The 2014 MLB Free Agent Tracker is now available at MLB Trade Rumors! All free agents are listed, and you can filter by position, signing status, signing team, qualifying offer status, contract years and amount, throwing and batting handedness, and any combination of the above. For the most part, our cutoff for a player's inclusion on the tracker is 50 MLB plate appearances or 20 innings pitched in 2013. Led by Robinson Cano, Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, Brian McCann, and Masahiro Tanaka, our Top 50 Free Agents list with predictions will be published Sunday night. For now, make your wish lists with the free agent tracker, read up with our free agent profiles, and check out my top ten free agents from earlier this month. We also have a basic list that shows which free agents remain available at each position, found here.
The Red Sox front office will have little time to bask in the glow of the franchise's eighth World Championship. Upcoming important dates:
- Players with at least six years of Major League service and no contract for 2014 are eligible to become free agents as of 8am central time today, October 31st. That marks the opening of the Quiet Period.
- MLBTR's Top 50 Free Agents list with predictions will be published the evening of Sunday, November 3rd. Our prediction contest will open at that time as well.
- The five-day Quiet Period ends at 10:59pm central time on Monday, November 4th. During the Quiet Period, free agents may talk to any team about either side's interest, the player's potential role, the advantages and disadvantages of playing for that team and city, and length of a potential contract, guarantee provisions, and no-trade provisions. A free agent may not, however, negotiate terms or contract with a new team during this period. He may negotiate terms and enter into a contract with his former team.
- During the Quiet Period, the former team may tender a qualifying offer, which is a guaranteed one-year, $14.1MM deal for 2014. Qualifying offer decisions by the team are due by 4pm central time on Monday, November 4th. Check out MLBTR's qualifying offer reader poll from September for an idea of which free agents are likely to receive one.
- Additionally, option decisions must be decided by the end of the Quiet Period. A large majority (all of them last year) will be resolved by 10:59pm central time on Saturday, November 2nd.
- Once the Quiet Period ends Monday night, free agents can negotiate with any team.
- A free agent has until Monday, November 11th by 4pm central time to accept a qualifying offer. Any player who accepts is considered signed for 2014. If a player declines a qualifying offer, his former team becomes eligible for compensation if the player signs a Major League contract with another Major League team before the 2014 draft. The former team receives an amateur draft choice as compensation, while the signing team forfeits its highest available selection and the accompanying bonus pool money in the draft.
- Baseball's GM Meetings are from November 11-13th in Orlando, Florida.
- The non-tender deadline for arbitration eligible players is December 2nd.
- Baseball's Winter Meetings are from December 9-12th, also in Orlando.
