After an insane Game 7 of the World Series, fans’ attention now turns to MLB offseason. With that in mind, I wanted to do a little bit of an offseason primer just to talk about some of the important dates. This tweet actually does a good job listing off some of the dates, but I will walk you through some of them.
It is not listed here, but the trade market is actually open now. If Paul Toboni wanted to, he could make a trade right this second. There are some big moves he could consider. On the MLB Trade Rumors trade board, MacKenzie Gore is actually the number one name on the list.
With just two years of control, including one in a season that has the potential to be shortened by a lockout, a Gore trade makes some sense. If Paul Toboni does not think the Nats can compete or re-sign Gore in the next couple of years, trading Gore is a logical move. CJ Abrams is 23rd on the trade board, but that move seems much less likely.
Another important date is November 7th. That is when free agents can officially sign. Unlike other sports, there is not a frenzy of signings on the first day of free agency. These deals tend to drag out over months. Most of these guys sign sometime from early December to early February.
One thing Paul Toboni has to be looking forward to is his first ever GM Meetings as a boss of a franchise. The GM Meetings are in Vegas from November 10th to the 13th. In those meetings, the top executives around the league lay the groundwork for potential trades and discuss rule changes as well.
Later in November, the owners have their meeting in New York from November 18th to the 20th. They will discuss baseball related matters. With the CBA expiring after next season, those meetings will probably be pretty tense. I am sure there are some big disagreements between small and big market owners right now, especially after the Dodgers won their second straight World Series on the back of a massive spending spree.
The next day is actually an important one for Nats fans to follow. November 21st is the non-tender deadline. We actually wrote about how the Nats have a few non-tender candidates, so this is a date to keep an eye on. There could also be a flurry of trade activity around this time. Do not be surprised if we see some Nats moves around November 21st.
The next big date is December 4th. That is the draft lottery. Despite finishing 66-96, the Nats are locked into the 11th pick because they picked inside the top 10 last year and are on the top of the revenue sharing totem pole. We wrote about some of the flaws of that system a few days ago.
After that is the Winter Meetings from December 8th to the 11th. This is when all the owners and executives meet up in one place, this year it is in Orlando. A lot of the biggest moves get made during or around the Winter Meetings. In the dead of winter, this is when we get the fireworks.
On the second to last day of the meetings, we have the Rule 5 draft. If teams don’t add prospects to the 40 man roster after they have been in their system for a set amount of years, they are exposed to the Rule 5 draft.
This can be an opportunity for Paul Toboni to pick up some talent for free. However, you have to keep those players on the MLB roster for the whole year despite the fact they are often not ready for the MLB. Last year, the White Sox found Shane Smith in the Rule 5 Draft and he has been a great pickup for them.
After that, the offseason starts to slow down, but there are still plenty of signings happening after the Winter Meetings. However, there are not a ton of notable events for the rest of the offseason. Pitchers and catchers report on February 10th of 2026. Here is a fun little count down to that date.
Buckle up, because this offseason could be a massive one for the Nats and the league as a whole. Sure, the season is over, but baseball never sleeps. There is always something going on. People will be signing, players will be traded and there will be a lot of important meetings. Get ready for the offseason because there could be some big fireworks.
