When the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Yankees Wednesday night in Game 5 of the World Series, the offseason officially arrived — even though, for the Red Sox, it actually began more than a month ago when the team’s regular season ended with a perfectly mediocre 81-81 season.
It will take a while for activity to begin. In stark contrast to the other three North American team sports, baseball’s offseason will proceed at a glacial pace. It will be weeks, if not months, before the top free agents come off the board. Trades likely won’t materialize until the Winter Meetings. In baseball, everything is deadline-driven, as teams stubbornly refuse to make moves until they’re forced to do so by the calendar.
