Fresh off the Brewers' first World Series title, teams now turn to a market headlined by Tarik Skubal before a looming December lockout deadline.
Free agency is officially underway. With the Brewers celebrating their first-ever World Series championship, the rest of the league is pivoting straight into the winter market, and the clock is ticking toward an expected lockout.
Players with expiring contracts became free agents, the trade market reopened, and a five-day quiet period began, set to end Nov. 3, after which free agents can finally negotiate and sign with any club. Rankings across the industry put Tarik Skubal at the top of the class, with the two-time AL Cy Young winner expected to draw interest from essentially every major-market team and a few surprise bidders besides. Freddy Peralta and Teruaki Sato also headline the group of top available names.
Commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to shut down the offseason with a lockout on Dec. 1, giving teams roughly a month to make their moves before things go quiet. That timeline has front offices bracing for a frenzied November, with clubs trying to get deals done early rather than risk a long winter freeze once the lockout hits.
Some notable names could still re-sign with their current teams depending on option decisions, but for now, the board is wide open as the quiet period ticks down toward Nov. 3.