Baseball’s version of Midnight Madness is upon us.

As Thursday rolls into Friday at the stroke of midnight, the free-agent period will get underway in earnest, with clubs free to present players with contract offers for the first time. The offseason thus enters a new period, where the likes of Jason Bay, John Lackey and Matt Holliday will start to get a true sense of their worth on the open market.

As ever, the Red Sox promise to be a key player in the coming winter. As manager Terry Francona suggested during his appearance on the Dale & Holley Show on Wednesday, in referring to Bay, “You know we’re going to be a major player — we always are.”

There’s plenty to digest, and WEEI.com’s Lou Merloni, Rob Bradford and Alex Speier will be in the Virtual Pressbox on Thursday, November 19, at noon, to take your questions about how the offseason is shaping up. Join them in the sixth installment of the WEEI.com Thursday baseball chat series.

PREVIOUS CHATS

Nov. 12 — Hot Stove Chat with Bradford and Speier

Nov. 5 — Former Red Sox GM Dan Duquette

Oct. 29 — Red Sox outfielder Jason Bay

Oct. 22 — Red Sox hitting coach Dave Magadan

Oct. 15 — Red Sox director of amateur scouting Jason McLeod