Important offseason dates Phillies fans should know: Free agency, Winter Meetings & more

The Philadelphia Phillies' season is now long over. While the Phillies have been transitioning into offseason mode for a few weeks now, the Major League Baseball offseason has finally officially started now that the World Series is wrapped up.

With the offseason officially underway, there are a number of deadlines and important dates on the MLB offseason calendar of which fans should be aware. Here are some of the key dates as the Phillies and the rest of the league officially begin the journey toward the 2025 season.

Here are the important offseason dates Phillies fans should know

Free agency, contract options, qualifying offers: Five days after the World Series ends

The MLB offseason officially began on Thursday, the day after the World Series ended. Teams can already begin making trades.

Players also became free agents the day after the World Series but can't sign until 5:00 p.m. ET on the fifth day after the World Series ended, so Monday, Nov. 4. During this time, teams have exclusive rights to talk with their free agents without competition.

The Phillies have three players heading to free agency this winter: Spencer Turnbull, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez. Both Hoffman and Estévez have said publicly that they'd like to return, but it's uncertain whether the Phillies wish to, or will be able to, retain both relievers.

The Phillies don't have any players with pending club or player options, which are due when free agency begins, to worry about, so that's one less thing for general manager Sam Fuld to deal with.

Finally, teams must extend qualifying offers by this date, although none of the Phillies' free agents will receive one. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN reports that the qualifying offer this winter will be $21.05 million.

Roster protection deadline: Nov. 19

The Phillies must add eligible minor league players to the 40-man roster by 6:00 p.m. ET on Nov. 19 to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft.

Players who have been in the Phillies system for four or five seasons (depending on how old they were when they signed) and aren't on the 40-man roster will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. The Phillies have 46 players eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this December, based on FanGraphs' Roster Resource page, including some well-known names like Griff McGarry, Mick Abel, Carlos De La Cruz, Christian McGowan and Jean Cabrera.

Non-tender deadline: Nov. 22

The non-tender deadline arrives after the roster protection deadline when the Phillies must decide which players on the 40-man roster will not be tendered a contract for 2025. If a player is non-tendered (not offered a contract for 2025), they become a free agent.

Winter Meetings, Rule 5 Draft, Draft Lottery: Dec. 9-12

The MLB Winter Meetings are easily the biggest event of the offseason. With front offices, agents and league executives coming together for four days, there is always plenty of action. Last year, the Winter Meetings were held in Nashville and the big focus was top free agent Shohei Ohtani.

This year, the Winter Meetings will be held in Dallas, Texas from Dec. 9-12.

There are sure to be plenty of rumors, signings and trades stemming from this gathering. Deals will get done during the meetings, but more groundwork will be laid for future agreements. Undoubtedly, this year's top free agent Juan Soto and his agent, Scott Boras, will be the focus of this year's Winter Meetings.

The MLB Draft Lottery will take place during the Winter Meetings, usually on the second-last day of the event. As a playoff team, the Phillies aren't involved in the lottery for the 2025 Draft. They're already locked in with the 26th pick next summer.

The Rule 5 Draft also takes place at the Winter Meetings. This year's it will be held on Dec. 11. Teams can select unprotected minor league players from other organizations (for $100,000 each) and place them on their own 40-man roster. These selections must be assigned to the drafting team's 26-man roster and remain there for the full season. Otherwise, they get shipped back to their original team.

Arbitration filing deadline: Jan. 9, 2025

The Phillies have nine arbitration-eligible players this offseason, including some big names like Ranger Suárez and Alec Bohm. Here's the arbitration-eligible group, including their projected arbitration salaries from MLB Trade Rumors:

• Ranger Suárez: $8.9 million
• Austin Hays: $6.4 million
• José Ruiz: $1.2 million
• Edmundo Sosa: $2.5 million
• Garrett Stubbs: $1.2 million
• Alec Bohm: $8.1 million
• Kolby Allard: $1.1 million
• Brandon Marsh: $3 million
• Bryson Stott: $3.5 million

The Phillies and their arbitration-eligible players (who didn't settle at the non-tender deadline) will exchange arbitration figures on Jan. 9. They have to come to an agreement on the player's salary for the 2025 season or risk going to an arbitration hearing. Hearings are scheduled for Jan. 27 to Feb. 14.

International signing period opens: Jan. 15, 2025

As always, the international signing window will open on Jan. 15 and run to Dec. 15. This is when teenagers who aren't draft eligible, typically from Latin America, officially sign deals with organizations. A lot of the time, the youngsters and teams will have been in contact for years before they become eligible to be signed.

The Phillies opened the 2024 signing period with a bang this past January. Unfortunately, the majority of the time these international signees won't see action Stateside for a couple of years at least.

Phillies pitchers and catchers report: Feb. 12-14, 2025

This three-day period in February brings an end to the offseason, with Phillies pitchers and catchers reporting to training camp in Clearwater at some point during this three-day window. The rest of the players will report five days after the pitchers and catchers, but an official date hasn't been announced. MLB spring training officially begins on Feb. 20.

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