

November 4-7: General Meetings in San Antonio, Texas

The GM Meetings are not as splashy as the Winter Meetings and are less likely to feature big stories, but it is the first major event to kick off the offseason. Normally the GM Meetings are an opportunity for clubs and player representatives to lay the groundwork for potential deals with free agents and/or other clubs. This year’s meetings will take place in San Antonio, Texas.

November 19: Major and Minor League reserve lists appear

This is the deadline for clubs to add Rule 5 Draft eligible players to their 40-man roster to protect them from selection. Typically, this is a key time for 40-man roster moves, as clubs add prospects who are close to being ready for the MLB while removing players who no longer fit short- or long-term plans.

Players who signed at age 18 or younger must be added to the 40-man roster within five seasons to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft. Players signed at age 19 or older must be added within four years.

This year, some eligible Blue Jays players are: C Phil Clarke1B/3B/RF Riley Tirotta2B/CF/SS Adrian Pinto2B/3B/SS Eddinson Paulino, 3B/SS Alex DeJesus3B/1B/LF Damiano PalmegianiBY Will RobertsonBY Dasan BrownBY Gabriel MartinezSP CJ Van EykSP Chad DallasSP Kendry RojasRP Hayden JungerRP Connor CookeRP Eric Pardinho.

November 22: Deadline for tendering contracts

This is the deadline for clubs to decide which verifiable players who have not signed long-term contracts they want to bring back for the 2025 season, although salary figures have yet to be determined.

If a player is not tendered, he is not offered a one-year contract, is removed from the 40-man roster and becomes a free agent. A team may decide not to tender a player for a variety of reasons, including roster cuts, underperformance, or the need to open up a roster spot. However, players are typically not tendered because their estimated arbitration salary is higher than what the team is willing to pay them.

The Blue Jays have 10 arbitration-eligible players for the 2025 season. Salary estimates are courtesy of MLB Trade Rumors.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: $29.6 million
Eric Swanson: $3.2 million
Jordan Romano: $7.75 million
Genesis Cabrera: $2.5 million
Dillon Tate: $1.9 million
Daulton Varsho: $7.7 million
Alejandro Kirk: $4.1 million
Alek Manoah: $2.4 million
Zach Pop: $1 million
Ernie Clemens: $1.7 million

Of the players listed, Swanson, Romano and Tate could be considered non-tender candidates.

Swanson struggled in the first half of the season and was even optioned to Triple A. After returning to the Blue Jays, his second half ERA was 2.55 in 24 2/3 innings. If the Blue Jays believe Swanson can be the second half next season, then $3.2 million is reasonable for a useful back-end reliever. If the club is concerned about his future performance, he cannot be registered.

Romano missed most of last season due to an elbow injury that required midseason surgery. With Romano eligible for a raise up to an estimated $7.75 million, the Blue Jays will have to consider whether they believe Romano is healthy and can return to his former dominant self in the closer role. After the season, GM Ross Atkins said he did not know who the team’s closer would be next season, but he later clarified that Romano would be considered for the job.

“He’s got to come back and be the pitcher (he was),” Atkins said. “I don’t want to just put my head on the pillow and say, ‘Okay, that’s covered.’ I want to be open to it, depending on his return, depending on how he feels. But I believe he will. I believe he can do that.”

The Blue Jays claimed Tate off waivers in September and he had a 5.40 ERA in four appearances. The club must decide if they have seen enough from Tate to justify a salary of almost $2 million, or if they think that money would be better spent elsewhere.

December 8-11 Winter Meetings in Dallas, Texas

Baseball’s biggest offseason event, the Winter Meetings, is designed to encourage transactions and purchases as it brings almost the entire sport together. There will be several events during the Winter Meetings in Dallas, including:

MLB draft lottery, December 10
All non-playoff teams will be entered into a lottery for the top six picks in the 2025 MLB Draft. The Blue Jays have the fifth highest odds (7.48 percent) of winning the No. 1 pick.

Rule 5 Draft, December 11
All clubs with space on their 40-man roster can select eligible unprotected players from other rosters for $100,000. A selected player must be immediately added to his new team’s 40-man roster and remain on the 26-man roster through the 2025 season (unless injured), or be offered back to his original club for $50,000.

January 10, 2025: Deadline for concluding contracts with players eligible for arbitration

Arbitration-eligible teams and players have until this date to negotiate a salary for the 2025 season. If a team and player cannot agree on a deal, they will exchange salary figures and move to a arbitration hearing in February, where a salary will be determined.

If the Blue Jays and Guerrero have yet to agree to a contract extension, this negotiating period will be a crucial time to reach an agreement on a long-term deal with the first baseman before he becomes a free agent after the 2025 season. Last year, the Blue Jays and Guerrero went to arbitration, where Guerrero won his case and received $19.9 million.

(Top photo of Blue Jays team president Mark Shapiro and GM Ross Atkins: Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)