Baseball’s Winter Meetings are right around the corner. They start on Sunday, December 3rd, and run through Wednesday, December 6th. This year, the Winter Meetings are held in Nashville, Tennessee at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. This is the Fifth time since 2000 (2002, ’07, ’12, ’15) that the event has been held in Nashville. If you have never been there, it should be on your bucket list. It is a city within a city.
I will be in Las Vegas next week at the NGWA Show), or I would consider driving down (it’s four hours from Indy) just for fun. There are more restaurants and bars than you can count in Opryland Hotel, and while it is not likely you will see Andrew Friedman there, you will see plenty of other baseball people there. The last time I did the Winter Meeting was in Indy, although I have been to the ones in Nashville twice. You may have seen these before, but here are two videos of an interview I did with Logan White and De Jon Watson, and you can see other baseball figures in the background:
The Winter Meetings are MLB’s marquee off-season event, during which GMs and agents get together, and many trades and free agent signings are consummated. While a lot of action takes place, it’s also a time for GMs to lay the groundwork for future deals, as it’s still over two months away from the start of spring training.
December 5th – The Draft Lottery – This decides the first six picks in the draft. The Mets, Padres, and Yankees will be moved down ten spots in the order if they fail to land a Top Six Draft Pick since they were $40 million over the luxury tax number of $233 million.
December 6th – Rule 5 Draft – The last event of the winter meetings is typically the Rule 5 draft. As soon as that’s over, there is a mad dash for the airport. Eligible minor league players who were not added to the 40-man roster by November 14th may be selected by another team. Those players must remain on the MLB roster for the entire season or otherwise be returned to their original club.
The Rule 5 Draft has a major league and minor league phase. The major league phase is one round in which minor leaguers not on a 40-man roster are eligible to be selected. The minor league phase works similarly, with players not on a 38-man Triple-A roster now eligible to be selected.
All in all, it should be an eventful few days for all of baseball. I am looking forward to it. This leads me to the next subject, which deals with marketing opportunities and revenue streams moving forward in baseball.
“Shohei Ohtani Will Make a Team Billions”
Some fans believe that, but just saying it does not make it true. The Dodgers are equipped and preparing for additional Global Marketing opportunities as is evidenced by the size of their Global Marketing Department. I have looked at several other teams, and there is little evidence that any MLB Baseball team has marketing… especially Global Marketing initiatives that rival the Dodgers. It appears to me that the Dodgers are more prepared to move forward with Global Marketing Partnerships and Programs than any other team in MLB, but does that mean they will sign Shohei Ohtani? I do not think they are mutually exclusive.
Here’s the problem… and the opportunity that comes with any problem: We don’t know what we don’t know, and neither do the Dodgers and all of MLB, for that matter! Yesterday, I posted a video that I will post again.
The times are changing and none more so than in the TV, Cable, and Streaming Areas. Just recently, the number of customers using streaming services has surpassed the number of cable customers. Over the past couple of years, cable TV has experienced a huge decline and loss of revenue as several sports networks have declared bankruptcy. This has impacted many teams and will likely continue for a time. The questions are many:
- Will Streaming continue to grow, and Cable continue to shrink? That seems very likely.
- Will Cable go the path of antennas? Probably… but how fast?
- Will MLB have more streaming opportunities, and how will that work? Yes, and we don’t know.
- How will Streaming Revenue be divided among MLB Teams? We don’t really know.
- Will teams that are at the forefront benefit financially from signing Asian and other foreign players? Well, yeah… but how much and how long?
The questions could go on and on, but for our purposes, we don’t know what we don’t know. This is unchartered territory. MLB has mostly been an American Game, but now we are facing globalization. We have never had a “World Series” – We have had an American Championship, but never a Real World Series – what could that look like? Could Japan, Korea, China, Venezuela, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Italy, and other countries all have National Teams to compete in a true World Series? Maybe!
Think about it! The times are changing! However, one thing I do know is that nothing beats winning! First and foremost, the Dodgers will always put a winning team on the field, whether it is comprised of American, Dominican, Korean, or Japanese players. Your nationality or race should not matter – what matters is your ability to play baseball and your character! If signing Shohei Ohtani makes financial sense, then he will be a Dodger, but the Dodgers, led by their President of Baseball Operations, have been built to win and win year after year! No one has built such a sustainable model, and right about now, there will be no dope-fiend moves. There are also a lot more Asian Players who may fit the Dodgers than Shohei Ohtani!
Enjoy the winter meetings!
Cover Photo compliments of Jon Weisman and the LA Dodgers.
P.S. Cody Bellinger was spotted at LAX yesterday. Just saying….
