Important dates Giants fans should know during big MLB offseason originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN FRANCISCO — The first notable move of the offseason came just a few hours after the final pitch of the World Series, and it included a familiar face for Giants fans.
On Thursday morning, Jorge Soler was traded from the Atlanta Braves to the Los Angeles Angels in exchange for pitcher Griffin Canning. The Angels are the third team in 2024 for Soler, who signed a three-year deal with the Giants in February.
With that, the offseason was off and running. While the main action won’t start for a few weeks, this is still a busy month for executives and will be particularly important for the Giants, who have a first-time president of baseball operations in Buster Posey and a first-time general manager in Zack Minasian. As they get going, here are some important offseason dates to know:
Nov. 5-7: GM Meetings
MLB has two annual offseason events, the GM Meetings and Winter Meetings. While the latter is far more famous and draws a much bigger crowd, the GM Meetings allow teams to have some early conversations about trades and free agency. This obviously will be Posey’s first time attending, and he said last month that he’s excited to see what it’s all about.
Either Posey or Minasian will represent the team at a media availability, and if it’s a former MVP catcher, you can expect a big crowd. Scott Boras generally holds court, too, and he should have some Giants-related quips. Blake Snell is a Boras client and so is Juan Soto, the best player on the market this winter.
Nov. 8: Platinum Glove announcement
The award is given annually to the top fielder in each league and the Giants have a pair of candidates in Matt Chapman and Patrick Bailey. Chapman has won two Platinum Gloves and Bailey should probably win this one.
Nov. 18: BBWAA Awards week
There won’t be much drama with the big awards and the Giants won’t really have a reason to pay much attention as they’re announced. Chapman should end up on a lot of 10-spot MVP ballots and Logan Webb should be listed on a few Cy Young ballots, which go five deep. Tyler Fitzgerald’s hopes of finishing top three in Rookie of the Year voting were likely dashed by a slow September.
Nov. 19: Rule 5 deadline
This is the last day to add players to the 40-man roster and protect them from the Rule 5 Draft in December. Eligible Giants include right-hander Carson Seymour, right-hander Carson Ragsdale, shortstop Aeverson Arteaga,…