The Los Angeles Dodgers won the World Series on Wednesday night.

Therefore, the 2024-25 MLB offseason is underway.

The Detroit Tigers went 86-76 in the regular season, including a 31-11 run to advance to the postseason for the first time since 2014. The improbable run ended Oct. 12, when the Tigers lost to the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS.

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President of baseball operations Scott Harris enters his third offseason with the Tigers. He has signed just one free agent to a multi-year contract in his tenure: Kenta Maeda to a two-year, $24 million contract in November 2023.

[ MUST LISTEN: Tigers radio play-by-play man Dan Dickerson joins "Days of Roar," your go-to Detroit Tigers podcast. Available anywhere you listen to podcasts, including Apple, Spotify) ]

Here is a look at the key offseason dates for the Tigers in 2024-25.

Free agency, trades: Oct. 31

Players are now officially free agents.

The Tigers already parted ways with all of their impending free agents. They traded Jack Flaherty to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Andrew Chafin to the Texas Rangers, Carson Kelly to the Rangers and Mark Canha to the San Francisco Giants. They also cut Gio Urshela, picked up by the Atlanta Braves, and Shelby Miller.

Free agents can't sign with a new team until five days after the conclusion of the World Series, but those players can sign with their former team in the five-day period. The Tigers don't have exclusive negotiations rights with any players because they don't have any free agents.

The trade market is open, too.

Last offseason, the Tigers acquired Canha from the Milwaukee Brewers three days after the trade market opened.

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Contract options: Nov. 4

This is a big day on the baseball calendar, but not so much for the Tigers.

There are multiple deadlines: Free agents can negotiate (and sign) with any team, player options and club options for the 2025 season must be accepted or declined, players on the 60-day injured list need to be reinstated to the 40-man roster, and teams can give the one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer to eligible free agents, in which the player gets one week to accept or reject.

The Tigers have one contract option: They're expected to decline the $3.1 million club option for Casey Mize, which includes a $10,000 buyout, but they'll retain Mize at a cheaper rate through the salary arbitration process.

The Tigers can't extend the qualifying offer because they don't have any free agents, but the qualifying offer still factors into their offseason plan. If a player accepts, their former team retains them on a one-year contract. If a player rejects, their former team receives draft pick compensation surrendered by the new team that signs the player.

Potential free-agent target Alex Bregman is a lock to receive the qualifying offer from the Houston Astros, meaning the Tigers would forfeit one of their top draft picks (but not their first-rounder) for signing Bregman. First baseman Christian Walker seems likely to receive the qualifying offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and starting pitcher Walker Buehler is a toss-up to receive it from the Dodgers.

Flaherty is not eligible to receive a qualifying offer from the Dodgers because he was traded during the season; Nathan Eovaldi isn't eligible because he previously received a qualifying offer.

The Tigers' 40-man roster is at 39 players, but four players need to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list: Alex Faedo (right shoulder strain), Sawyer Gipson-Long (left hip labral surgery, right elbow surgery), Brendan White (right radial nerve injury) and Javier Báez (right hip surgery). After that, three players need to be cut.

TIME TO COOK: Top 2024 MLB free agents the Tigers could target

GM Meetings: Nov. 5-7

The meeting of the presidents of baseball operations and general managers is the first event of the offseason and will take place in San Antonio, Texas.

It's all about setting the groundwork for future acquisitions on the trade market and free-agent market. For example, the Tigers could talk to agent Scott Boras about signing Bregman and approach Tampa Bay Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander about trading for first baseman Yandy Díaz.

Harris is scheduled to speak Nov. 5 with reporters.

Rule 5 draft protection: Nov. 19

By 6 p.m., the Tigers will need to protect players eligible for the Rule 5 draft by adding them to the 40-man roster. Players signed at age 19 or older must be added within four years; players signed at 18 or younger must be added within five years.

Eligible players from the Tigers include Eliezer Alfonzo, Brady Allen, Justice Bigbie, Garrett Burhenn, Roberto Campos, Trei Cruz, Jose De La Cruz, Liam Hicks, Jake Holton, Corey Joyce, Tanner Kohlhepp, Chase Lee, Lael Lockhart, Ben Malgeri, Tyler Mattison, Carlos Mendoza, Chris Meyers, Joseph Montalvo, Austin Murr, Andrew Navigato, Tyler Owens, Carlos Pena, RJ Petit, Gabriel Reyes, Yosber Sanchez, Stephen Scott, Dylan Smith and Gage Workman.

