Yankees offseason calendar: Key dates, Rule 5 eligible players, arbitration figures

May 23, 2024

It’s been almost three weeks since the New York Yankees’ season ended in Kansas City.

With the way MLB’s calendar is structured, there’s almost no chance of eliminated teams creating any news. The only news that’s come out of Yankeeland since the end of the season has been confusion over what kind of analysis the team is conducting internally. The Yankees have yet to hold their end-of-season news conference, which would be a perfect time to provide more clarity on what the team is doing and what it hopes to glean from the analysis of an independent organization.

Until that happens, here’s a look at some of the most important dates in the coming months and how they affect the Yankees.

To be determined: Brian Cashman’s post-mortem news conference

The Yankees have yet to hold an end-of-season availability for their general manager and have not announced a date for when this might happen. Teams who’ve been eliminated from the playoffs, including the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Rays, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers have already met with the media to wrap their seasons.

To my knowledge, the only other team that hasn’t met with the media and did not undergo a front-office change is the St. Louis Cardinals. Cashman did meet with reporters in August and essentially put a bow on the year by calling this season a “disaster,” but there are so many questions that still need to be asked. We just don’t know if that will come before the end of the World Series or if the team will wait until the GM meetings in November.

First day after the World Series

The earliest potential date is Nov. 1, the day after Game 4 of the World Series, and the latest it can be is Nov. 5. Whenever it is, eligible players become free agents and their former clubs have five days to exclusively negotiate with them. Trades are also permitted the day after the World Series ends.

Here are the Yankees’ free agents this season: Luis Severino, Frankie Montas, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Wandy Peralta, Keynan Middleton, Zach McAllister and Luke Weaver.

Montas, Peralta and Middleton all have cases to return to the Yankees next season. It’s likely the team will part ways with Severino and Kiner-Falefa. McAllister and Weaver could be spring training invitees if they do not sign a major-league deal this offseason.

Five days after the World Series

Qualifying offers to pending free agents must be extended within five days of the conclusion of the World Series. Players who are extended the qualifying offer then have until Nov. 15 at 4 p.m. ET to accept or reject. This year, the qualifying offer is approximately $20.5 million. The Yankees don’t have anyone on their roster who is likely going to get the QO.

Players on the 60-day injured list also have to be reinstated to the 40-man roster at this time, no later than 5 p.m. ET after the fifth day of the conclusion of the World Series. The Yankees had several players end the season on the 60-day, including Nestor Cortes, Luis Gil, Scott Effross, Lou Trivino, Ryan Weber, Jose Trevino, Anthony Rizzo and Jasson Domínguez.

Nov. 5: Gold Glove winners announced

Anthony Volpe is a finalist for his first Gold Glove. Anthony Rizzo is a four-time winner. (Wendell Cruz / USA Today)

The Yankees have two finalists for Gold Glove awards: shortstop Anthony Volpe and first baseman Anthony Rizzo. Judging solely on the numbers produced by their competition, both players have a good chance of winning.

You might be wondering how Rizzo is eligible for any award considering he missed 63 games. Rawlings requires a player to have played in the field for at least 698 innings through his team’s 138th game. Rizzo finished with 809 2/3 innings played at first base. The other two finalists at his position are Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe and Ryan Mountcastle of the Baltimore Orioles. Even though Rizzo’s numbers in the important defensive metrics categories (outs above average, defensive runs saved) are better than Lowe’s and Mountcastle’s, voters may feel compelled to choose someone like Lowe who played the entire season.

Volpe has a clear case to win against the Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa and Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers. Truthfully, I’m unsure how Correa and Seager are finalists for the award, as both graded out poorly this season in the field. Here’s a look at where Volpe ranks compared to Correa and Seager:

AL Gold Glove SS Finalists

Name	OAA	DRS	UZR	DRP	Def	E	Fielding%
Anthony Volpe	1	16	2.9	4	6.2	17	.970
Carlos Correa	0	-3	-1.7	-1.6	3.5	6	.987
Corey Seager	-1	5	4.8	-3.5	4.9	8	.981

Sometimes Gold Glove voting is weird and does not make much sense. Managers and assistant coaches vote on this award, and sometimes players end up winning based on reputation. So don’t be surprised if Correa or Seager are victorious, despite having worse numbers, because they’re superstars and Volpe is a rookie.

Nov. 7-9: General managers meetings

The purpose of GM meetings is for teams to come together and gather more intel on what their competitors are looking for this offseason. It’s a place where initial trade talks usually begin, free agents are discussed and team needs become clearer.

This year’s meetings are in Scottsdale, Ariz. Cashman and the other American League general managers are expected to speak with reporters on Nov. 7.

Nov. 14: Major-league and minor-league reserve lists due

At 6 p.m. ET, teams must add players to their 40-man rosters to protect them from the Rule 5 draft held in December. Players who signed at 18 or younger must be added to the 40-man roster within five seasons to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft. Players who signed at 19 or older have to be added within four years.

Here are the notable Yankees prospects who are Rule 5-eligible this offseason: C Carlos Narvaez, C Josh Breaux, C Agustin Ramirez, C Anthony Seigler, C Antonio Gomez, 1B/3B/DH Andrés Chaparro, 2B/SS Alexander Vargas, IF Jared Serna, OF Elijah Dunham, OF Brandon Lockridge, RHP Clayton Beeter, RHP Mitch Spence, RHP Matt Sauer and LHP Edgar Barclay.

