As we prepare for one of the first major deadlines of the offseason, here are three things well be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today: 1. Rule 5 draft protection deadline: This evening marks one of several deadlines in the early part of the offseason: the deadline for protecting prospects from next months Rule 5 draft. Though the Rule 5 draft wont take place until the Winter Meetings, today at 5pm CT is the deadline by which teams must add prospects they wish to protect from the draft to their 40-man rosters. The deadline typically sparks plenty of movement as teams look to clear space on their 40-man rosters for prospects in need of protections, and suggests that this year will be no different, reporting that trade talks are picking up all around baseball in advance of todays deadline. 2. Qualifying Offer deadline: The Rule 5 draft protection deadline isnt the only deadline scheduled for today, however. At 3pm CT this afternoon, the who received qualifying offers earlier in the offseason will have to decide whether to accept the one-year, $20.35MM offer or reject it and test Jusuf Nurkic Jersey the open market. All seven players , , , , , , and are expected to decline the QO and test free agency. Players that do so will attached to draft pick compensation, providing their previous team with an outgoing draft pick should they sign elsewhere while forcing their new club to give up draft capital and international bonus pool space. The details on what teams stand to or from the signing of qualified free agents were covered by MLBTRs Mark Polishuk last month. 3. Manager of the Year announced: Awards season around MLB continues at 5pm CT this evening with the AL and NL Manager of the Year awards set to be announced. In the AL, Bruce Bochy of the Rangers, Kevin Cash of the Rays, and Brandon Hyde of the Orioles are the three finalists for the award. Cash skippered the Rays to a 99-win season that saw them win their first 13 games of the season, tying the modern record, while Hyde and Bochy both guided their clubs to a postseason appearance despite the Orioles and Rangers both entering the season expected to be little more than fringe contenders. It would be Hydes first time winning the award, while Cash has won the award twice previously. Bochy, meanwhile, has never won in the AL but won in the NL with the Padres back in 1996. Meanwhile, the NL features a relatively unusual bit of drama; alongside Brian Snitker of the Braves and Skip Schumaker of the Marlins, Craig Counsell is nominated for the award for his work with the Brewers this season despite having for the division rival Cubs last week. For all his accolades as one of the leagues finest managers, Counsell has never won a Manager of the Year award. Schumaker, of course, hasnt either as a rookie skipper who just concluded his first season in the role. Snitker, on the other hand, won the award previously in 2018. His work with the Braves that year led him to finish just ahead of Counsell, who was the runner-up for the award. Clyde Drexler Jersey