The baseball world will be coming to San Diego next week, with the 2022 winter meetings scheduled to begin on Sunday.
Here’s a look at six of the most popular winter meetings — or “winter meetings next door” — trades involving top prospects at the time, and which side won them.
December 6, 1989: Cleveland brings in Sandy Alomar, Carlos Baerga and Chris James from the Padres for Joe Carter
callis: Sandy Alomar was Baseball America’s minor league player of the year in 1989, but he was blocked by Benito Santiago and Baerga was considered a prospect, but he wasn’t your classic second base prospect. And back then, RBIs were king and Joe Carter was Mr. RBI. This was a blockbuster and Cleveland won the trade because they received several years of cost control and quality play from Alomar and Baerga.
Mayo: Nowadays nobody would even blink when Baerga plays second base, especially with all the shifts but also without. He could really score and Alomar and Baerga were key to this team thriving in the post-season years to come.
December 9, 2012: Rays brings in Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, Mike Montgomery and Patrick Leonard from the Royals for James Shields and Wade Davis
Myers was #3 overall on the pipeline list, but this deal was also exciting because Montgomery was our #31 in 2012 and Odorizzi was #47 that year.
callis: I think the Rays have a decent package of talent but I don’t think any of these single guys lived up to what they envisioned and at the time (Royals GM) Dayton Moore was killed for that trade. James Shields helped the Royals win the 2014 AL pennant … and not only did they get “Big Game James,” they also got Wade Davis, who became one of baseball’s top closers and played a key role in the 2015 World Series championship and two Pennant.
Mayo: I would take royals too. Neither of these guys were big influencers with the Rays, so I’m going to give the Royals the advantage of getting Big Game James.
December 9, 2015: Braves bring in Dansby Swanson, Aaron Blair and Ender Inciarte from the D-backs for Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier
callis: We all wondered about that at the time. But John Coppolella did a lot of good work in Atlanta and I know it didn’t end well, but he did some good work in Atlanta that led to a World Series championship.
December 6, 2016: White Sox sign Yoán Moncada, Michael Kopech, Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz from the Red Sox for Chris Sale
Moncada was the No. 1 baseball player at the time, and it was the first time the No. 1 had been included in a trade in 25 years. The flame-throwing Kopech was also a Top 100 prospect.
callis: I don’t think Moncada and Kopech were really what the White Sox were hoping for, except maybe in blitzes. So, I think it’s a clear Red Sox win with a chance to maybe even even out, but I think the Red Sox make that trade every time.
Mayo: I think you can argue both ways, but the fact that the Red Sox won the World Series in 2018, and what Chris Sale did for the Red Sox, of course I’d give the Red Sox the win, even if Moncada and Kopech Help the White Sox reach the postseason a few years later.
December 7, 2016: White Sox bring in Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo López and Dane Dunning from the Nationals for Adam Eaton
callis: At the time we had Giolito as the top pitcher in baseball and found after that swap and into the next season that the industry had chilled him… I don’t know if (Nationals GM) Mike Rizzo would admit that now, but I think the Nationals thought they were selling Lucas Giolito up at the time.
Mayo: Even though Lucas Giolito was a little up and down, he was a mainstay in the White Sox rotation, and Adam Eaton… I remember thinking at the time, ‘Wow! Did you get all that for Adam Eaton?’ And I’m still like, ‘Wow! Did you get all that for Adam Eaton?’
December 3, 2018: Mariners bring in Jarred Kelenic, Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak, Justin Dunn and Gerson Bautista from the Mets for Robinson Canó and Edwin Díaz
callis: It’s really the other way around, isn’t it? First we think what a bad trade for the Mets. And now it’s like, what’s up with Jarred Kelenic? Will the Mariners get any of this?
Mayo: Justin Dunn has since moved on and say what you will about Robinson Canó, but Edwin Díaz morphed into Edwin Díaz, so unexpectedly tag the Mets. That’s why you can’t really judge something like that until much later, because you never know. Not that Edwin Díaz was a throw-in, but supplemental characters, not the big names, end up being the best players in trades.