The only player on this list who will likely be protected is Beeter. Not every player on this list will be selected in the Rule 5 draft, as teams are required to place those selections on their 26-man rosters at the start of the regular season. Unprotected players who aren’t drafted will remain in the minor leagues.

Nov. 15: Cy Young Award announced

The Yankees haven’t had a Cy Young Award winner since Roger Clemens in 2001. There have only been five Cy Young winners in the franchise’s history, including Clemens: Ron Guidry in 1978, Sparky Lyle in 1977, Whitey Ford in 1961 and Bob Turley in 1958.

Gerrit Cole will, in all likelihood, add his name to that list. He led the AL in innings pitched, ERA, ERA+, WHIP and bWAR. He finished in the top five in strikeout percentage, HR/9, walk rate and FIP.

It would be a surprise if this race were close. Cole was dominant and should win the first Cy Young Award of his career.

Nov. 17: Non-tender deadline

The Yankees have 17 arbitration-eligible players, the most in MLB. Not all of them will get tendered a contract by the team. If a team decides to non-tender a player, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and is immediately removed from the 40-man roster.

By this date, the Yankees must decide which players not signed to long-term deals they want to return next season. Here’s a list of all the Yankees who are arbitration-eligible and their projected salaries according to MLB Trade Rumors.

Lou Trivino ($4.1 million)
Gleyber Torres ($15.3 million)
Clay Holmes ($6 million)
Jonathan Loáisiga ($2.5 million)
Kyle Higashioka ($2.3 million)
Franchy Cordero ($1.6 million)
Domingo Germán ($4.4 million)
Nestor Cortes ($3.9 million)
Jose Trevino ($2.7 million)
Matt Bowman ($1 million)
Michael King ($2.6 million)
Ryan Weber ($900,000)
Billy McKinney ($1.2 million)
Jake Bauers ($1.7 million)
Jimmy Cordero ($900,000)
Clarke Schmidt ($2.6 million)
Albert Abreu ($900,000)

The only players guaranteed to be tendered contracts are Torres, Holmes, Loáisiga, Cortes, Trevino, King and Schmidt.

Trivino is rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and will miss at least half of the upcoming season. At his dollar amount, it’s likely the Yankees move on and sign someone cheaper.

Higashioka may be a victim of the depth chart working against him. Austin Wells impressed in limited time this September and certainly will have a role next season alongside Trevino, who’s expected to be a full go for spring training as he rehabs from wrist surgery. Ben Rortvedt could be the team’s third catcher at a lower dollar amount than Higashioka. Higashioka has value, though, and could be tendered a contract only to be traded later in the offseason.

Franchy Cordero and McKinney were depth options this season who had bigger-than-expected roles. They likely won’t be back. The same can be said for relief pitchers Weber and Bowman. There aren’t roles for them in 2024. Germán and Jimmy Cordero have off-field incidents attached to them that may make them non-tender candidates.

The Yankees love Abreu’s stuff but he hasn’t been able to put it together as the last man out of the bullpen. It’s time to move on and improve his spot on the 26-man roster.

Bauers has an argument to have a spot on next season’s team as a cheap left-handed bench option. He hits the ball hard, can play the corner outfield in a pinch and be a backup first baseman. Still, he wasn’t good enough and the team should move on and improve.

Dec. 3-6: Winter Meetings

Last year’s winter meetings were a doozy because of Aaron Judge’s free agency and the false announcement that he would sign with the San Francisco Giants that caused mass chaos in the lobby of the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego.

There shouldn’t be that level of hysteria this year with the Yankees unless the Padres make Juan Soto available in trade talks and the Bombers go all-in on landing the soon-to-be 25-year-old. If Soto is unavailable, the Yankees could leave Nashville, the site of this year’s winter meetings, with a few top free agents like Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Chicago Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger.

Also of note for the Yankees, the MLB draft lottery is Dec. 5. The Yankees have a 0.5 percent chance of landing the No. 1 pick. They have a 0.5 percent chance at No. 2, 0.6 percent at No. 3, 0.7 percent at No. 4 , 0.9 percent at No. 5 and a 1.1 percent chance at No. 6. The likeliest position for the Yankees is 16th, which they have a 90.4 percent chance of landing. If the Yankees don’t land in the lottery, their pick will drop 10 slots due to their luxury tax status. On Dec. 6, the Rule 5 draft will take place. Clubs can select eligible unprotected players from other clubs for a fee of $100,000. Anyone selected must remain on a team’s 26-man roster all season long or they will be placed on waivers and offered back to their original team for $50,000.

Jan. 12, 2024: Deadline to agree to contract with players eligible for arbitration

This is the final date for teams and arbitration-eligible players to agree on one-year contracts. If teams and players cannot agree by then, the two sides will exchange dollar figures and schedule a date for arbitration in February.

The Yankees have not gone to arbitration with a player since they were victorious over Dellin Betances in 2017. They were very close to going to arbitration with Judge in 2022 before agreeing to a $19 million contract.

Mid-February: Pitchers and catchers report

MLB hasn’t released the dates when pitchers and catchers will report just yet but it’ll be sometime around Valentine’s Day with the Yankees’ first spring training game scheduled for Feb. 24.

(Top photo of Brian Cashman: Vincent Carchietta / USA Today)

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