Winter Meeting Free For All!

The only time I ever went to the Winter Meetings was in 2009, when they were held in Indianapolis. The Winter Meetings were not exactly how I thought they would be. I would think it is pretty much the same now. Each team has a suite where the President of Baseball Operations, the General Manager, and administrative assistants have offices set up. People who have clearance come and go into those suites, but the press is not allowed. They work on the phones, and scouts, GMs, and a few players come and go to and from the suites. Usually, these suites are in close proximity to each other.

The “higher ups” seldom come out, but in the Winter Meetings held in Indy, guys like the Farm Director (De Jon Watson) and the Director of Amateur Scouting (Logan White) were seen in the hotel lobby frequently. Sometimes they are called back up to the suites, presumably to discuss some players in the minor league system. It was while they were in the Hotel Lobby that I saw them and set up the interview. Here’s half of the interview, just so you can see what is happening, as today, the Winter Meetings start in San Diego.

This might be a Wil Time. With a twelve-team playoff format, some teams are going “all in” this off-season, knowing how easy it is to catch lightning in a bottle next year. The Phillies were a “deeply flawed” team, with poor defense, too many “all-or-nothing” hitters, and little depth, but they got hot at the right time and almost pulled it off. With today’s format, anything can happen in any given year. It’s going to be Wild.

The Texas Rangers are also a team that now operates under that way of thinking. Last year, they signed Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, who had “fair” first seasons with the Rangers, but with the advent of the ban on the shift and bigger bases, both could be in the MVP-MIX in 2023. Add in Nathaniel Lowe, Adolis Garcia, Josh Heim, and a couple of Rookies, and with Bruce Bochy as manager, anything can happen. They just Signed Jacob deGrom and are rumored to be in hot pursuit of Carlos Rodon. Add in Martin Perez, Jon Gray, and new pitching coach Mike Maddux, and the Rangers could also catch lightning in a bottle.

It makes me wonder if Clayton Kershaw is just watching patiently and thinking, “if they keep this up, I’d like to be part of bringing a World Series to the Texas Rangers.” Could Clayton be thinking something like that? Is that why he has not signed, as yet? Hummmm…

The way things are now configured, the best team will seldom win the World Series, but it would still be my choice to be the best team. Even with the players who have left, been waived, or not signed, the Dodgers are still one of the Top Teams because of their depth and front-end players. However, their aim is to get even better. They were never in on Jacob de Grom, and the fact of the matter is that de Grom’s arm could fall off at any time… or he could pitch 200 innings in 2023 with a 28-3 record and win the Cy Young. It’s possible!

Bryan Reynolds & Cody Bellinger

Not likely… but it is a long shot! Anyone can win in a “free for all.” Therefore, lots of teams are going to be in the hunt for players. That brings me to Bryan Reynolds, with whom many Dodger fans have had an interest. Unless you have been living under a rock, you probably know that Reynolds has asked for a trade. You also know that the Dodgers have an opening in CF (if Bellinger ends up signing elsewhere – which is not a given), or LF. The Dodgers have the ability to trade the prospects that the Pirates need. We can speculate who that might be, but the reality of the situation is that if Andrew Friedman wants Bryan Reynolds, he can get him.

Reynolds is another Vanderbilt guy who would slot well with the Dodgers. Now, the Pirates do not HAVE to trade him, but they would be wise to. The problem is: no one has EVER called the Pirates “wise.” Baseball-Reference projects (to me, their projections are usually more accurate than the others) Reynolds to hit .268 with a .350 OB% and a .810 OPS. He is not a superstar but is a very good everyday player. If I had my choice, the Dodgers would bring back Bellinger on a 1-Year/$10 Million Dollar deal with an additional $10 Million in incentives. Belli plays CF and Reynolds plays LF – if Bellinger can’t cut it, Thompson and Outman or Reynolds take over in CF. Yes, I am giving Belli another chance… but I am not Andrew Friedman. AF may have already moved on…

I do not see Friedman in on Verlander for three years or Rodon for five years. Brandon Drury will get a starting job for a second-tier team. Andrew Heaney could be back. Somewhere in the Bible, it says “Do not Judge.” So there is that! Carlos Correa is not coming to LA. Trea Turner still might… Bogaerts is very much in play.

Brandon Nimmo somewhat fits the Dodgers player profile:

Plate discipline is his foundational skill. One of the most patient hitters in the sport, Nimmo has walked in over 10% of his plate appearances in every season of MLB career. He’s generally posted walk rates in the 14% range. The uncanny ability to take free passes props up his on-base percentage, making him a strong fit at the top of a lineup. Aside from his 32-game rookie season, he’s never posted an OBP lower than this year’s .367 mark. He reached base in over 40% of his trips to the dish in each of 2018, ’20 and ’21. He ranks sixth among qualified hitters since the start of 2020 in cumulative on-base percentage.

While his primary skill is the ability to work the count and draw free passes, Nimmo has also made marked strides as a contact hitter. After striking out in over a quarter of his plate appearances each season from 2017-19, he hasn’t punched out at higher than a 21% clip in any of the last three years. This season’s 17.2% strikeout rate is a career-low. He’s hit .274 or better in each of those seasons. – MLBTR.com

Of course, he has had numerous injuries, and chicks dig the long ball, so I guess he doesn’t have many chicks. I do see him coming to the Dodgers. The Dodgers will be in on Lodai Senga, but how far will they go? If Josh Bell slips down to the $40 Million range, I could see AF taking a flyer on him and making him the DH, hoping that they could turn him into a 50-HR hitter. The Dodgers don’t need Chris Bassitt, but if Taillon drops into the $40 Million area, they could take a flyer on “fixing” him (he has had two TJs and does not have the QO). Benintendi will draw some interest, but his lack of power is not something that Friedman appreciates. Mitch Haniger is not really in play for the Dodgers. Kenley Jansen could always come back, but I doubt it!

If you go through MLBTR’s Free Agent Predictions, you will understand why you might as well read Mad Magazine – It’s more realistic than their projections. They are morons for publishing it, and we are morons for reading it.

At any rate, this promises to be a crazy week and off-season. Let the Winter Meetings begin!