LOS ANGELES -- With the World Series over after Wednesday's Game 7, seven Dodgers will officially become free agents at 6 a.m. PT on Thursday morning, with shortstop Hanley Ramirez chief among them.
With Ramirez, Josh Beckett, Kevin Correia, Roberto Hernandez, Paul Maholm, Chris Perez and Jamey Wright headed to free agency, there will be 37 players on the Dodgers' 40-man roster.
The is a quiet period through 9 p.m. PT on Monday, during which time teams cannot sign contracts with new players, though teams and players are allowed to talk. A team is allowed to sign any of its own free agents at any time during the quiet period.
The Dodgers have until 2 p.m. PT on Monday to offer a qualifying offer to Ramirez, a one-year, $15.3 million contract that if he declines would give the Dodgers a supplemental 2015 draft pick in between the first and second rounds.
Ramirez battled through a myriad of injuries to hit .283/.369/.448 with 35 doubles and 13 home runs in 128 games. Ramirez, who turns 31 in December, was the second-best offensive shortstop in the game in 2014 but his defense was subpar and he was replaced on defense late in games, including in 24 of his final 30 games.
Ramirez made $16 million in 2014, and will be one of the most coveted players on the market this winter.
Asked about the possibility of offering Ramirez a qualifying offer, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman simply smiled on Oct. 17 and said, "We will let you know over time."
If the Dodgers do give Ramirez a qualifying offer, Ramirez will have until 2 p.m. PT on Nov. 10 to accept or decline the offer. In two years of this qualifying offer system, all 22 free agents extended a qualifying offer have declined it.
Beckett, needing surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip, announced plans to retire after the Dodgers were eliminated in the NLDS. The 34-year-old went out with a 6-6 record and a 2.88 ERA in 20 starts, with 107 strikeouts and 39 walks in 115⅓ innings.
Maholm, 32, signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers for a $1.5 million base salary, and was 1-5 with a 4.84 ERA in 30 games, including eight starts. Maholm had several performance bonuses worth up to $5 million depending on a point system based on his appearances. I don't have the actual breakdown of the incentives, but Maholm earned 41½ of a possible 60 points.
Hernandez, 34, was acquired from the Phillies on Aug. 7 — for a pair of minor leaguers, infielder Jesmuel Valentin and pitcher Victor Arano — to fill in for Beckett, and was 2-3 with a 4.74 ERA in nine starts. After allowing 11 home runs in 27 starts through August, Hernandez imploded in September allowing five homers, leading to 17 runs allowed in 20⅔ innings. On the season Hernandez was 8-11 with a 4.10 ERA in 164⅔ innings.
Correia was even worse. The 33-year-old was acquired from the Twins on Aug. 9 for a player to be named later or cash — to date, I have not received confirmation that the trade has been completed — and was expected to fill the dual role of Maholm but couldn't even match that. Correia was 2-4 with an 8.03 ERA in nine games, including three starts with the Dodgers, and on the season was 7-17 with a 5.44 ERA in 154 innings.
Perez, 29, singed a one-year, $2.3 million contract with the Dodgers with incentives, and was 1-3 with a 4.27 ERA, one save, 39 strikeouts, 25 walks and six home runs allowed in 46⅓ innings. He appeared in 49 games, but was held out of the final six games to avoid reaching another $500,000 bonus for pitching in 50 games. When told he didn't make the Dodgers' NLDS roster, Perez chose to go home rather than remain with the team. Perez did earn $1.5 million in bonuses during the season for a total of $3.8 million in 2014.
Wright, 39, signed a one-year, $1.8 million contract with the Dodgers for 2014, snapping a string of eight straight seasons making a team in spring training as a non-guaranteed non-roster invitee. Wright was 5-4 with a save and a 4.35 ERA in a variety of roles in the bullpen in his 19th season, striking out 54 with 27 walks in 70⅓ innings.
These seven will likely be joined in free agency in the next few days by Chad Billingsley, who has a 2015 club option worth $14 million, with a $3 million buyout. A pair of pitchers — Dan Haren and Brian Wilson — have player options and theoretically could also become free agents, but both are expected to exercise the options.