MLB proposes new offseason calendar with free-agent signing windows
Major League Baseball proposed a new offseason calendar that would give free agents who leave their teams a choice between signing during a December window or waiting until February. The league also suggested weekly roster-setting requirements during the season. The proposal is contingent on players accepting a salary cap, which the union strongly opposes.
The proposed calendar would introduce a November quiet period, during which free agents could negotiate with new clubs but only formally re-sign with their current teams. A signing window would open at the Winter Meetings in early December, close on Dec. 21, and be followed by a frozen period lasting until the first Monday in February, when spring training nears.
The league tied these changes to a salary cap-and-floor system, arguing it would create roster stability and accelerate the offseason. The union rejected that linkage, with Bruce Meyer stating players had offered alternative proposals addressing the same priorities, but the league refused any changes that did not reduce player rights and shift leverage to owners.
This proposal could reshape how and when free agents secure contracts, potentially pressuring players to accept deals in December rather than risk waiting until February. Fans might see a more compressed, event-driven offseason, but the salary cap contingency makes adoption unlikely. The broader impact may be limited to framing negotiations, though it could influence public perception of both sides' priorities during labor talks.