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MLB 2011-12 Off season Key Dates
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red = estimatedblue == event occurred
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DateEventNats Specific Impact
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Oct 22nd, 2011Sporting News Comeback Players of the Year AL and NLnone this year.
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Oct 28th, 2011Final Game of the World Series; official end of the 2011 season
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Oct 30th 2011Official start of FA period (12:01am 10/30/11) (2 days after end of WS)
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Oct 31st, 2011Team and player options must be decided three days after the end of the World Series. 10/31/11 at midnightNats have no 2011 player options to consider.
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Oct 31st, 2011Clubs have to re-set their 40-man rosters, moving all 60-day DL players back to active. Happened about 11/9/09The Nats have enough FA's to easily re-set their rosters and re-add all 60-day DL candidates. Stealth deadline; not even the mlb pages are updated.
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Nov 1st, 2011Rawlings AL & NL Gold Glove AnnouncementsOur best GG candidate (Zimmerman) missed 1/3 of the season, so we may be missing out. Espinosa is a great fielder, but is probably too young to win. 11/1/11 announcement that no Nats made any of the finalists lists for any position.
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Nov 2nd, 2011Free Agency granted to all eligible Minor League free agents (5 days after the end of the WS). Eligibility done on service time; 6 years ML service for college draftees or 7 years ML service for HS draftees or free agents under the age of 18.Many well known names in the Nats system declared Fas on 11/2/11. Martis, Mock, Martin all have started games for the Nats in the past few years.
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Nov 2nd, 2011Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger AwardsThe Nats likely have no SS candidates this year. Maybe Michael Morse gets a sniff. Zimmerman needs to play a full season to get back into the SS voter graces
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Nov 3th, 20117 day Free agent filing period and exclusive negotiating window ends at 12:01 a.m. ET. Free agents can sign with any team.Exclusive period to negotiate and sign our Free Agents. Wang, Ankiel, Nix are probably most important to consider.
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Nov 3rd, 2011HoF "Veterans Committee" releases ballot. Officially announced 12/5/11
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Nov 3rd-4th, 2011MLBPA announces "Players Choice" awards: Player of the year, Comeback Player of the year, etcNo nats really in the discussion this year.
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Nov 14, 2011AL, NL Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year AwardsEspinosa and Ramos may get some votes but Craig Kimbrell seems to be a lock for the NL roy
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Nov 15-16, 2011GM Meetings, Milwaukee, WI for 2011Not Nats related, but Astros sale/switch to NL could be on the table.
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Nov 15, 2011AL Cy Young
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Nov 16, 2011AL and NL Manager of the Year
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Nov 16, 2011Sporting News Executive of the Year announced
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Nov 17, 2011NL Cy Young
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Nov 16-17, 2011Owners Meetings, Milwaukee, WI for 2011Announcement of the new CBA.
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Nov 18th, 2011Day to file reserve lists for all Major and Minor League levels. In other words, Last day to add players to 40-man to protect them from the Rule5 DraftLots of intruiging Nats players are rule-5 eligible this year and may need protecting. Subject of a separate blog post.
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Nov 21, 2011AL Most Valuable Player
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Nov 22, 2011NL Most Valuable Player
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Nov 23, 2011Last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to type-A or type-B free agents in order to preserve their right to draft-pick compensationWe don't have any Type-A or Type-B free agents.
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Dec 1st, 2011Last day to request outright waivers to assign player prior to Rule 5 Draft
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Dec 1st, 2011Last day for teams to offer salary arbitration to their former players who became free agents.No type-A/B Fas for the Nats, so no need. Plus new CBA gutted the FA compensation rules
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Dec 5th-8th, 2011Winter Meetings, Dallas, TX
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Dec 5th, 2011HoF "Veterans Committee" officially releases ballot that was made public 11/3/11.Ron Santo elected posthumously.
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Dec 6th, 2011Baseball America announces its Executives of the YearDoug Melvin wins.
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Dec 6th, 2011MLB Balloting results announced for Hall of Fame Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in baseball broadcastingTim McCarver, inexplicably, wins the award
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Dec 7th, 2011Last day for free agents to accept salary-arbitration offers made by 12/1/11No type-A/B Fas for the Nats
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Dec 8, 2011Rule 5 Draft. Occurs at Winter meetingsNats lose Komatsu, Meyers, draft no one in MLB phase
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Dec 11, 2011Current Collective Bargaining agreement between MLB Owners and the Players Union expires.New CBA signed weeks prior to this deadline
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Dec 12th, 2011Non-Tender Deadline: Last day for teams to tender 2012 contracts to players under reserve.The Nats have several non-tender candidates. Slaten, Gorzelanny head the list.
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Dec 31st, 2011Deadline for BBWAA ballots for HoF voting.
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Jan 9th, 2012Hall of Fame BBWAA voting announced; the HoF class of 2012.
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Jan 5-15, 2012Salary arbitration filing period
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Jan 18, 2012Salary arbitration figures exchanged
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Feb 1-21, 2012Salary arbitration hearings (actual hearing date per player picked at random)The Nats have many players in arbitration this year; lets hope we don't have any cases.
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Feb 19th, 2012Mandatory Spring Training reporting date for Pitchers and Catchers
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Feb 23, 2012Voluntary Spring Training reporting date for non-pitchers and catchers
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Mar 2-11, 2012Contracts of unsigned players who are not yet eligible for Arbitration may be renewed
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Mar 3rd, 2012First Spring Training Game for the Nats
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Mar 14, 2012Last day to place a player on unconditional release waivers and pay 30 days termination pay instead of 45 days.The "Shawn Hill" rule, where we cut a player mid spring training so as not to have to pay much more salary.
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Mar 28, 2012Deadline to request unconditional release waivers without having to pay the player's full 2011 salary
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In season calendar
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Mar 28th-29th, 2012Japan Opening Series, Mariners vs. A's, Tokyo
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April 4th, 2012Opening Day 2012; active rosters must be reduced to 25 players and 40-man rosters must be established
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April 15th, 2012Jackie Robinson Day
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June 4-6th, 2012Rule4/Amateur Draft
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June 16, 2012Before June 16th, teams can't deal newly-signed free agents without their permission.
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July 2, 2012The International Signing Period begins.
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July 10th, 20122012 All Star Game, Kaufmann Stadium, Kansas City
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July 22nd, 2012Hall of Fame induction ceremony for HoF class of 2012, Cooperstown, NY
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July 31, 2012Non-Waiver Trade Deadline. Teams have to put players on waivers to deal them after July 31st.
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Aug 15, 2012Deadline to sign rule4/Amateur draft picks
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Aug 31, 2012Post Season Roster eligilibty deadline. The last day for teams to acquire players through waiver trades if they want to have them for the postseason.
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Sep 1, 2012Roster expansion from 25 to 40.
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Sep 15, 2012(approx) Next year's schedule announced.
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Dec 3-6th, 2012Winter Meetings, Nashville, TN
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sources:
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http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?page=mlb_calendar
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http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2011/10/free-agency-period-will-begin-october-30th-1.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+MlbTradeRumors+%28MLB+Trade+Rumors%29&utm_content=Google+Reader
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http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/important_dates.jsp
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http://bbwaa.com/
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http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/MLB-offseason-important-dates-2011-to-2012-102411