The biggest offseason dates KC Royals fans should know

The task facing KC Royals general manager J.J. Picollo this winter — retooling and greatly improving his club's roster after a maddening 106-loss season — is daunting. Saddled with a lack of quality players he's willing to trade and who the Royals can afford to deal away without further delaying a return to contention, and a team checkbook principal owner John Sherman may not be quite ready to open wide, Picollo will have to work hard to make the Royals better than they've been for the past several years.

His options are these: build from within, which is always the club's stated preference, swing meaningful trades, sign good free agents, or mix and match between those three options.

But whatever methods Picollo chooses, he'll closely watch a baseball calendar chock full of critical dates and deadlines.

Here they are.

The 2023 World Series gets underway — Oct. 28

Don't expect Picollo to make any moves during this year's Fall Classic. The major league powers-that-be frown on and discourage creating major news while the Series is being played. But how long the Series lasts is vitally important to the offseason — not until it's over can clubs engage in much more than waiver transactions, DFA's, and releases.

The player markets open — 1 day after the World Series concludes

The off-field offseason fun begins almost as soon as the Series ends. The very next day, even while the new champions still celebrate, free agency opens, albeit with some short-term limitations, and clubs can begin making trades.

Moving on to more key dates...

The 5-day period following the end of the World Series

Exclusive signing period. Although the day after the Series wraps up marks the official start of free agency, the Basic Agreement — the extensive collective bargaining deal that prescribes the players' terms and conditions of employment — prohibits free agents from signing with any club other than the last one they played for until the fifth day following the Fall Classic's end.

Royal free agents are Zack Greinke, Brad Keller and Matt Duffy. Greinke may or may not retire, and Kansas City shouldn't pursue Keller or Duffy.

Qualifying offers. It's also during this five-day span that clubs can, if they so choose, extend Qualifying Offers to certain of their free agents. A QO gives a free agent the chance to return to his team for one year at a set, MLB-wide amount, which this offseason is anticipated to be more than $20 million. If a player rejects a QO, any team that signs him can lose a draft pick, and the team losing him gets an extra draft pick.

Players are eligible for QOs only if they rostered with the offering team for the whole 2023 season and they've never before received a QO. For example, potential KC free agent Zack Greinke is in the same position this winter as he was last — because he received an offer before, the Royals can't give him one.

QO recipients have 10 days to decide what to do.

Options. That five-day post-Series period is also the only time players, clubs, or both can exercise contract options, which if triggered require players to return to their teams for a contractually-prescribed term. Some contracts give only the player the right to exercise the option, others reserve that right to the team only, and still others include so-called mutual options that allow a player's return only if both sides exercise them, effectively giving player or club a veto.

Some additional important dates...

The MLB General Manages meet in Arizona — Nov. 7-9

GM's from every big league franchise, including Picollo, are scheduled to meet in Scottsdale and confer about all things baseball. Unfortunately, though, these meetings aren't what they sometimes used to be. In former days, the confabs often produced in-meeting trades, signings, player news, and rumors; now, however, not as much action takes place, and officials use the days and nights primarily to lay groundwork for future deals.

40-man roster deadline for Rule 5 Draft purposes — Nov. 14

The Royals have until late afternoon to shield players from Rule 5 Draft exposure by adding them to the club's 40-man roster. If players who signed their first contracts when they were 18 or younger, and others who signed at 19 or older, aren't included on that roster within five or four years respectively, they're subject to being snatched up by other teams in December's Rule 5 Draft (more on that momentarily).

The major leagues' annual contract non-tender deadline — Nov. 17

Big league teams have until the Friday before Thanksgiving, in other words Nov. 17, to decide whether to give contracts to players on their 40-man rosters who aren't otherwise subject to continuing deals. Non-tendered players are declared free agents and can sign with any other club.

Non-tenders are frequently used to open up 40-man roster spots for Rule 5 Draft purposes; last year, the Royals non-tendered pitchers Nate Webb and Jake Brentz just before the deadline, but soon re-signed Brentz, who spent this season rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and should be ready for next season.

And some more calendar items...