15 Noteworthy Dates for the Phillies: Award Finalists, Free Agency, and More

The Phillies season has been over for exactly three weeks now, and we might have the worst World Series possible from a Phillies fan standpoint. We have the Houston Astros, who have a record of cheating, and honestly, who the hell even likes the Astros? We then have the Atlanta Braves representing the National League, which is about as bad as it can get. If there is a way that both teams can lose, then sign me up for that.

On Aug. 8, the Phillies were 59-53 and the Braves were 2.0 games behind at 57-56.

Since then the Phillies went 23-27 and the Braves went 31-17, beat the 95-win Brewers 3 games to 1 and beat the 106-win Dodgers 4 games to 2 to reach the World Series.

Incredible.

— Reuben Frank (@RoobNBCS) October 24, 2021

But once the World Series is over (Game 7 if necessary, November 3rd), some very key dates for the Phillies will be on the horizon. With one of the biggest offseasons of the last decade upon us, Dave Dombrowski has a lot of work to do. Let’s dive into some of these important dates, award ceremonies, and more.

All Things Awards

Nov 1st: Award Finalists Announced

Nov 2nd: Gold Glove Winner

Nov 3rd: Defensive Player of the Year

Nov 4th: Silver Slugger

Nov 8th: Rookie of the Year

Nov 9th: Manager of the Year

Nov 10th: Cy Young

Nov 11th: Most Valuable Player

Nov 15th: MLB Hall of Fame Ballot

There’s a lot of dates here. Some have an effect on the Phillies, and others do not. Award Finalists being announced on the first of November will feature Cy Young, MOTY, ROTY, and MVP. The Phillies will most definitely have an MVP finalist in Bryce Harper, and hopefully, Zack Wheeler will make the running for NL Cy Young.

The Phillies will not have a gold glove finalist or a DPOY finalist, because their defense stinks. Silver Slugger will most likely be Bryce Harper, with this award being given to one player at each position in both leagues. Juan Soto could make things interesting, but if I had to bet on it, I’d go with Bryce Harper.

Bryce Harper last 30 Games: .365/.481/.827

104 AB, 38 H, 12 HR, 31 RBI#MV3 | #RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/o690AUTAPq

— The Liberty Line (@LibertyLinePHL) September 17, 2021

The Phillies will not have a Rookie of the Year candidate, because their farm system is horrendous (27th in the league, to be exact.) Next, Manager of the Year (lol). Joe Girardi will certainly not be up for Manager of the Year, but a well-known name that every Phillies fan knows will be. Gabe Kapler, Manager of the 107 win San Francisco Giants, will be the leading candidate, and in all honesty, it should be unanimous.

Now things get interesting. Cy Young and MVP are the two awards that the Phillies have the best chance of taking home compared to the others. If all things go according to plan, Zack Wheeler will be a finalist for the NL Cy Young. However, The NL race is one of the most anticipated races in recent history with names like Walker Buehler, Max Scherzer, Corbin Burnes, and Kevin Gausman all fighting for three spots. This race will be an intense one, and we’ll find out who will take those final three spots in just 7 days.

NL MVP. We’ve been campaigning for it all year, and Bryce Harper will without a doubt be a finalist for NL MVP. Harper had one of the best seasons I’ve ever watched from a Philadelphia Phillie, even after being hit in the face with a 97 mph fastball. The question is, who will take up the last two spots. Even from an unbiased standpoint, I believe Bryce Harper is a lock to be a finalist, and everybody else should too. It’s going to come down to three high-caliber bats fighting for the last two spots, in Fernando Tatis Jr, Juan Soto, and Austin Riley. November 11th is (hopefully) going to be a monumental day in Phillies history. Stay tuned.

*Official MVP Prediction*: Harper, Soto, Tatis are the 3 finalists. Bryce Harper takes home his 2nd career NL MVP.

Phillies Business Dates

Nov 10th: Qualifying Offers

Nov 19th: The “Rule 5” Deadline

Dec 1: Non-Tender Cut-Off

Dec 5-9: 2022 Season Winter Meetings

Jan 14: Arbitration Deadline

March 31: Start of 2022 Season

These are the dates that really have an impact on the team, season, and clubhouse. Qualifying offers will be stopped on November 10th, and although the Phillies have a multitude of free agents, they have no players eligible for qualifying offers.

The Rule 5 draft will be taking place soon, and all players that were taken in the draft in 2018 or before will have to be placed on the forty-man roster or will be hitting the draft. The non-tender cutoff will take place on Dec 1st, where non-tendered players will hit free agency.

This will be Dave Dombrowski’s first winter meetings with the Phillies, and with numerous moves needing to be made this offseason, I’m expecting Dombrowski to dive in headfirst in the first week of September.

Hoskins, Eflin, Alvarado, Torreyes, Knapp, Jankowski, Dominguez, Quinn, and Herrera are all eligible for the 2022 arbitration, which will take place on January 14th. Hoskins, Eflin, and Herrera will involve the most money with the Phillies.

https://twitter.com/ArcainiLuke/status/1452711528386502669?s=20

And I can’t believe we’re already talking about this, but the start of the 2022 season will take place on March 31st, with the Phillies traveling to take on the Houston Astros, the potential World Series champions.

We’re set up for a wild offseason. Dave Dombrowski will lead the charge in his first full winter with the Phillies, looking to get this team over the hump and into the playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

Ring it. Bryce Harper is the MVP.

Mandatory Credit: AP Photos