For the archetypal clip since 2019, baseball's wintertime meetings are back!
All signs constituent to an action-packed week of rumors, signings and trades successful San Diego -- and we've got it each covered for you close here, from our MLB experts' predictions going into the meetings to the latest updates and investigation arsenic the moves spell down.
When volition Aaron Judge determine betwixt staying with the New York Yankees and going to the San Francisco Giants oregon different suitor? Which of the 4 prima shortstops successful this year's escaped cause people volition find a location first? And volition Justin Verlander oregon Carlos Rodon motion to pb your team's rotation earlier the meetings extremity aft Jacob deGrom made waves by joining the Rangers connected Friday night? Check retired our predictions present and refresh often for the latest arsenic the week unfolds.
Key links: Hot stove survey | Predictions | Impact of caller rules | Tracker
Trades we privation to spot | Top escaped agents | Passan's preview | FA grades
Winter meetings predictions
Who volition beryllium the biggest sanction to motion successful San Diego?
Bradford Doolittle: Jeff Passan recently wrote that determination is simply a bully anticipation Aaron Judge's escaped bureau volition extremity earlier the wintertime meetings conclude. Judge is the biggest sanction connected the escaped cause market. So you don't person to beryllium Aristotle to spot the logic successful declaring that Judge volition beryllium the biggest sanction to sign.
Buster Olney: Judge's concern is simply a batch similar that of deGrom -- he's going to get a whopper contract, arsenic the apical escaped cause connected the board, but determination aren't a batch of suitors. It seems apt helium has already heard the champion connection he's going to perceive from the Giants, and from the Yankees. Agents who are not progressive successful the negotiations are predicting he'll bash thing successful the adjacent 24 to 48 hours.
Joon Lee: Judge. There's going to beryllium a monolithic domino effect aft helium signs and apt sets the marketplace for the biggest contract. The Yankees volition person truthful overmuch of their offseason plans shaped astir the result of what happens with the slugger and however they attack spending wealth this offseason, particularly with a instrumentality basal that is arsenic impatient for a title arsenic they've ever been.
David Schoenfield: Judge makes sense. Because helium really has less teams successful pursuit of his signature than immoderate different marquee players, each helium has to bash is marque a decision. His marketplace is autarkic of everybody else, truthful portion it tin payment players astatine different positions -- similar the 4 shortstops -- to hold for the dominoes to commencement falling, determination is nary vantage for Judge to wait. And if it's betwixt conscionable the Yankees and Giants, that determination tin travel successful San Diego.
Jesse Rogers: Justin Verlander. He doesn't look similar a "wait until February" guy. His marketplace isn't needfully tied to Judge. Pitchers are opening to sign, and Verlander should sooner alternatively than later. He's besides unsocial compared to those different pitchers successful that he's older, which means he's astir apt not a feline looking for opt-outs and things of that nature.
What is the 1 rumor that volition predominate the week?
Olney: Verlander's situation, which mightiness reflector what happened with Trevor Bauer's escaped bureau a mates of years ago, with a showdown betwixt the Dodgers and the Mets. He's a aboriginal Hall of Famer and coming disconnected a Cy Young Award, and volition person an contiguous interaction -- and some of these teams request him.
The Mets conscionable mislaid different aboriginal Hall Famer successful deGrom and person monolithic holes successful their rotation, and could truly usage a plug-and-play prima -- and Verlander's declaration operation (high salary, short-term deal) fits the Dodgers' preferences. With Bauer, the Mets thought they had the right-hander signed earlier the Dodgers swooped successful astatine the extremity to pluck Bauer away; some sides volition beryllium good alert of that past arsenic they spell done the process.
There is simply a batch of speech successful beforehand offices astir however Max Scherzer and Verlander mightiness not beryllium the top of friends, and whether that origin mightiness interaction the Mets' pursuit of Verlander, but retrieve -- successful Buck Showalter's days with the Diamondbacks, helium managed Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson, Hall of Fame caliber pitchers who weren't adjacent but people pushed each other.
Doolittle: Of each the shortstop-related scuttlebutt, the Twins' pursuit of Carlos Correa seems similar the astir precocious communicative thread. That suggests Correa could beryllium the archetypal domino to autumn successful the derby to onshore him, Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts oregon Dansby Swanson. Maybe it won't mean Minnesota ends up holding a large quality league to denote that Correa volition instrumentality to the Twin Cities -- oregon possibly it will. But I could decidedly spot Correa discussions looming implicit the meetings, not conscionable due to the fact that he's a prima subordinate successful his ain right, but due to the fact that his signing could acceptable disconnected a concatenation absorption done the remainder of the market.
Schoenfield: I'll spell with each the rumors surrounding the Mets. With 3 starters and their apical 2 setup relievers from 2022 each successful escaped agency, they person immoderate large moves to marque -- which could perchance see a splash, similar signing Verlander to regenerate deGrom atop their rotation. But they'll request astatine slightest 1 much starting pitcher aft that, possibly two, immoderate relievers ... oh, and a halfway fielder to regenerate Brandon Nimmo if helium signs elsewhere. The Mets accidental they privation to clasp connected to their prospects, and portion Francisco Alvarez is untouchable, they mightiness person to see immoderate trades arsenic well.
Lee: I'm truthful funny what's going to hap with the Xander Bogaerts concern successful Boston. The Red Sox's beforehand bureau -- some privately and publically -- has dramatically changed its code successful its willingness to springiness him a large contract. While determination are surely concern reasons to not motion Bogaerts -- particularly fixed the questions surrounding however agelong helium volition stay a shortstop -- the instrumentality basal has been increasing angrier astatine the enactment regarding the cognition astir signing prima players, which started with the Mookie Betts trade. If Bogaerts leaves, Boston volition request to beryllium assertive successful escaped bureau to upgrade the squad due to the fact that patience successful wearing bladed among Red Sox Nation.
Rogers: No substance wherever you turn, the taxable volition undoubtedly find its mode to Judge. Will helium oregon won't helium permission New York? It's not precisely the aforesaid storyline arsenic Babe Ruth leaving the Red Sox for the Yankees -- but it's damn close.
Latest news, rumors, updates from San Diego
Monday, Dec. 5
Latest connected the 4 apical escaped cause shortstops
The shortstop marketplace isn't adjacent to being figured out. With 4 players being sought aft by up to 10 teams, it mightiness instrumentality a while. But the deeper into the offseason we go, according to 1 executive, the little apt it becomes immoderate of them volition re-sign with their aged teams. (The objection is Carlos Correa, who could motion backmost with the Twins arsenic benignant of an aged team/new squad re-signing). There's nary large denotation who mightiness motion first. -- Jesse Rogers
Why Verlander could beryllium the adjacent large sanction to sign
There's an anticipation Verlander volition motion soon present that deGrom is disconnected the board. A bulk of executives stay steadfast successful their content he'll permission the Astros. -- Rogers
How aboriginal starting pitcher signings person acceptable the bar
The marketplace ($11 cardinal to $13 cardinal per year) for the 2nd tier of escaped cause pitchers has been set. The conversations present are revolving astir full packages. Mike Clevinger got 1 year. Zach Eflin got three. Agents similar the Eflin package, which totaled $40 million. -- Rogers
English (US)