It occurs to me that, since this is all we're going to be talking about for the next few days, we should actually provide a baseline for fans to understand what exactly the Winter Meetings are, and why everyone they care about* is congregating in Nashville this weekend.
*Except me.**
**Just kidding; nobody cares about me.
History
Baseball's Winter Meetings have been happening every December since 1901, when the American League was formed, allowing the powers that be within the game to come together to discuss rule changes, transactions, and best practices. The meeting has evolved to include every affiliated minor league team, has a trade show where clubs can learn about the latest in Diamond Dust and Turf Builder, and is a great place for wannabe interns to shop themselves around to major and minor league front offices. If you're at the Opryland Hotel, and you see someone in an ill-fitting suit, it's probably one of these job-seekers or our very own Chris Cotillo (hi Chris!).
Wait, didn't we just have meetings?
Yes, those were the GM meetings. Those are also held every offseason, but usually include just the owners, presidents, and GMs. It's become the primary place for the teams to discuss structural changes to the game, like changing the rules. There's always a small flurry of activity there, but the Winter Meetings are different because they're bigger, and entire front offices go.
Who goes?
Like I said, everybody: League officials, front office personnel, players and their agents, plus the minor league, trade-show reps, and job seekers I mentioned above. Also, everybody in baseball media will be there: beat writers, national reporters, etc. Most of them (who can drink; hi Chris!) will be at the bar, mongering rumors. Also, this is the week that Scott Boras was born for.
What about the stuff we care about?
Ah, transactions! There will be transactions. Because literally anybody who is anybody will be at the meetings, and in close proximity to one another, we tend to see a lot of trades and free agent signings happen over the course of the meetings. The Rule 5 draft is also held on the last day, allowing each team to grab someone from another organization, like the Phillies did with Odubel Herrera last year, and install them on their active roster for the full year.
Signings
We've seen the starting pitching market really settle in the run up to the Winter Meetings. David Price, Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann, John Lackey, Hisashi Iwakuma, and Jeff Samardzija have all taken themselves off the board. Johnny Cueto remains the biggest name still available. Also, Yovani Gallardo, Scott Kazmir, Mike Leake, Ian Kennedy, and Henderson Alvarez are names we could hear a lot about over the next few days, with Leake and Kazmir seeming to be the closest to a deal.
The hitters' market has developed far more slowly. Ben Zobrist is really the only position player (and perhaps it's appropriate as the only highly touted up-the-middle player available) with any heat on him at the moment. Zobrist has four definite suitors, and perhaps a mystery team (Thank you, Jon Heyman; I missed the Mystery Team), and will almost certainly make a decision before the meetings end. Hopefully, we'll see the suitors start to sort themselves out for Jason Heyward, Chris Davis, Justin Upton, Alex Gordon, and Yoenis Cespedes as well. Teams interested in a corner outfielder include the Orioles, Cubs, Royals, Giants, and Angels. Teams looking for a first baseman include the Orioles, Cardinals, and potentially the Red Sox.
Trades
The Reds have hung out their shingle and are apparently open for business. Aroldis Chapman will probably be shipped out before the meetings end, possibly to the Dodgers. Todd Frazier will be in demand. The surprisingly still effective Brandon Phillips could potentially be a consolation prize for teams who need a second baseman, and don't wind up with either Zobrist, Daniel Murphy, or Howie Kendrick.
The Marlins seem to be bound and determined to make themselves even more of a laughing stock by trading Jose Fernandez. They're also talking to the Dodgers, but those talks don't seem to be progressing. Also, they're still trying to find a home for Marcel Ozuna.
The Braves are almost certain to find a home for Shelby Miller by the time this is all said and done. The Diamondbacks are in hot pursuit, but he's a decent number two or a good number three starter with at least four more years of team control left and would be an upgrade for a lot of teams in baseball. So unless Arizona is able to do something quickly, they'll have a lot of competition. Atlanta is apparently also going to try to move Julio Teheran, but haven't really begun that process yet.
The Nationals are trying to trade both Drew Storen and knucklehead Jonathan Papelbon, but we haven't heard anything yet. I wouldn't be shocked to see Storen go to the Twins before the meetings end, but there's not much there at the moment.
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And that's just what we know right now. We could see a lot more names and rumors thrown out there for the rest of the week. Make sure to refresh MLB Daily Dish regularly, and to follow us on Twitter to get the latest updates and news from the meetings, including whether our own Chris Cotillo and Matt Goldman get carded, and if their fake IDs hold up.