Discussion (24)
Disagree, not disagreeable
In fact, if you read this article in The Athletic, you may conclude (like me) that you do not want this jerk on the Dodgers:
https://theathletic.com/5103732/2023/12/01/shohei-ohtani-nez-balelo-agent/?campaign=5888993&source=dailyemail
Get ready for an Ohtoni signing. Some may like it, some may not, but he will be a Dodger. I’ve predicted this from the first day of the off season.
Add Ohtani Burnes Giolito Yamamoto and get Addames Yelich and Brandon Donavon. Trade away Busch Vargas Sheehan Rojas Lux Cantaya and some minor league guys oh amd sign Kiki back because he can play every where then at trade deadline they might need a third baseman. That’s what they need to improve this team they don’t need guys that will strikeout like Vargas Busch Yelich Nd Taylor platoon in LEFT Ouan and Heyward in center And Mookie in Right. Get Donavon from Cardinals to play second base if he doesn’t work then you have Kiki. Addames plays short Muncy at third and Ohtani at DH and Freeman at first smith at catcher with Feduccia as the backup improvement over Barnes.
Buddy Hacket never had a bad audience. Buddy was the best.
It is believed by many that its down to dodgers and blue jays
The next 10 years will be interesting for all sports as far as broadcasting/streaming is concerned. I finally cut the cord the month after the regular season ended. I will likely sign up again for Spectrum streaming when spring training begins. The only reason I have had cable, for some years now, is for SportsNet LA. My kids and I literally never watch cable TV. I haven’t flipped channels for years. My kids live on YouTube and Netflix. My cell phone service comes with free Disney Plus and Hulu. There is never a lack of things to watch. And my kids will not go back as they get older. This is a generational shift. Just as cable was originally. I am part of the last generation that remembers endlessly screwing around with the rabbit ears to get a good picture. Or going to bed with a radio next to their pillow. My kids will be the last generation that remembers flipping channels.
I still remember the day I had to explain to my son how cable worked. He was maybe 8 or 9 and we came across a broadcast of Raiders of the Lost Ark. He asked me “can we start from the beginning?” I had to explain to him how cable worked. He was dumbfounded that all these movies and TV shows were being piped into our house, even when we didn’t ask for them. And they started at random times and not when we were ready to watch. The concept of broadcast/cable tv was as foreign to him as the concept that a phone is wired to the wall and has no screen.
This will be a problem for MLB and many other sports. The younger generations that are moving into adulthood simply have no interest in the way sporting events have being distributed for decades. The Dodgers have 15+ years left on their contract with Spectrum. Which is fine for the Dodgers. But I can see in the next decade that Spectrum will begin losing money on that contract. And the Dodgers will begin losing viewers. Bally’s has already gone under. Younger viewers are going to demand more flexible options to watch sports. And I think it will result in a major issues for MLB. Unlike the NFL, where most games are played on the same day of the week, you can’t just go to a sports bar and watch all of your teams baseball games for the week. And transitioning to a 100% streaming format could open up huge opportunities around the world to market baseball to international viewers. I’m sure MLB understands this. But these legacy contracts that are unique to each individual team will be a very difficult hurdle to overcome. The fact is, MLB no longer needs cable providers to distribute their games. But teams are locked into contracts that tie MLB’s hands to transition to a new distribution platform. This will be a massive issue for the sport moving forward. And how they deal with it will determine if MLB stays relevant to generations to come.
The Dodgers did not trade Piazza, FOX did. Claire did not even know about it until it was official and over. Bichette isn’t going anywhere. Why would Toronto even consider doing that? 25 years old, under team control for two more years. .300 hitter with power. Decent defender. Making 12 million. He will get an increase if he finishes in the top 5 in the MVP vote. OPS+ is 126. My favorite comics, Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Robin Williams, George Carlin, Red Skelton, Uecker is a riot. Loved him in the Major League movies. Not a huge Andy Griffith fan. I did like Don Knotts, and I just love Tim Conway. Maybe he was the funniest man on the planet. Yakov Smirnoff, Gabriel Iglesias, and Don Rickles. And also Kevin Hart. The guy is hilarious and his banter with the Rock is awesome.
nobody thought the dodgers would trade mike piazza but they did . i realize rumors are just that , rumors. but bichette at shortstop for 2 years and maybe more! i like kiki, but he looks like he might be treading the wrong way on a fast track. the more i think about hoskins , the more i like it! no taylor Mark? as for will ferrell, i love the guy! not everybody cup of tea but i loved him on saturday night live. loved belushi, john candy, and absolutely adored chris farley! pryor and murphy along with dave chapel are great. never into seinfeld, roseanne, although i like goodman. big andy griffith fan ! and bob uker (misspelled) is as funny as it gets! dean martin was a hoot. also like steve martin a ton
I would be ecstatic if the Dodgers signed Yamamoto, Imagana, Hoskins, Kike, Ryu, and JDM. Keep all prospects and draft choices and have no penalties.
