With the World Series now complete, the 2021 MLB offseason officially is underway for all 30 teams. For the Los Angeles Dodgers, they saw 11 players reach free agency on Wednesday morning, including Max Scherzer, Clayton Kershaw, Corey Seager, Kenley Jansen and Chris Taylor.
The Dodgers — and all teams — have a five-day window to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents. Several key contributors already have expressed an interest in re-signing with the organization, but the expectation is that there will be a few departures.
The current collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is set to expire on Dec. 1, so it remains to be seen how active teams will be before a new deal comes to fruition.
Most players presumably will wait for a resolution before signing, but Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently stated he is open to negotiating with those who desire to get a deal in place before a potential lockout goes into effect.
A work stoppage would put a freeze on free agency, prevent teams from making trades, and likely result in the cancellation of the annual Winter Meetings and Rule 5 Draft.
The awards season won’t be affected, however, as the first round of hardware is set to go out during the second week of November.
Important 2021-2022 MLB offseason dates
Wednesday, Nov. 3: Free agency begins at 6 a.m. PT, with teams receiving a five-day window to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents
Sunday, Nov. 7: Deadline to issue qualifying offers ($18.4 million) to eligible free agents
Sunday, Nov. 7: Most decisions on contract options due
Sunday, Nov. 7: “Quiet period” ends at 2 p.m. PT, permitting free agents to sign with any team
Sunday, Nov. 7: Gold Glove Award winners announced on ESPN at 5:30 p.m. PT
Monday, Nov. 8: BBWAA Awards finalists (MVP, Cy Young, Rookie of the Year, Manager of the Year) announced on MLB Network at 3 p.m. PT
Tuesday-Thursday, Nov. 9-11: General managers’ meetings take place in Carlsbad, California
Thursday, Nov. 11: Silver Slugger Award winners announced on MLB Network at 3 p.m. PT
Monday, Nov. 15: 2022 National Baseball Hall of Fame ballot released
Monday, Nov. 15: American League and National League Rookie of the Year Award winners announced on MLB Network at 3 p.m. PT
Tuesday, Nov. 16: AL and NL Manager of the Year winners announced on MLB Network at 3 p.m. PT
Wednesday, Nov. 17: Cy Young Award winners announced on MLB Network at 3 p.m. PT
Wednesday, Nov. 17: Deadline for players to accept or reject the one-year qualifying offer
Thursday, Nov. 18: MVP winners unveiled on MLB Network at 3 p.m. PT
Friday, Nov. 19: Deadline for clubs to set their 40-man rosters in advance of the Rule 5 Draft
Wednesday, Dec. 1: Deadline to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players
Wednesday, Dec. 1: Collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires at 8:59 p.m. PT
Monday-Thursday, Dec. 6-9: 2021 Winter Meetings take place in Orlando, Florida
Thursday, Dec. 9: Rule 5 Draft concludes Winter Meetings
Friday, Jan. 14, 2022: Teams and players must exchange filing salary figures for arbitration
Saturday, Jan. 15: 2022 international signing period opens
Thursday, Jan. 20: National Baseball Hall of Fame Class announced
Late January to Mid-February: Arbitration hearings
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and more!
