Padres face some potential losses this offseason; the coming days and weeks will determine how many

Decisions on contract options are due by Monday, and free agency begins after that.

For about a month, players and teams can agree on contracts and teams can make trades with each other in preparation for a 2027 season that may start late and be abbreviated or may not happen at all.

It’s virtually certain that all transactions will cease at 8:59 p.m. on Dec. 1, when the current collective bargaining agreement expires and owners lock out the players.

Many in the industry expect a lot of movement among the top-tier free agents this month, though no one knows for sure.

We’ll get a feel for the market that first week in November, the next couple weeks and definitely right around GM meeting time,” president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said recently. “Then be prepared to move on things that we think make sense for us.”