SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Much of the baseball world gathered in Scottsdale this week for general managers meetings, kicking off the 2023-24 Hot Stove season.
Executives gathered in their meetings and discussed the impact of the new rule changes, the status of pitching injuries in the game, transaction rules and a range of other topics on and off the field. Pretty standard stuff for the annual meeting.
But these things are not the things that will keep the oven burning in the coming weeks and months. The free agent market will dominate the news, complemented by what is expected to be an active trade market.
Here are five takeaways from this week’s GM meetings:
Free agency officially began Monday afternoon, and while many agents were in Scottsdale this week — their own meetings are in the same city on Thursday — the GM meetings mostly serve as the start of a lengthy process.
However, one player’s name was mentioned most often at the Omni Resort: Shohei Ohtani. The American League’s presumed most valuable player is undoubtedly the best free agent available, and while the majority of executives around the league believe he will ultimately sign with the Dodgers, other clubs are expected to, including the Giants, Mets, Red Sox and Cubs, taking over their contract, will take a shot at signing Ohtani.
Those talks are expected to gain momentum after Thanksgiving, and many industry insiders expect Ohtani could make his decision at next month’s winter meetings in Nashville.
“Nobody saw this coming,” said one NL executive. “It’s pretty rare for something to happen that surprises literally everyone but those involved.”
There were two smaller trades this week, both involving the Rays, but when the top decision-makers from all 30 clubs gather in one place for three days, trade discussions are bound to happen.
“This is an information gathering situation,” said an AL executive. “Everyone is just starting to get a feel for what players might be available, what teams might be looking and so on. But for some trades that take place later in the winter, the groundwork is likely to be laid this week without exception.”
The highlight of the GM media availability came courtesy of the Yankees’ Brian Cashman, who went on a tirade against critics of the organization who he believes are creating false narratives, mostly centered around the club’s reliance on analytics.
“There are a lot of things going around that are not correct [how] Analytics took us offline,” Cashman said. “The one thing we have is a very consistent and successful operation. Last year is obviously the first year in a long time where we’ve suffered a decline – and that’s what’s happening. But the same people who were responsible for our great success are somehow being targeted as the culprits for this reason [2023] The season went wrong.”
Cashman noted that the Yankees have the smallest analytics department in the AL East (a statement that was difficult to verify) and the largest pro scouting department in the division, evidence that the club doesn’t have all of its Makes decisions based on numbers.
“Is this a shock to everyone?” Cashman said. “It shouldn’t be, but no one goes deep into the matter. They just throw ammo and [bull] and accuses us of being led analytically. Analytics is an important part of our bike, but it should be on everyone’s bike, and it is. It is an important factor in any successful operation. There isn’t a team that doesn’t use it. We are no different. But to say that we are driven by analytics is a lie.”
Hoskins, who missed all of 2023 with a torn ACL, is a free agent this offseason and is expected to draw interest from a number of teams. Harper played 36 games at first base in 2023 after spending most of the year as designated hitter following his return from Tommy John surgery.
The Phillies may have implemented that plan, but given the possibility that Castellanos could be traded in the coming weeks or months, there’s always the possibility that the team pivots and moves Harper back to right field, opening the door for a Hoskins return would. Dombrowski could also turn to the trade or free agent market to fill right field if he trades away Castellanos.