FAQ: Everything on this Astros offseason

HOUSTON – The World Series hadn’t even been over for a week before general manager James Click had to board a plane and ahead to California for the General Mangers Meetings, where he laid the groundwork for the start of what should be an interesting offseason for the Astros.

Here is a look at some key dates and decisions ahead as they would unfold under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement:

Who are their free agents?

The Astros have seven free agents: shortstop Carlos Correa, right-handed pitchers Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke, Kendall Graveman and Yimi García, lefty Brooks Raley and infielder Marwin Gonzalez. Correa and Verlander were given qualifying offers of $18.4 million and have until Wednesday to accept or reject.

Who is eligible for arbitration?

IF/LF Aledmys Díaz, (third-year eligible)

RHP Rafael Montero, (third-year eligible)

RHP Phil Maton, (second-year eligible)

RHP Ryne Stanek, (second-year eligible)

LHP Framber Valdez, (first-year eligible)

RHP Josh James, (first-year eligible)

Who might be a non-tender candidate, and when does the club have to make that decision?

The biggest non-tender decision may be Díaz, who’s due for a hefty raise and has an injury history. There could be an argument to non-tender Montero, who came over in a July trade and was immediately hurt, but the Astros could use the bullpen depth. The same is true for Stanek, who pitched well at the end of the season and in the playoffs. Then there’s James, who isn’t making substantial money and still has options, both of which play in favor of tendering him a contract.

The tender deadline is 7 p.m. CT on Dec. 2.

What kind of help do the Astros need, and will they be active in free agency?

Addressing the shortstop situation will be their biggest offseason task. Correa will assuredly reject the Astros’ qualifying offer, and if he signs elsewhere, a replacement is needed. The good news for the Astros is there is a wealth of free agent shortstops on the market, headlined by Trevor Story, Marcus Semien, Corey Seager and Javier Báez.

The Astros also figure to be in the market for another starting pitcher, though Click said at the GM Meetings that he likes the rotation depth that Lance McCullers Jr., Valdez, Jake Odorizzi, Luis Garcia, José Urquidy and Cristian Javier provide. The bullpen will be a key focus, with Graveman, García and Raley all free agents. And with center fielder Jake Meyers set to miss the start of the regular season following shoulder surgery, the Astros could explore adding an outfielder, too.

Who might they be willing to trade?

Any deals the Astros make likely wouldn’t involve their top prospects, a group that includes pitcher Hunter Brown, catcher Korey Lee and infielder/outfielder Pedro Leon. Beyond that, probably anybody in the Minor Leagues is fair game, including former top prospect Forrest Whitley, who had Tommy John surgery earlier this year. The Astros could also include some of their fringe big leaguers in any deals, including catcher Garrett Stubbs, infielder/outfielder Taylor Jones and pitcher Brandon Bielak.

Who needs to be added to the 40-man roster this winter to be protected from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft?

Generally speaking, players who signed with their current club at age 18 or younger and have five years of experience or signed with their current club at age 19 or older and have four years of experience, and are not currently protected on 40-man rosters, are eligible to be plucked away in December’s Rule 5 Draft.

Astros' No. 4-ranked prospect Jeremy Peña, who could be their starting shortstop next year if they don’t re-sign Correa or replace him from outside the organization, is a lock to be added to the 40-man. The deadline to add players to protect them from being selected in the Rule 5 Draft is 5 p.m. CT Nov. 19.

Here are the other players on the Astros’ Top 30 prospects list who need to be protected to avoid being exposed to the Rule 5 Draft (with their Pipeline rank in parenthesis):

Joe Perez, 3B (No. 9)

Shawn Dubin, RHP (No. 11)

Yainer Diaz, C (No. 13)

Alex McKenna, OF (No. 17)

Scott Manea, C (No. 18)

Jose Alberto Rivera, RHP (No. 28)

Jojanse Torres, RHP (No. 29)

Other key dates?

• Nov. 19: The deadline to add players to the 40-man roster to protect them from the Rule 5 Draft is 5 p.m. CT.

• Dec. 1: Expiration of the current CBA.

• Dec. 2: Tender deadline. Sometimes referred to the non-tender deadline, 7 p.m. CT is the deadline by which teams must formally tender 2020 contracts to unsigned players. If a player is non-tendered, he becomes a free agent.

• Dec. 5: Last date to outright a player prior to the Rule 5 Draft.

• Dec. 6-9: Winter Meetings in Orlando, including the Rule 5 Draft on the afternoon of Dec. 8 -- one day earlier on the meetings calendar than in previous seasons.

• Jan. 14, 2022: Eligible players and their teams exchange arbitration figures.