Lineup:
1. Betts 2B
2. Lux SS (Gulp)
3. Smith C
4. Freeman 1B
5. Martinez DH
6. Muncy 3B
7. Hoskins LF – Could platoon with Busch
8. Heyward/DeLuca RF
9. Outman /Kike CF
Bench: Vargas, Feduccia, plus the three platoon players
Rotation:
1. Yamamoto
2. Miller
3. Buehler (Maybe)
4. Pepiot
5. Imanaga
6. Ryu
7. Sheehan
8. Stone
Oh, sign Stephenson too.
Yes
Andy Martino of SNY indicated that the Los Angeles Dodgers could enter the fold and present a “major threat” to the Yankees and Mets’ chances of signing Yamamoto if they don’t end up with Shohei Ohtani.
Frankly, I’d rather the Dodgers go after Yamamoto.
As for Will Farrrell; I remember he once announced the Dodger’s lineup for a playoff game. When it came to the pitchers spot he said “batting 9th, tonight’s winning pitcher, Zach Greinke”
What’s a realistic price for Cease?
Busch, Ryan & Barnes?
And continuing with the rumors, this one sounds interesting, I would like it!
Dodgers receive:
OF Randy Arozarena
RHP Tyler Glasnow
Rays receive:
IF Michael Busch
IF/OF Miguel Vargas
RHP Landon Knack
INF Jorbit Vivas
Who says no?
Dodgers get one of the only postseason proven players in the sport, while Rays get multiple bats and a rotation arm
Let’s get going already, need some good news, tired of seeing other teams signing players.
TOP 100 FREE AGENTS (According to The Athletic):
https://theathletic.com/5098475/2023/11/29/top-100-mlb-free-agents/?campaign=5888993&source=dailyemail
I stream everything. I have a ROKU TV in the living room, 65-inch, and a 55-inch TV in the bedroom with a new ROKU Ultra. Since ROKU fixed their feud with Spectrum, I can stream Spectrum’s TV stations now. I do pay 6 bucks a month for the sports package which gives me the MLB Network and a lot of college sports. Report this morning on MLBTR said the Sox might be waiting to trade Cease until they see how much the top pitchers on the free agent market get paid.
Per Rosenthal (and there’s more to this but it’s $$$$)
New White Sox general manager Chris Getz is telling clubs he likely will wait to move on right-hander Dylan Cease until after the top free-agent starting pitchers sign, according to major-league sources briefed on the discussions.
We are getting Ohtani.
Unless SF hands him the Golden Gate bridge.
I will say this:
If you hear something related to the Dodgers, it’s more likely disinformation put out by AF.
Believe none of what you hear and half of what you see!
Can’t wait for 2024!
Starting rotation of Cease, Glasgow, Snell, Burnes and Yamamoto.
Ohtani at dh, Bichette at short and Bregman at third and Bellinger back in CF! Thanks AF!
I once got lost at the Opryland Resort.
I’m over technology. I have both cable, streaming, land line and cell phone services through the cable company. I have two IPads, but now I need a new one because a new ap the college, where I’m on the board, decided to use can’t be used with the old IPads. I had to replace my Alexa, which was working just fine because we had a router go bad and the new router doesn’t worked with the old Alexa’s.
Okay, moving along, the times may be changing, always changing, but technology is pushing it far faster than in the past and I’m not sure the human race is keeping up. Nor do I think it’s good for our society.
But back to baseball.
Trying to figure out how all this plays out for the Dodgers at this point is like trying to drive in a Tule fog.
Reports the Dodgers are making a hard push to trade for Dylan Cease, which makes some sense, are all over the web. The Braves may be in that pursuit too. It will happen soon, the pundits say, probably prior to the winter meetings. Will it be the Dodgers?
Friedman has stated the organization is shifting the approach, all this blessed by ownership. What this looks like, I’m not quite certain.
Will they sign Shohei Ohtani? There are reports that Friedman and the Dodgers are obsessed with Ohtani. But they also need experienced starters. Could they sign Yamamoto too as some have suggested. Now we’re talking serious money. Could Ohtani really get $500 million. I don’t think so. Probably be in the $400 million plus range. Not certain what crazy offers Yamamoto gets. But I’d think below $200 million.
Perhaps that’s why Cease makes so much sense.
Reports say Texas has dropped out of the Ohtani chase.
if i could pick my starting team without ohthani, it would look like this. mookie in right. freddie at first. bichette at shortstop. hopkins in left. muncy at 3rd. will catching. outman in center. lux at second. dh rotated , busch(vargas) , one gets. traded,hoskins every 3rd day. heyward, taylor,hunter f on the bench . rotation – miller cease, pepiot, wacha and the japanese lefty. i might also give an offer to whit merriefield, great bench piece for a 1 or 2 year deal. this team should win a 100 games and be absolutely capable of winning the world series! if money is the absolute bottom line, sign ohtani. but he isn’t necessary for this team to win achampionship.