Important dates to know for the A's ahead of the 2024-25 MLB offseason

2024 is now in the rear view mirror, with preparations for 2025 already full steam ahead. But when does everything go down? We have you covered with all the dates you need to know.

Sep 24, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics manager Mark Kotsay (7) before the start of the game shouts encouragement to the players as they take the field against the Texas Rangers at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images / Neville E. Guard-Imagn Images

The 2024 Major League Baseball season is nearly over, as the page will soon turn to the offseason, where clubs will start to look ahead to 2025 and build their rosters as best they can in order to become true contenders.

The MLB offseason can be a very exciting time, with free agency, trades and other key events occurring as one season ends and a new one looms. For players, it is a time to relax and enjoy time off before returning to the grind of a full length baseball season. For those in the front office, it's one of the busiest times of the year.

For the A’s, the rebuild will continue in their first year in Sacramento, but this offseason will be as important as any other as they hope to prove the doubters wrong and build off some of the promise that they showed in 2024. With just a few days (or hours) until a World Series champion is crowned and the offseason officially starts, here are some important dates to know for this winter.

Day after World Series: Players who are eligible to become free agents officially enter the market. However, there is a five day dead period where those players can only negotiate new contracts with their current clubs and are not yet allowed to negotiate with other clubs. Trades are also once again allowed.

Five days after the World Series: Last day for teams and players to decide if they want to exercise contract options, reinstate players from the 60-day IL, and tender qualifying offers. Also, beginning at 2 p.m. (PT), players are free to sign with any team with minor league free agents also becoming available on the free agent market at that time as well.

Nov. 4-7: GM meetings in San Antonio, Texas. At this event, the league’s general managers discuss potential rule changes and policies, lay the groundwork for trades and acquisitions as well as general topics about the game.

Nov. 19: Deadline for players to accept any and all qualifying offers is 1 p.m. (PT) and also the deadline to add players to the 40-man roster and keep them out of the Rule 5 Draft is 3 p.m. (PT).

Nov. 22: On the Friday before Thanksgiving by 5 p.m. (PT), the tender deadline will pass, meaning that teams must tender contracts to any unsigned players under club control, or else they become free agents. This also includes arbitration eligible players. A player is able to have their contract tendered if they are on the 40-man roster but have accrued less than six seasons of service time in the MLB.

Dec. 9-12: The annual MLB Winter Meetings will be held in Dallas. Also happening is the MLB Draft Lottery and the Rule 5 Draft, with the Draft Lottery on December 10, and the Rule 5 Draft on December 11. The winter meetings are usually where trades, free agent signings, etc. are discussed, and sometimes the hot stove is actually turned on at these meetings.

The Rule 5 draft allows teams that do not have full 40-man rosters to select minor leaguers who have been in a farm system for at least five years if they were signed at 18, or four years if signed at 19, and give them the opportunity to spend the season on a big league roster. A’s players that must be protected to stay away from this draft include outfield prospect Denzel Clarke, LHP Gunnar Hoglund and INF/OF Cooper Bowman and RHP Ryan Cusick, among others. 

Dec. 15: The 2024 international free agent signing period ends.

Jan. 10: Salary arbitration numbers are discussed between eligible players and their teams.

Jan. 15: New international signing period starts

Feb. TBD: Pitchers and catchers report to spring training

Feb. 22: Spring training officially begins for the A’s