The intrigue begins with the first Winter Meetings in three years

SAN DIEGO — Another baseball event that fell “victim” to the pandemic (and then the labor shutdown a year ago) is back this week: The traditional Winter Meetings, where team owners, managers, and managers come together in one place. generals, managers, player agents and other figures to discuss trades, free agent signings and much more.

The last time a Winter Meeting was held was three years ago right in San Diego, where they will be once again this time. On this occasion, they will be held at the Manchester Grand Hyatt hotel.

Now the big question is about the biggest name of all, of course: Aaron Judge. It’s not a guarantee that the free agent slugger will sign with a team this week, but he should at least get closer to a decision. The same can be said for other cartel free agents like Justin Verlanderthe Puerto Rican Carlos Correathe Venezuelan Willson Contrerasthe aruban Xander Bogarts, Carlos Rodon Y dansby swanson. As a preview of the many activities in the market, we already saw the signing of right-hander Jacob deGrom with the Rangers last Friday.

On Monday night, the All-MLB Team will be announced, followed on Tuesday by the first Draft Lottery in Major League history among the 18 teams that did not qualify for the 2022 playoffs, part of the new collective agreement signed between MLB and the Players Association in March of this year.

On Wednesday, the Rule 5 Draft will take place, in which unprotected players on the roster of 40 of their teams will be able to be drafted by another club. In the long history of this process, figures like Puerto Rican Roberto Clemente and Venezuelan Johan Santana achieved glory after being selected by the Pirates and Twins, respectively, among other greats.

In addition to these activities and the meetings of each of the Major League team leaders with the press in general (and of the general managers with the journalists who cover a particular team), the GMs and managers of some of the Major League Baseball teams The biggest poster in the 2023 World Baseball Classic will be present to update everyone on the formation of their respective rosters.

Sometimes, signing or trade “bombs” happen, like in 2011, when Albert Pujols signed with the Angels while everyone else was leaving the Reunions site in Dallas — followed a few hours later. for the signing of CJ Wilson from the same Anaheim team. And of course, three years ago right here in San Diego, there was the historic signing of Gerrit Cole with the Yankees.

But today, the most common thing is that some movements of medium projection take place and the base for the signings of greater dimension is achieved, to be known between the end of the Meetings and the New Year, or at the latest in the first weeks of January.

Let the intrigue begin in San Diego. It will be a busy and entertaining week that will give people something to talk about.