Important Offseason Dates That Could Shape Tigers' 2026 Season
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The 2025 season is officially over. The Los Angeles Dodgers are the World Champions two years in a row after defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in a grueling seven-game match that came down to extra innings.
The offseason for the Tigers will be much more than just a time to rest, in fact, it should be a time to get moving. The roster showed flashes of greatness throughout the year, but also exposed incredible weaknesses.
Detroit lost a 15-game lead in the division when literally everyone thought they had it in the bag. It was nearly impossible to believe how fast the team went downhill and just couldn't get it put back together. Until they did.
Now the front office is tasked with reshaping the 2026 roster to close the gap between pretty good and championship status. A series of important dates, decisions and milestones will shape what this team looks like on Opening Day.
Dates Every Tigers Fan Should Know
November 2 - Eligible players are now free agents, but only partially. They are not allowed to sign with any other team other than their own for five days. This gives teams time to work out deals before others can court.
Fans should be watching what happens with the Tigers six free agents:
- Rafael Montero
- Alex Cobb
- Gleyber Torres
- Chris Paddack
- Tommy Kahnle
- Kyle Finnegan
November 6 - Five days after the completion of the World Series signals the opening of free agency to all teams. Now, the exclusive signing time with their own team is over and it is open season for other teams to sign free agents. This is also the deadline for those who have opt-out and option decisions.
Teams will be adjusting their 40-man rosters. Players will need to be reinstated from the 60-day injured list. In order to do this, the 40-man roster will have to be reworked. Minor league players also become free agents on that date, which means some teams may have to make room on their roster for up-and-comers who they don't want to lose in free agency.
This is also the deadline to extend qualifying offers to eligible free agents.
Fans can look to Nov. 6 to get some answers about Jack Flaherty. He will have the chance to opt-out of his contract. If he does, that will release the $20 million he will be owed in 2026 and will force the Tigers to add another starting arm. If he opts in, then Flaherty will be back for at least one more season.
November 6-7 - The National League will begin the announcement of Silver Slugger winners on Nov. 6 followed by the American League the next day.
November 10-13 - General managers meetings in Las Vegas, Nev. During these meetings, not only will potential trades be worked and some contracts with free agents start to get discussed, but several awards will be announced that are given by the Baseball Writers' Association of America:
- Nov. 10 Rookie of the Year
- Nov. 11 Manager of the Year
- Cy Young
- MVP
November 13 - The All-MLB Teams will be announced. This will also be accompanied by several different MLB Awards given each year on the MLB Awards show.
November 18 - 4 p.m. is the deadline for players who received qualifying offers to decide whether to accept them. Should a player decline and accept a competing offer somewhere else, the old team will receive a compensatory draft pick. This is also the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft.
November 21 - Final day to tender contracts to players under team control. All players who have earned under six years of service time must be tendered a contract or they are considered "non-tendered" and will become free agents.
December 7-10 - Winter Meetings occur in Orlando, Fla. During the meetings, the 2026 draft order will be determined. This is also the time that the Rule 5 Draft will take place.
January 8, 2026 - Deadline for teams and players to exchange arbitration numbers. This locks them in until the arbitration hearings in February.
January 15 - International signing opens.
January 21 - Hall of Fame class is announced.
February - Spring training starts.
March 25 - MLB Opening Day
March 26 - Tigers Opening Day at Petco Park against the San Diego Padres.
April 3 - Home opener against St. Louis Cardinals.
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Laura Lambert resides in Wiggins, Colo. with her husband, Ricky and two sons, Brayden and Boedy. She attended the University of Northern Colorado while studying economics. She is an accomplished rodeo athlete and barrel horse trainer along with being a life-long sports fan. Over the years, Laura has been active in journalism in a variety of roles. While continuing to cover western sports and country music, she is currently enjoying expanding her reach into multiple sports including MLB, NFL, and WNBA. Laura covers the Washington Nationals, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Colorado Rockies, Toronto Blue Jays, and Rodeo for On SI. You can reach her at lauralambertmedia@gmail.com