The offseason officially starts as soon as the World Series concludes, obviously, but today is that day that everything really gets going.  The Thanksgiving holiday is out of the way, the Winter Meetings are only a week away, and the deadline to offer free agents arbitration is less than an hour away.

Of Seattle’s three major league free agents, only Raul Ibanez figures to get an offer.  He’ll almost certainly decline, which is what we’re going for.  Sure, we’d love to have Raul back for another year, but the compensatory draft picks are what the organization needs right now.

Update - Raul has indeed been offered arbitration.  This was a no-brainer.  He has a week to decide, and will almost certainly decline.

Speaking of which, Raul continues to be connected to several unprotected teams, including the Cubs, Mets, Phillies, Marlins and Dodgers.  The Dodgers and Marlins would be great, giving Seattle the 17th or 18th overall pick in the 2009 draft, plus a sandwich pick.  Protected teams interested include the Diamondbacks and Braves.  If Raul signs with a protected team, Seattle only gets the sandwich pick and a second rounder.  You can see a complete list of protected and unprotected teams here.

Another development to keep an eye on is what the Mets do with free agent closer Francisco Rodriguez.  If they sign both K-Rod and Raul, Seattle wouldn’t get the Mets first round pick because Rodriguez is a higher ranked Type-A free agent than Raul.  Seattle would get their second round pick, while the rival Angels would get their first rounder.