Theory goes away sometime this weekend. Whenever the final out is recorded in the 118th World Series on either Saturday or Sunday — at that moment — anyone eligible for free agency becomes a free agent.

That means Aaron Judge can begin talking to any team in the majors. There is still a five-day “quiet period” during which contract terms cannot be discussed, but let’s just say I do not think all of those discussions are limited to getting to know each other and asking about the weather in the inquiring team’s town.

At minimum — even if all the teams obey the five-day moratorium after the World Series — these initial meetings still would fall into the first-date category, and some percentage of the time, first dates lead to second dates and in some cases, even marriage. Judge and every other free agent will be out in the wild, and by the end of next week, they will be able to sign wherever they want.

It is an offseason of fascinating free-agent cases. Can Jacob deGrom outdo Max Scherzer (three years, $130 million) in the marketplace? What does the industry think of Michael Conforto after he missed a year? Does anyone still think having Aroldis Chapman on a roster is a good idea? Which shortstop will get more — Carlos Correa or Trea Turner? Just how much of a free-for-all will there be for Japanese pitcher Koudai Senga?