While baseball’s offseason deprives us of games, it doesn’t mean there’s not a lot of action over the winter.
This past weekend ended the baseball season, and the annual stampede of players to free agency is underway. Add to that, there’s a lot of other business to take care of here at South Side Sox.
Here’s your clip n’ save look at everything happening that’s worth happening, between World Series end and Opening Day 2023.
(Bookmark this page, and/or stop in frequently, as at least early on we are likely to be tweaking and adding items!)
November 6
Free agents file, which means four White Sox will no longer have South Side addresses: José Abreu, Elvis Andrus, Vince Velasquez and Johnny Cueto.
November 6-10
After free agents file, they cannot sign with other teams for five days, giving “home” teams an exclusive window to negotiate with their own free agents. It’s conceivable that any of Abreu, Andrus, Velasquez or Cueto come back to the White Sox in this period. No White Sox are eligible for a qualifying offer this season.
Also during this time, the White Sox need to make decisions on team options for 2023, and on November 7 they did — accepting Tim Anderson’s $12.5 option and declining Josh Harrison’s $5,625,000 deal by paying a $1.5 million buyout.
AJ Pollock will also need to decide whether to exercise his $13 million option for 2023 or pay the White Sox $5 million to be a free agent.
Finally, players on the 60-day IL (Garrett Crochet, Jonathan Stiever, Danny Mendick) need to be reinstated to the 40-man roster or declared free agents.
November 7
The finalists for the annual BBWAA MLB awards were announced; Dylan Cease, in fact, was one of the three AL Cy Young finalists.
The Hall of Fame announced candidates for the Contemporary Baseball Era (1980-present): Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling. Candidates will be voted on by a 16-member committee and results announced on December 4 at the Winter Meetings.
November 7-10
General Managers Meetings are held in Las Vegas.
November 10
Louisville Silver Sluggers will be announced live on MLB Network at 5 pm CT.
November 14
We celebrate the next week of Soxivus, detailing the Best White Sox Games of 2022.
The Rookies of the Year will be announced live on MLB Network at 5 pm CT.
November 15
Deadline for teams to add eligible minor leaguers to their 40-man rosters or risk losing them in the Rule 5 draft. Who’s vulnerable? College players drafted no later than 2019 and high school players drafted no later than 2018 are Rule 5 draft-eligible this year, as well as players signed internationally no later than 2018.
Managers of the Year will be announced on MLB Network at 5 pm CT.
November 16
Not directly impacting the White Sox roster but possibly affecting any free agent pursuits by the team, any player who received a $19.65 qualifying offer has to decide whether to accept.
Cy Youngs will be announced on MLB Network at 5 pm CT.
November 17
MVPs will be announced on MLB Network at 5 pm CT.
November 18
The White Sox must officially offer contacts to pre-arb players and offer arbitration to arb-eligible players by the MLB non-tender deadline (6 pm CT). The White Sox will need to make arbitration decisions on Dylan Cease, Michael Kopech, Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López, José Ruiz, Adam Engel, Danny Mendick and Kyle Crick.
This non-tender date was moved up from early December to the Friday immediately before Thanksgiving in the new CBA.
November 21
The 2023 BBWAA Hall of Fame ballot is released, with voting taking place through December 31. This year is shaping up to be a ballot with no players elected.
Soxivus Miracles will appear on-site, in story and podcast.
November 25
This year’s SSS Veterans’ Committee Ballot will be released, with results published on site a week later.
November 28
Soxivus Quotes will appear on-site, in story and podcast.
December 1
On or around this date, we’ll begin our Top Prospect Poll, from 1-50, with your votes on the Top 50 helping us fill out our White Sox Top 100 Prospects.
December 2
On or around this date, we’ll profile White Sox Prospect No. 100, as we begin a countdown of 2022’s top prospects that will end with No. 1 announced near Opening Day.
December 4-7
MLB’s annual Winter Meetings are in San Diego. This will be the first “normal” Winter Meetings in four seasons, as 2019-20 were canceled by the pandemic and 2021 was not held due to the player lockout.
December 4
The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee of the Hall of Fame will announce their election results on MLB Network at 7 pm CT. Cooperstown inductions will be held on July 23, 2023.
December 6
Soxivus Gifts will appear on-site, in story and podcast.
The Ford Frick Award (broadcasting) is announced.
December 7
The Rule 5 draft ends the Winter Meetings. Rule 5 picks must remain on their new team’s major league roster all season, or be offered back to their original team.
January 5, 2023
SSS releases its Hall of Fame ballot, with results published on site a week later.
January 13
Teams must exchange salary arbitration figures with arbitration-eligible players by this deadline; in most cases, players and teams agree to a contract before filing salary figures.
January 15
The international signing period begins, and players from countries outside the US, Canada and Puerto Rico can sign with any team. This was a sticking point in CBA negotiations, so this wild west system will remain in place through at least 2026, when the current CBA expires.
January 16
The most fun of all our Hall of Fame elections returns for a fifth run on this day, as we release the South Side Sox White Sox Hall of Fame ballot. Bonus categories will be included, once again. Results will be posted on-site a week or so after the ballot is published.
January 24
The National Baseball Hall of Fame announces its 2023 class in an MLB Network broadcast at 5 pm CT.
February 15
This is the most likely date the White Sox will require all pitchers and catchers (and, informally, most players) to report to Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Ariz.
February 22
This is the likely deadline for all players to report to Camelback Ranch.
February 25
The White Sox open their 2023 spring training schedule against the Padres at Camelback Ranch.
March 8
The World Baseball Classic begins, with games in Japan, Taiwan, Phoenix and Miami. Twenty countries will participate over a 14-day period. This is the first WBC since 2017, as the 2021 event was canceled due to the pandemic. The championship game will be played on March 21 in Miami.
March 30
Opening Day 2023 features the White Sox opening their season in Houston against the defending world champions. All 30 teams will be in action that day. A reminder that the schedule has now been made more balanced, with fewer divisional games and every team playing every other team each year.
April 3
The home opener pits the White Sox against … traditional rival? … San Francisco.