MLB Offseason Key Dates: Important Dates for the MLB Hot Stove and the Philadelphia Phillies

Now that the 2023 MLB season has come to an end –no, we don’t have to get into the particulars– the focus shifts to the 2024 MLB Hot Stove season. Here’s a look at key dates on the Hot Stove calendar and what it means for the Philadelphia Phillies offseason.

MLB Free Agency Begins

• Five Days After the World Series – Five days after the World Series MLB free agency will begins and players can sign with any team. In the five days prior, players can negotiate exclusively with their current club.
  • Phillies– The Phillies have two major names set to hit free agency at the conclusion of 2023 season, 1B Rhys Hoskins and SP Aaron Nola. Hoskins is the longest tenured Phils position player and Nola is the longest tenured Phillies player period. Chances of them both returning to Philadelphia are slim but not impossible. Both have expressed interest in returning. Nola has a better chance at returning than Hoskins. Other Phillies free agents include 3B Drew Ellis, RHP Michael Lorenzen, and RHP Craig Kimbrel.

Option Period

• Five Days After the World Series– Any option -player option, vesting option, mutual option, or club option- must be exercised withing in the five days following the conclusion of the World Series. This includes opt-outs.
  • Phillies– The end is likely near for Scott Kingery in the Phillies organization. Kingery, 29, has a $13MM club option for 2024. It’s hard to fathom how the Phillies could or would exercise that option. Kingery, who signed a 6-year/$24MM contract prior to 2018, hasn’t seen a Big-League field since 2021. The 48th overall pick in the 2015 MLB Amateur Draft will go down as one of the all-time great busts in Phillies history.

Qualifying Offers

• Five Days After the World Series– Like free agency and options, qualifying offers must be tendered within the five days following the conclusion of the World Series. Players who receive a qualifying offer have 10-days to accept or reject the offer. A player immediately becomes available for as a free agent if they reject the offer.
  • Phillies– Only Hoskins and Nola are eligible for a qualifying offer heading into 2024 should the Phillies choose to offer them one. If Hoskins or Nola were to accept a qualifying offer, they would be locked in at $20.5MM for 2024, according to MLB.  They also have the right reject an offer, which makes sense in Nola’s case, and choose free agency.  The Phillies will receive draft compensation if either sign with another team after rejecting the offer.

Rule 5 Roster Protection

• November 15 – Players must be added to the 40-man roster by November 15 in order to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft.
  • Phillies– The Phillies have the 23rd ranked farm system according to MLB Pipeline. There are only a handful of players worth taking in the Rule 5 Draft and the Phillies will likely protect them.

Non-Tender Deadline

• November 17 – A club can “non-tender” or release a player from their 40-man roster. This usually occurs with players who are not yet eligible to be free agents.  Once a player is “non-tendered” it frees up a 40-man roster spot and that player becomes a free agent.
  • Phillies- No one stands out as a “non-tendered” candidate, but you never know what’s going to happen. Someone like Michael Plassmeyer could be a candidate for a “non-tender” if the Phils need to a 40-man roster spot.

Winter Meetings (Nashville)

• December 3-6 – The Winter Meetings are always an eventful time on the Hot Stove calendar with a lot of wheeling, dealing, and trade conjecture. The Winter Meetings conclude with the Rule 5 Draft.

Salary Arbitration

• January 12, 2024 – Any arbitration-eligible player that hasn’t agreed to a contract with their team will exchange salary figures for the 2024 season. If a player and their club are unable to agree to a contract it will go before an arbitrator between January 29 and February 16, 2024.
  • Phillies– The following Phillies will be eligible for salary arbitration: Alec Bohm, Jake Cave, Dylan Covey, Jeff Hoffman, Edmundo Sosa, Gregory Soto, Garrett Stubbs, and Ranger Suarez

International Signing Period

• January 15, 2024 – The International Signing period opens for, well, international signings. Most international signings come from Latin America however there’s an occasional signing from other countries. A player must be 16-years old prior to September 1, 2o23 and not be a resident of the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico to meet international signing eligibility. A team is given a set amount of money to sign international prospects.

Spring Training

• February 16, 2024 – Pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, FL.
• February 21, 2024 – Position players report to Clearwater, FL.
• February 24, 2024- Phillies travel to Dunedin, FL to take on the Toronto Blue Jays in Grapefruit League play.