Winter Meeting Madness Like No Other!

It was the 2023 MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. Some of the biggest names, if not the biggest names, came into it as Free Agents. Aaron Nola had already re-signed with the Phillies the week before, there was speculation of a Juan Soto trade (more on that later) because the Padres couldn’t pay his $30M+ arbitration, and even Jake Cronenworth, too. Eduardo Rodriguez had opted out of his contract with Detroit, and was looking for a new job.

It all started on Sunday, the 3rd, and it was the Mariners and Braves who took center stage, making a late night trade. OF Jarred Kelenic, 1B Evan White and LHP Marco Gonzales along with cash in return for RHPs Cole Phillips and Jackson Kowar. The Mariners had officially moved on from Kelenic, and dumped contracts from their books. Monday brought more news as Jung Hoo Lee and Woo Suk Go of the KBO were officially posted, available to negotiate with teams the next day. The Contemporary Baseball Era Committee made Jim Leyland a Hall of Famer officially, who will go to Cooperstown without any insignia as to “not disrespect” any team he’s been with during his MLB career. 19 year old Prospect for the Milwaukee Brewers shattered the record for an extension given to a player without any Major League games under their belt, getting eight years and $82M guaranteed that can reach up to ten years and $142.5M.

The next, Tuesday the 5th, the second ever MLB Draft Lottery took place, with the Cleveland Guardians who only had a 2% chance of doing so, getting the 1st overall pick for the 2024 MLB Amateur Draft. Rejoice, Cleveland, and hope that your Front Office and Scouting Department has done their homework. After days of speculation, Angels GM Perry Minasian squashed rumors of a Mike Trout, saying that he was going to be an Angel “in 2024, 100%”. This, of course, was the same day that San Diego and New York began to talk names for a blockbuster Juan Soto trade, and the Yankees balked at the Padre’s initial asking price for just one year of Soto, so things came to a standstill.

What people could not stop talking about just three days into the Winter Meetings was Shohei Ohtani. Multiple teams were supposedly “in” on him, had met with him, but to the chagrin of reporters and insiders, there was no word from his camp, or the supposed teams who were bidding for his services. That was, until Dave Roberts talked to the media; he almost nonchalantly admitted to the fact that he and the ownership had met with the two-way superstar. But later in the day, Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said he was “surprised” by Roberts admission to such meetings, and would not corroborate his teams Manager. For such a secretive and quiet process, even writers for the MLB were stunned by Dave Roberts candor; will Shohei Ohtani look down at the Dodgers due to this? Of course, only he knows, but for a team who was supposedly in the lead to land him, it is a shock, to say the least. To one surprise to another, the Yankees seemed to have pivoted from the Padres deal, and sent three pitchers to Boston in exchange for OF Alex Verdugo, who was the key piece in the Dodgers-Red Sox trade for Mookie Betts just a few years ago. It was known that the Yankees needed more than one outfielder, so Juan Soto alone wouldn’t cut it. Just two days later, Marco Gonzales went from being a Mariner to a Brave, then a Brave to a Pirate in a deal for cash and a PTBNL.

On Wednesday, the 6th, the final day of the 2023 Winter Meetings, was when all would come to a break. Big names finally started to sign. Craig Kimbrel to the Orioles on a one-year deal, Eduardo Rodriguez to the Diamondbacks on a four-year deal. And to cap it all off, the Padres and Yankees were talking once again. San Diego had called New York’s bluff, knowing that they needed Juan Soto more than they did Michael King and prospect pitcher Drew Thorpe. In a wild 7-player swap, the Bronx Bombers got Juan Soto and Trent Grisham in return for Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vasquez, prospect Drew Thorpe, and Catcher Kyle Higashioka. The deal was consumated after the Yankees GM and Owner had left, while the Padres were still pouring over medical records for the players they would be receiving. And to think… we still have no idea where some of the bigger Free Agent names will be landing. Cody Bellinger, Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and more. The madness has truly only begun, folks.

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