The Tigers acquired Hicks, Lee, Montalvo and Owens at the 2024 trade deadline. Montalvo is the No. 16 prospect in the Tigers' farm system, according to MLB Pipeline.

Another thing: Players, such as Bregman, have until 4 p.m. to accept the qualifying offer from their former teams. Most players reject the offer in favor of free agency.

BBWAA Cy Young Awards: Nov. 20

Tarik Skubal plans to celebrate his 28th birthday by winning the first Cy Young Award in his five-year MLB career.

He is all but guaranteed to win the American League award, considering he led the league in wins (18), ERA (2.39) and strikeouts (228) to secure the AL pitching Triple Crown. A pitcher hasn't accomplished that in a 162-game season since Justin Verlander in 2011.

Non-tender deadline: Nov. 22

This is the first step in the salary arbitration process.

All players on the 40-man roster with fewer than six years of MLB service time must be tendered contracts. Players with fewer than three years will receive the $760,000 minimum salary, but players between three and six years (plus Super Two qualifiers) can negotiate raises as arbitration-eligible players.

The Tigers have nine players eligible for arbitration, listed in order by MLB service time, with their projected salaries based on calculations from MLB Trade Rumors:

• Tarik Skubal ($8 million)

• Casey Mize ($2 million)

• Jake Rogers ($2.5 million)

• Will Vest ($1.4 million)

• Zach McKinstry ($1.3 million)

• Jason Foley ($3.5 million)

• Matt Vierling ($3 million)

• Andy Ibáñez ($1.5 million)

• Beau Brieske ($1.3 million)

The Tigers will decide to tender or non-tender those nine arbitration-eligible players. Retaining all would cost the Tigers roughly $24.5 million. If tendered, the player receives a to-be-negotiated contract for the 2025 season. If non-tendered, the player is removed from the 40-man roster and immediately enters free agency.

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Winter Meetings: Dec. 9-12

This year's winter meetings will be in Dallas.

Teams will be actively building their rosters for the 2025 season through trades and free agency. The Tigers are targeting at least one right-handed hitter and a couple of pitchers. For the first time in a long time, they seem willing to trade prospects to upgrade the roster.

Two events — the MLB draft lottery and the Rule 5 draft — happen during the winter meetings. The draft lottery is Dec. 10, and the Rule 5 draft is Dec. 11.

The Tigers are locked into the No. 24 overall pick in the 2025 MLB draft, without any chance of getting the No. 1 overall pick for the first time in the three years of the lottery. Their AL Central rivals, the Minnesota Twins, command a slim 1.09% chance to get the No. 1 pick, while the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins lead the odds, both at 22.45%.

In the 2024 Rule 5 draft, the Tigers can select an eligible unprotected player from another team for $100,000. A player picked in the Rule 5 draft must be added to the 40-man roster and needs to stay on the 26-man roster (or injured list) for the entire 2025 season. If removed, the player will be placed on waivers and offered back to their original team for $50,000.

Last offseason, the Tigers declined to select a player in the Rule 5 draft for the first time since 2015.

Arbitration figures exchanged: Jan. 9

This is the second and often final step in the salary arbitration process, when the Tigers and tendered arbitration-eligible players agree on a specific salary for the 2025 season.

If they don't agree, both sides must exchange figures and an arbitration hearing will be scheduled for February. The Tigers operate as a file-and-trial team, meaning they won't continue negotiating in the weeks leading up to the hearing. At the hearing, a panel of independent arbitrators decides which side wins the case.

The Tigers haven't had an arbitration hearing since Michael Fulmer in February 2019.

MLB spring training: Mid-February

The first workout date for pitchers and catchers is typically the Wednesday after the Super Bowl, which is Feb. 12 in the 2025 calendar year.

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The Tigers begin their 30-game spring training schedule Feb. 22 against the Philadelphia Phillies at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida. The spring schedule ends March 23 against the Phillies at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida.

Opening Day is March 27 against the defending champion Dodgers at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Tigers free agency MLB 2024-25 starts now: Important dates to know