Important offseason dates Orioles fans need to know

The Orioles 2024 season is officially over. Sad to say, but it's true. All we've got left is hoping for the Guardians to beat the Yankees, and that neither New York team is able to capture a World Series title.

This winter will be a busy one for the O's. Between several contract options, players leaving in free agency, and sky-high expectations for the 2025 club, Mike Elias and his staff have their work cut out for them. With any luck, a bunch of hard work this winter will pay off come next spring. Let's take a look at what the Orioles have ahead of them over the next several months.

Important offseason dates Orioles fans need to know

MLB free agency, contract options and qualifying offers: All three of these will be in effect five days after the conclusion of the World Series.

Technically, players become official free agents the moment the World Series ends. However, they aren't eligible to sign with new teams until 5:00 pm EST on the fifth day after the end of the World Series. The exact date is still in flux, as we don't yet know how long the World Series will last. Notable O's free agents include Corbin Burnes, Anthony Santander, James McCann, and John Means.

In addition to free agency, all teams and players must choose whether to select their contract options before those five days are up. The Orioles have 5 players with club options this year, those being Seranthony Dominguez, Ryan O'Hearn, Danny Coulombe, Cionel Perez, and Eloy Jimenez.

Lastly, clubs must choose whether to extend qualifying offers to eligible players inside that 5 day window. The official 2024 qualifying offer salary will be set at $21.05 million. Once these offers are extended, players have until 4:00 pm EST on November 14 to choose whether or not to accept them. The two players on the board for Baltimore are Burnes and Santander, both of whom are expected to receive the QO.

Rule 5 draft roster protection: November 14

All teams must add Rule 5 eligible players to their 40-man roster by 6:00 pm EST on November 14 in order to protect them from the draft. Players eligible for the Rule 5 draft include anyone who is not on the current 40-man roster and who either a) was drafted at 19 years old or older and has spent 4 years in professional baseball, or b) was drafted at 18 years old or younger and has spent 5 years in professional baseball. The age cutoff date is June 5 of a given year.

Non-tender deadline: November 22

The non-tender deadline is in regard to all players eligible for salary arbitration. Teams must choose whether to tender a contract offer to all eligible players by the end of the day on November 22. The Orioles have 14 such players heading into 2025. The list includes the following players, with their projected 2025 arbitration estimates.

• Ryan Mountcastle ($6.2 million)
• Adley Rutschman ($5.5 million)
• Gregory Soto ($4.5 million)
• Jorge Mateo ($3.3 million)
• Dean Kremer ($3 million)
• Ramon Urias ($3 million)
• Trevor Rogers ($2.5 million)
• Tyler Wells ($1.9 million)
• Kyle Bradish ($1.6 million)
• Emmanuel Rivera ($1.5 million)
• Jacob Webb ($1.5 million)
• Keegan Akin ($1.3 million)
• Burch Smith ($1.2 million)
• Matt Bowman ($1.1 million)

Winter Meetings, Rule 5 draft, Rule 4 draft lottery: December 9-12

The 2024 Winter Meetings will take place in Dallas, TX from December 9-12. The marquee offseason event is a hotbed of rumors, trades, and hot stove material that keep us going through the most fallow month of the year.

The Rule 5 draft will take place at the end of the meetings on December 12. The Orioles are unlikely to make any selections in the draft, considering their already full major league roster. It's possible they'll lose a player or two depending on who they choose to protect with the roster protection window in November.

The draft lottery will take place during the Winter Meetings as well. Thanks to their playoff appearance, the Orioles are ineligible for the draft lottery or the number one overall pick. The teams with the highest chances of landing the top draft pick are the Rockies and Marlins, who share 22.45% odds. The woefully inept White Sox are ineligible to land the top spot.

Salary arbitration filing deadline: January 9

This applies to all salary arbitration eligible players who have yet to resolve their contract status by this date. On January 9, teams and players will exchange their respective arbitration figures. The two sides have until late January to resolve contract disputes or risk going to trial, where an independent arbiter makes a ruling for either side. Arbitration hearings are scheduled to begin on January 27 and will run through mid-February.

International signing period: January 15

The current international signing period is technically still open and will run through December 15. The period for 2025 will open on January 15 and run through December 15, 2025. The Orioles will likely be active in the international market, primarily with Latin American players, though the market in Asia will be abuzz as well.