As the Winter Meetings carry on, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around baseball:
1. The Winter Meetings continue
While plenty of updates and rumors came out of the Winter Meetings on Monday, we have still yet to see a major signing. However, with new reports that teams are interested in top-50 free agents Matt Chapman (Cubs), Jordan Hicks (Astros, Rangers, Cardinals, and Orioles), Seth Lugo (Braves, Diamondbacks, and Red Sox), and Jack Flaherty (Pirates), perhaps that’s about to change.
Wade Miley’s one-year, $8.5MM guarantee from the Brewers has been the largest free agent contract signed at the Winter Meetings so far, but that’s unlikely to remain the case for long.
2. The draft lottery is coming up
The MLB draft lottery will take place this afternoon at 4:30 pm CT as part of the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. All 18 teams that missed the postseason in 2023 will have a chance to win one of the top six selections in next year’s first-year player draft, although the teams with the three worst records – the Athletics, the Royals, and the Rockies – have the best odds of claiming one of the top picks.
Complete odds for the draft lottery can be found here.
3. Where will Erick Fedde land?
On Monday afternoon, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reported that former MLB pitcher and 2023 KBO MVP Erick Fedde was nearing a two-year deal with an unspecified MLB team. Later that day, Feinsand added that there were, in fact, two teams in the running for Fedde’s services – the Mets and the White Sox – and the 30-year-old righty was expected to finalize a contract with one of those two clubs as early as today.
Feinsand reports that the deal will be in the two-year, $10MM range, and if so, Fedde could surpass Wade Miley for the largest free agent guarantee of the Winter Meetings – although it’s hard to imagine he would hold that distinction for long.
I could see Milwaukee jump on Fedde. It’s something they have done in the past with Kameron Loe. He turned out OK. This is something both David Stearns and now Matt Arnold would do. Low entry fee and high reward.
Umm, but the Brewers aren’t in it. Read the article before commenting.
I agree Storm. Seems like something they would do.
@BlueTroll We all know that whatever is posted here always becomes true, right?
@fivepoundbass: That was a personal attack, so you automatically lose the argument. Sorry.
If you would like to restate your opinion without the uncalled-for hostility and juvenile name calling, we might have a reasonable dialogue.
But otherwise, thanks for contributing, and I’ll take my win and go home.
@Bluebaron
Get out of here with your “personal attack” bs. You didn’t win a thing. You attack others then cry victim.
Does Wonka know one of his little oompa-loompas is on their phone in the chocolate factory? You best get back to work little man.
That’s your opinion, which is of no consequence to me. You are muted.
Soft like your gut
Feel better don’t ya? Now get going grandma has cookies for you
@Stormintazz: I tried your grandma. She wasn’t that great.
that’s why Stearn’s is doing it for the Mets
Ohtani to the Giants is a done deal according to my sources
Tired of his childish “don’t tell anyone we met” nonsense. Sign already so we can move on to other guys signing.
Sorry, but my source says he’s flying to LA today to finalize a deal with the Dodgers.
Why fly to LA when the decision makers are in Nashville.
All buzz no action so far. Probably gonna stay that way until Ohtani and Yamamoto sign unfortunately. Makes sense but we’re impatient!
It’s the same every year, because there are way too many media outlets and people covering and needing to justify their existence, so every time someone at the winter meetings breathes or goes to the bathroom, there’s a story about it.
Why are the Nationals ineligible for the draft lottery?
Because teams that pay into revenue sharing are not allowed to be selected in consecutive lotteries.
mlb.com/news/2024-mlb-draft-lottery-odds?partnerID…
They are a non-revenue sharing team and had the 2nd pick last year. They want to avoid teams tanking like the Astros and Cubs did.
And the Gnats themselves back when they had all of the #1 picks.
Another dumb MLB rule to promote “competitive” balance. Shouldn’t have anything to do with receiving or paying revenue sharing. Simply all teams should not be allowed two consecutive lottery picks to discourage tanking.
All teams should also have the same international bonus pool. Qualifying offer/loss of draft picks should be eliminated.
I just bet 50 thousand on Bovada on Ohtani going to Seattle.. Pretty confident
Liberalsteve
Fill in the blank.
A _ _ _ _ is easily parted with his money.
Actually, it’s “and his money are soon parted.”
@Blue Baron
You’re actually wrong.
Furthermore, I left out the “and’.
I just made it easy, it wasn’t the precise quote.
I suggest you refer to Dr John Bridges who coined the term.
The precise term is “a _ _ _ _ and his money are easily parted, which is no different to what I’ve said.
Good for you.
50 thousand pesos?
Just hope whoever signs Fedde isn’t getting Dan Straily 2.0 remember how he remade himself in Korea, even had the online chat here and he ended up bombing in AAA for the Diamondbacks before going back to Korea and getting cut by the Lotte Giants as well.
Merrill Kelly has done pretty well
It’s definitely a risk. Josh Lindblom also didn’t find success, but guys like Kelly and Mikolas have.
Fedde Wap SEVENTEEN THIRTY EIGHT
Ah, the draft lottery. Another way of screwing the small market clubs.
Seriously? Small market clubs get more revenue sharing and competitive balance picks, plus bigger international bonus money. And if they sign a qualifying free agent, their loss of draft pick/international bonus is less.
This isn’t about hurting small clubs. It’s about preventing teams from continually tanking to get consecutive high draft picks.
