The first month of the offseason is loaded with pressure points for the Dodgers, and every one of them comes before the lockout shuts everything down.
That’s the reality for Major League Baseball right now: teams only have a short runway to get deals done before the labor situation changes the rules. For clubs like the Dodgers, that means a brief stretch to sign, trade, protect, or cut ties before the freeze hits.
Players want security. Teams want clarity.
And with a possible new Collective Bargaining Agreement hanging over everything, there’s real urgency to make moves now.
The action starts immediately after the season ends. From Oct. 29 to Nov. 2, teams can negotiate with their own free agents, and they can talk to outside free agents too, even if nothing can be finalized yet. That five-day window is the Dodgers’ first chance to work out agreements with their eight free agents before the market opens up fully.
Then comes Nov. 2, when free agency officially opens after the World Series. That’s when players can sign elsewhere, qualifying offer decisions get finalized, players on the 60-day injured list must be reinstated, and some eligible minor leaguers become free agents as well.
All of those calls have to be made by 2 p.m. PST.
A few days later, general managers gather in Las Vegas from Nov. 9 through Nov. 12.
Under normal circumstances, that’s usually a quieter stop on the calendar, but with the Winter Meetings likely wiped out by the lockout, the GM meetings carry more weight than usual. If a notable deal is going to get traction early, this is one of the few places it could happen.
Nov. 12 is also the qualifying offer deadline. The Dodgers don’t have any free agents who will receive one, but if they pursue a player who did get tagged with a qualifying offer, it could cost them international bonus pool money and draft picks.
One of the most important Dodgers dates arrives on Nov. 17, when teams must protect players by adding them to the 40-man roster. That deadline comes at 3 p.m.
PST, and it matters because four Dodgers players are currently eligible for the Rule 5 Draft: Christian Zazueta, Jackson Ferris, Adam Serwinoski, and Jake Gelof. Zazueta is viewed as a lock to be protected, while Ferris and Serwinoski are likely additions.
Next up is Nov. 20, the non-tender deadline. That’s the day arbitration-eligible players can be cut loose and sent into free agency. For the Dodgers, Gavin Stone, Alex Call, and Jake Cousins are among the possible non-tender candidates, though the team could also non-tender all three and then try to trade them.
And finally, Dec. 1 is the big one: lockout day. At 9 p.m., the lockout takes effect if the players’ association and ownership still haven’t reached a new collective bargaining agreement. The league is expected to push for a salary cap and other changes, while the players will fight that and try to get their own priorities included.
Given how little has happened between the two sides so far, the lockout has felt like the destination for a while. The real question now is how long it lasts before either side blinks and tries to strike a deal.
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In the end, the Brewers kept their young core intact and went on to win their first World Series title anyway. It leaves a familiar what-if around a deadline swing that nearly changed the shape of the race, and a reminder that sometimes the deal that never gets done can still echo all the way into October. [Read more 🡒]