MLB Winter Meetings: Juan Soto, Draft Lottery and more

For more than a century, Major League Baseball's winter meetings have been marked on the league's calendar as a highlight of the long dry period before spring training. Just over a month after the end of the World Series, team officials from across the sports world are gathering to more effectively discuss trades and negotiate directly with agents, as well as provide reporters in attendance with information on potential transfers and league deals. Throws out hints about other parts of the. Businesses — including those that are relatively new.

This activity begins tomorrow and continues through the 12th, but of course news regarding the deal with MLB could be announced at any time. Here's what you need to know to follow Dallas' actions.

Juan Soto Sweepstakes (Other)

Every year in free agency, there is one player who stands out as an “indispensable player.'' But it's been decades since we've seen a player like Juan Soto become a free agent. He even outperformed the likes of Bryce Harper and Manny Machado in their pre-2018 postings. We'd have to go back to Alex Rodriguez in 2000. jaw dropped In the contract he signed years ago.

Soto made his debut with the Nationals as a teenager in 2018, so he will hit the open market shortly after his 26th birthday. Soto has hit .285/.421/.532 with 179 doubles, 201 home runs and a 160 OPS+ in seven seasons, with a WAR of 36.4 according to Baseball Reference. He's surprisingly healthy, has a Ted Williams-like hitting eye, and quickly won hearts as he led the Nats to their first World Series title in 2019. yankees He hit a career-high 41 home runs and ended the season at the Fall Classic for the first time in 15 years.

Soto sent the dingers that got them there at the plate, showing off his otherworldly talent at cooking.

Soto is a very good hitter, so his speed and defensive limitations don't really matter. He could spend the rest of his career at first base or DH if he wanted and still have tremendous value.

As a result, the race to sign Soto has reached surprising heights. the already locked He will get a $600 million contract, and recent reports That may not even include significant payment deferrals, suggesting it could balloon past the record $700 million threshold set by Shohei Ohtani last offseason.

Naturally, the Yankees are considering bringing Soto back to pair with Aaron Judge, but their crosstown rival mets Billionaire Steve Cohen is also desperate to get his hands on the superstar. Please enter red sox The Blue Jays are looking to avenge last year's near miss to Ohtani, and the defending champions are making their strongest free agent bid in recent years. dodgers They try their best and have a very heated race.

Most important for the winter meetings, it appears Soto may make a decision before or at the start of the meetings. Therefore, you need to pay attention early on.

If Soto signs, the entire system will apply to the remaining top names in free agency. It's no secret that the biggest spending teams are already allocating a portion of their budget to Soto. Therefore, many players are interested in what the team that misses him will do. That would change the potential strategy.

There may still be signs to look out for—blake snell They certainly didn't wait, but All-Star starters Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, third baseman Alex Bregman, shortstop Willie Adames and first baseman Pete Alonso will likely have to wait until the Soto storm passes. *. This also applies to trade markets, which should open up further with Soto's call.

*Don't expect a contract with the next Japanese ace, Roki Sasaki By January 15th.

Hall of Fame Era Committee Voting

The first concrete item on MLB's docket is scheduled to take place Sunday night. of more traditional The Baseball Writers Association of America's Hall of Fame voting will not close until the end of December, with results expected to be announced on January 21st. However, the results of the Classic Baseball Era Committee's vote will be known on December 8th at 7:30pm ET.

For those unfamiliar, this committee votes on Hall of Fame candidates (or those who were managers, umpires, pioneers) who may have missed out on the BBWAA ballot, as well as more well-known retirees. It is one of the modern successors of the Military Personnel Commission. . Currently, the Hall of Fame has convened a 16-person committee, with eight members who are either players from the classic baseball era (defined as pre-1980) or figures from the modern baseball era (1980 to present). Vote on the ballot. ). Now that the Modern Baseball Era has been considered in 2023 and 2024, it's the Classic Baseball Era's turn.

If any of the players below receive 12 votes, they will be inducted straight into the Hall of Fame. Committee members are limited to three votes each, so it's possible that none of them will be able to vote, but we hope at least one of them passes the vote.

If you are interested in each candidate's case, we link to the excellent work of Hall of Fame expert Jay Jaffe. But in your true opinion, Allen and Tiant (he just passed away) October) Both should have been enshrined in Cooperstown while they were alive, so at least they deserve a plaque now. Allen, in particular, fell one vote short in each of the last two elections (2015 and 2022).

Donaldson is an underrated pre-Negro League legend with a strong case for himself, but as far as current candidates go, Parker is a sure-fire Hall of Fame talent in his prime. John's longevity is proof that he fearlessly overcame the challenges of his time. -Breakthrough procedure. So choose one of these five.

MLB Draft Lottery

From the start of the 1965 MLB Draft until 2021, the team with the No. 1 pick was the last team in either the American League or the National League. However, following recent CBA negotiations, the league has moved to a model similar to the NBA and NHL, one that includes a draft lottery with different odds for nearly every team that misses the playoffs. So even though the Nationals and Athletics finished with the league's worst records in 2022 and 2023, respectively, Pittsburgh and Cleveland won the final two drawings and received the pick. Paul Skeens and Travis Bazana. The Guardians in particular took advantage of the improbable nature of the lottery to become a net winner, as they only had a 2 percent chance of acquiring the top pick before the 2024 tournament.

It's already guaranteed that the worst team in MLB in 2024 will go out in the cold. of white socks They set a modern-day record with 121 losses, but the current CBA anti-tank measures mean they can only pick No. 10 or lower in 2024 because they play in a large market and participated in last year's lottery. Therefore, they are not eligible to win the lottery for two years in a row. These are truly dark times for the South Side.

of colorado rockies This is the team with the best chance of acquiring the top pick in 2025. They recorded the second 100-loss season in franchise history and now have a 22.45 percent chance of getting next year's No. 1 pick. Coincidentally, like Matt's son, he could end up being the son of a franchise icon another sonEthan is currently considered the most likely draft candidate.

Here's a complete rundown of the odds, according to MLB.com: Lottery winners will be announced on December 10th at 5:30pm ET.

22.45% — Rockies
22.45% — Marlins
17.96% — Angels
10.20% — National
7.48% — Blue Jays
5.31% — Pirate
3.67% — Reds
2.45% — Rangers
1.90% — Giants
1.50% — Ray
1.22% — Red Sox
1.09% — twins
0.82% — Cardinals
0.68% — cubs
0.53% — Mariners
0.27% — diamondbacks

Draft rule 5

One of the final events of the Winter Meetings is the annual Rule 5 Draft. In this draft, each team scours their rival's minor league roster for players who could be added to their club immediately. The problem is that the MLB portion of the Rule 5 Draft requires players to remain on the active roster for the entire 2025 season. If not, you will be returned to your previous team.

Some of the most notable players included in the modern version of Rule 5 include Twins legend Johan Santana, former Marlins slugger Dan Uggla, and Anthony Santander, one of the top free agents in this current class. It will be. Often these selections are either largely anonymous, returned eventually, or simply passed on. Many teams are already taking precautions to protect certain top candidates who should be eligible, but you never know. Every team has at least one player who can be trapped.

Note that Rule 5 also has a minor league portion. The rule is that eligible players removed from Triple-A or Double-A rosters can be added to another organization without remaining on an MLB team. For example, recent astros Bullpen arm Seth Martinez originally came to the team this way. Most of these selections are actual dice rolls, and if the receiving team gains anything from them, it is considered a win.