Funny. If you are a NYY fan, at least be a little self-aware. If MLB didn’t foster geographic entitlement for large markets to outspend its competition like the other major sports…..the lore of franchise history wouldn’t exist. They would have to earn their way out of not being just another team in a salary cap league (Knicks, Jets, Rangers, Islanders…..Giants at least 1 team that has done well over the years).
It has nothing to do with the Yankees. Teams that field a minor league team can’t constantly get rewarded with the top pick. At some point they have to do better. They get more money and a high pick, more international money, revenue sharing…they should get better at some point.
That would be nice, but organizations will use the system to suit its needs. They seem to take turns bottoming out to maybe draft/develop enough affordable talent to then spend when it makes sense. Many teams don’t want to race to the middle of standings by spending on post-prime veteran players. This is just other side of the coin.
MLB and union seem to like this unlevel system. NY/LA area/Bos/Cubs typically run high payrolls even when the clubs aren’t good & its balanced by those who strategically are cheap and building profits until it has a real shot to contend. Oakland owner an exception-but he’s more than offset by Mets new owner.
Anything spewed by Jon Heyman can be viewed as at best a fabrication.
@Randor Heyman admitted that I’m MLB Network last night. He said he created a story about Soto to the Mariners, though it could have been a tongue-in cheek response to something else that I didn’t hear
just say asstransplant!
Heyman is Boras mouthpiece.
Stove is not really hot yet when Eric Fedde is a topic of conversation
What a terrible draft system they have. If you win the championship, you should be rewarded with the top pick and the last pick should be the worst team. If you aren’t going to invest in your team to win, your team shouldn’t be rewarded for poor performance.
That’ll be great for parity. The rich get richer
@phantomofdb
I don’t like parity. If your owner wants to be cheap and not invest in their team then don’t. However, owners like in Oakland & Colorado profit from the revenue received from the parity tax and have no incentive to improve because they still make money each year, despite fielding losing teams year after year.
@Old York
Tell us you’re a big market fan without telling us you’re a big market fan (the username is a bit of a giveaway, though)
These are all things that are collectively bargained; what incentive do smaller market teams have to accept a system that rewards picks commiserate with final standing?
Whether you like it or not, “large market” clubs are actually the minority within MLB (and some of those large markets are split between two teams).
@highheat
Then it’s time to downsize the league. Far too many teams not competitive even before the season starts. I’d like to see some regulation as well, similar to how the Premier League is in the UK. Dump some of the garbage teams from the MLB.
that’s pretty much the agenda of Pirates owner Bob Nutting
Last numbers available, total revenue for 2022 was $261 million, total payroll $53 million
at least better odds for the better team.
If you want punitive, go with relegation
Fedde not that good
@Bigtimeyankeefan
At best, he’s bullpen fodder but someone’s gonna overpay for him. Soon, we’ll see #5 guys making $40M per year contracts.
Anyone for Oakland getting f****d in the lottery again? From 1st to 6th last year was a disastrous slide
That was rough for Oakland fans. However, ownership kept trading everyone for terrible returns. They had some real good players and got nothing much in return for them. That payroll is a joke.
So far these Winter Meetings have been dull as dirt..
this makes no sense….who the hell approved this – what’s next? club voted to have the best holiday fruit cake get’s a first rounder? screws the small market and teams rebuilding again…jeez! if you want this program stash deeper into the draft, not at the beginning
The D-backs and Orioles have selections after the first round by virtue of Prospect Promotion Incentive picks, which are awarded to teams that have a player who was rated as a preseason Top 100 prospect by MLB Pipeline, Baseball America, and/or ESPN (at least two of the three) and goes on to win Rookie of the Year or finish in the top three in the MVP or Cy Young voting after starting the season on his team’s Opening Day roster.
31. D-backs (received for Corbin Carroll winning Rookie of the Year)
32. O’s (received for Gunnar Henderson winning Rookie of the Year)
The draft lottery will save the winter meetings TV. wise. E-rod rumor of signing just now, but he could go anytime they say. Oh well, the draft lottery to the rescue. Come on Detroit !
So Fedde’s options come down to the dysfunctional/rebuilding/can’t defend White Sox or the insane pressure cooker/coming-off-a-huge-letdown-season Mets? Those are pretty rough options.
If it’s between the Sox and the Mets, choose the Sox. Zero pressure situation there and once they trade Cease, you might be the staff ace lol
I wish I was Seth Lugo’s agent. He had virtually identical regular season numbers to Nathan Eovaldi, except with 50% more QS.
I messaged the Mets that I’d be willing to compromise and accept 2 yrs/5 mill, thus undercutting Elmer Fedde by 50%. The Queeners get 2 yrs of my nasty knuckle-slurve, plus 5’11″/173lbs of pure aggression.
Waiting on their call back.
Why wouldn’t the Twins be in on this Fedde guy? We all know the Twins’ main priority this season is adding starting pitchers to try and replace Sonny Grey and Kenta Maeda. Even with the front office stating they need to cut down on payroll, 10 million for two years is in their budget you would think….
Maybe they’re saving their money and or prospects to sign an ace to go alongside Pablo Lopez….one can dream:)
This year’s draft class is sub par anyway. Morlando is just an oaf. Caminiti thinks he’s Ohtani and Griffin won’t ever make it out of AAA.
The winter meetings are the biggest overblown load of s—. How is this week any more interesting than last week? I get the history, but feels like the whole thing is a bit bloated.