With the World Series now in the rearview, it’s time to enter the baseball hibernation months. Here are some of the key dates to remember as the offseason begins.
Free Agency & Options
Free agency officially began on Sunday,
as any players with six or more years of MLB service time who are not under contract beyond 2025. Negotiations begin immediately, but players cannot sign with a new team until the afternoon of Thursday, November 6 (five days after the WS).
Likewise, contract options are exercised (or not) within five days of the end of the World Series.
For the Brewers, impending free agents and options include:
- RHP Shelby Miller (free agent)
- RHP Erick Fedde (free agent)
- LHP Jordan Montgomery (free agent)
- C Danny Jansen ($12 million mutual option with $500,000 buyout)
- 1B Rhys Hoskins ($18 million mutual option with $4 million buyout)
- LHP Jose Quintana ($15 million mutual option with $2 million buyout)
- RHP Brandon Woodruff ($20 million mutual option with $10 million buyout)
- RHP Freddy Peralta ($8 million club option)
- C William Contreras ($12 million club option with $100,000 buyout; also could have contract reached via arbitration, with projected arbitration salary of $11.1 million)
60-Day Injured List Activations
As it stands now, the Brewers’ 40-man roster sits at 39 players. Fedde was already DFA’d at the end of the season, and Miller and Montgomery were both on the 60-day IL, meaning they aren’t part of that total of 39. The Brewers have two other players currently on the 60-day injured list in Garrett Mitchell and Logan Henderson. To keep both players, the Crew would need to make at least one move in terms of depth cuts, which just means at least one of Jansen, Hoskins, Quintana, and Woodruff would need to hit free agency — all but certain at this point. Mitchell is also a non-tender possibility as he continues to struggle to stay healthy, and other potential non-tender possibilities include Steward Berroa, Anthony Seigler, and bullpen depth arms like Grant Anderson, Easton McGee, Rob Zastryzny, and recent pickup Sammy Peralta.
Minor League Free Agency
This is the point where the Brewers could add any players eligible for minor league free agency to the 40-man roster and/or to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft. Players who have been released from their original pro contracts or with six full years of minor league service can opt for free agency if they aren’t on the 40-man roster. They can also opt to sign a new minor league deal to remain in the organization.
The two big names who fit the case of protection from Rule 5 last season were pitchers Logan Henderson and Chad Patrick, both of whom spent chunks of 2025 in the majors.
As a reminder, to prevent players from becoming eligible for the Rule 5 Draft, organizations must add players who signed at age 18 or younger to their club’s 40-man roster within five seasons and players who signed at age 19 or older to their club’s 40-man roster within four seasons.
Qualifying Offers
It’s unlikely the Brewers will issue any qualifying offers this offseason after they gave one to Willy Adames (which was declined), giving them an extra pick in this year’s MLB Draft.
This year’s top candidates for qualifying offers ($22.025 million) include Kyle Schwarber, Kyle Tucker, Ranger Suárez, Framber Valdez, Bo Bichette, Dylan Cease, Trent Grisham, Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty, Edwin Díaz, Lucas Giolito, and Robert Suarez.
Last season, 13 players received qualifying offers ($21.05 million) and all but one of them rejected it. Nick Martinez of the Reds was the only player to accept, while Adames, Alex Bregman, Corbin Burnes, Max Fried, Nick Pivetta, Anthony Santander, Luis Severino, Juan Soto, Christian Walker, Pete Alonso, Sean Manaea, and Teoscar Hernández (each of the last three re-signed with their original team).
Award Dates
- November 2: Gold Glove Awards
- November 6 & 7: Silver Slugger Awards
- November 10: Rookie of the Year Award
- November 11: Manager of the Year Award
- November 12: Cy Young Award
- November 13: MVP Award, Reliever of the Year Award, Comeback Player of the Year Award, Hank Aaron Award, and All-MLB teams
Other Key Offseason Dates
- November 10-13: General managers meetings (Las Vegas, Nevada)
- November 18: Qualifying offer deadline (3 p.m. CT)
- November 18: Rule 5 protection deadline (see more details above).
- November 18-20: Owners meetings (New York)
- November 21: Last day for teams to offer 2025 contracts to arbitration-eligible unsigned players on their 40-man rosters. More familiarly known as the “non-tender deadline.” In 2024, the Brewers tendered contracts to all arbitration-eligible players with the lone exception of reliever Hoby Milner.
- December 7-10: Winter meetings (Orlando, Florida)
The winter meetings include the MLB Draft lottery, which will determine the first 18 picks of the 2026 draft. Since the Brewers made the postseason, they hold the No. 28 pick in 2026. The winter meetings also includes the Rule 5 Draft (Dec. 10) and the Hall of Fame Contemporary Baseball Era Players Committee announcement (Dec. 7), which will feature eight former MLB players from the 1980s or later in consideration for Hall of Fame entry.
- December 15: 2025 international signing period closes
- January 8: Salary arbitration exchanges take place between players and teams
- January 15: 2026 international signing period opens
- January 21: Hall of Fame voting results announced (5 p.m. CT)
- Late January/early February TBA: Salary arbitration hearings
2026 Season Dates
- February 11: Pitchers and catchers report to spring training
- February 15: Remainder of players report to spring training
- February 20: Spring Training schedule begins
- March 5-17: 2026 World Baseball Classic
- March 26: Brewers begin the season with a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at American Family Field
