Free agency officially began at 9 a.m. Thursday, the day after the World Series ended.

But the first five days is considered a "quiet period." Teams can contact free agents but they can't negotiate contracts.

That changes at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6 (today). Teams and free agents can begin negotiating.

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AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh

The top free agents

MassLive.com recently ranked the top 40 free agents for the 2017-18 offseason.

Our top 10:

1. Yu Darvish, SP

2. Eric Hosmer, 1B

3. J.D. Martinez, OF

4. Jake Arrieta, SP

5. Justin Upton, OF (if he opts out)

6. Mike Moustakas, 3B

7. Alex Cobb, SP

8. Wade Davis, RP

9. Lance Lynn SP

10. Lorenzo Cain, OF

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AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Qualifying offer set at $17.4 million

Major league teams must offer qualifying offers by 5 p.m. on the final day of the five-day quiet period. And so clubs have until 5 p.m. (today).

The qualifying offer equals the average salary of the 125 highest-paid players each year. The qualifying offer is set at $17.4 million this offseason.

Players have 10 days to accept the qualifying offer — or until 5 p.m. Nov. 16.

If a player accepts the offer, he'll return to his former team on a one-year, $17.4 million contract.

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AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Players who are ineligible for qualifying offers

Any free agent who got traded during the 2017 season cannot receive a qualifying offer. And so J.D. Martinez, Yu Darvish, Jay Bruce and Addison Reed are four players who can't receive offers because they were traded during the season.

A player cannot be offered a qualifying offer for a second time. Neil Walker, who accepted a qualifying offer last year, for example, cannot receive a qualifying offer this offseason.

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AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Any Red Sox free agent expected to receive qualifying offer?

Eight Red Sox players, Mitch Moreland, Blaine Boyer, Fernando Abad, Chris Young, Doug Fister, Rajai Davis, Addison Reed and Eduardo Nunez, became free agents at 9 a.m. on the day after the World Series.

No Red Sox free agent is expected to receive a one-year, $17.4-million qualifying offer.

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AP Photo/Eric Gay

Will Red Sox attempt to re-sign any of their departing free agents?

Eduardo Nunez seems like the most likely candidate to be re-signed. The Red Sox will need a second baseman with Dustin Pedroia sidelined.

And thus, Nunez is the most likely of any of any Red Sox free agent to receive a qualifying offer.

The Red Sox announced Oct. 25 that Pedroia underwent a cartilage restoration procedure on his left knee. He's anticipated to return to games in approximately seven months. So he'll likely miss the first month of the 2018 season and return at some point in May if all goes well.

The Red Sox open the 2018 regular season March 29 and will need someone reliable at second base in Pedroia's absence. Nunez would have the ability to play multiple positions once Pedroia returns.

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AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

Minor League Free Agency

The Red Sox prevented outfielder Bryce Brentz and left-handed reliever Williams Jerez from reaching minor league free agency by adding them to the 40-man roster.

Jeremy Barfield — who hit 27 home runs for Double-A Portland and was eligible for minor league free agency this offseason — announced on Twitter that he's returning to the Red Sox.

Steve Selsky (pictured above) is one of several Red Sox eligible for minor league free agency. Selsky took nine at-bats for Boston during 2017.

SoxProspects.com listed the following players as eligible for minor league free agency (as of 5 p.m. today):

"Brian Bogusevic, Dan Butler, Ryan Court, Jacob Dahlstrand, Matt Dominguez, Conrad Gregor, Shawn Haviland, Kyle Kendrick, Deiner Lopez, Heiker Meneses, Edgar Olmos, Mike Olt, Mitchell Osnowitz, Tim Roberson, Steve Selsky, Jose Sermo, Aneury Tavarez, Herny Urrutia, Elih Villaneuva, Marcus Walden and Jordan Weems."

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AP Photo/David Goldman

Dombrowski: 'We'd like to add some run production'

The Red Sox need to add power to this batting order.

They hit the fewest homers (168) of any American League team during 2017. They finished sixth in the AL and 10th in the majors with 785 runs scored after leading the majors with 878 runs in 2016.

"We'd like to add some run production to our club," Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said on a conference call Thursday. "And how that ends up happening, we'll wait and see what takes place. We do want to score more runs.

"I think last year, a couple of our guys -- the focus is always on the home run or normally on the home run -- but they just didn't have as good of offensive seasons as I think they're capable of having. And we look for some of that to step forward and have some better years. And hopefully we'll get another bat that will help us do that. We'll see where that takes us. But we're going to try to increase our offensive production."

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AP Photo/Paul Sancya

Who will Red Sox be interested in?

Eric Hosmer and J.D. Martinez are the two free agents who seem to make the most sense for the Red Sox.

MLB insider Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported that "there is an expectation" the Boston Red Sox will target Hosmer.

The Scott Boras client batted .318 with a .385 on-base percentage, .498 slugging percentage, .882 OPS, 25 homers, 94 RBIs, 31 doubles and one triple during 2017.

Martinez just switched agents. He's a Boras client now, too.

Carlos Santana and Jay Bruce also could interest the Red Sox.

The Red Sox also could pursue a relief pitcher or two.

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AP Photo/Charles Krupa

Penalties the Red Sox would receive for signing a qualified free agent

The Red Sox did not exceed Major League Baseball's $195 million base tax threshold in 2017. And so the penalties won't be as harsh for the Red Sox if they sign a qualified free agent.

They would have to forfeit their second-highest pick in the next MLB Draft and have their international signing bonus pool for the next international signing period reduced by $500,000.

A CBT payer must forfeit its second-highest and fifth-highest selections in the next MLB Draft and its international signing bonus pool for the next international signing period is reduced by $1 million.

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AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Penalties for signing two qualified free agents

The Red Sox would have to forfeit their third highest selection in the next MLB Draft for signing a second qualified free agent. That's after already forfeiting their second highest selection for the first qualified free agent.

A CBT payor who already forfeited its second-round and fifth-round picks for signing their first qualified free agent would have to forfeit its third-round selection and sixth-round selection for signing its next qualified free agent.

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AP Photo/Lynne Sladky

Trades this offseason?

The Marlins are looking to trade Giancarlo Stanton this offseason and it seems like he'll continue to be linked to the Red Sox.

Stanton signed a record 13-year, $325-million megadeal in November 2014.

The contract might not be as bad as it looks, MassLive.com wrote Oct. 31.

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AP Photo/Charlie Riedel

Baseball Winter Meetings

The Winter Meetings take place Dec. 10-14, at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort.

Most free agents usually don't begin signing until early December and at the Winter Meetings.

MLB free agency is the exact opposite of NFL free agency where most of the top free agents sign on the first day of free agency.

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AP Photo/David J. Phillip

One other big event today ...

The Boston Red Sox will hold a Fenway Park press conference at 12 p.m. today to introduce Alex Cora as their new manager.

Cora officially was named manager Oct. 22 but the 42-year-old former Red Sox utility infielder then finished his duties as Houston Astros bench coach in the World Series.