The 2024 MLB Winter Meetings open up in Dallas, Texas tonight and will run through Thursday morning. Much of the coverage will be shown on MLB Network. The most important day for the Washington Nationals is on Tuesday when the 2025 MLB Draft order is determined by the lottery balls. But the most important immediate impactful moment for the Nats could be an acquisition(s) of a top player(s) who can step into the roster and add wins to this team.
As of right now, a dozen players have been signed from MLB Trade Rumor’s Top-50 free agents, and that leaves 38 players to get signed. At the top of the list is Juan Soto followed by Corbin Burnes and Alex Bregman. All signals are pointing to Soto signing with one of the New York City teams — and that should put Nats’ general manager Mike Rizzo‘s decision to trade Soto for a haul as the best decision made.
- Soto’s Free Agency: He is one of the central figures at these meetings, and once he is signed it might pinball to other signings. There’s considerable speculation about whether he will sign during the event, with potential suitors including teams like the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, Dodgers and Blue Jays. His decision could set off that chain reaction in the free-agent market in the days and weeks to come. Will Soto break Shohei Ohtani‘s record contract signed just last year? Rumors have it that his contract will hit $700 million or more.
- Draft Lottery and Rule 5 Draft: The MLB Draft Lottery is set for Tuesday, Dec. 10 at 5:30 p.m. ET, to determine the first six selections awarded to clubs in the 2025 First-Year Player Draft. Teams like the Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, and Washington Nationals have the highest odds for the top pick in that order. Additionally, the Rule 5 Draft on December 11 will see teams potentially adding unprotected players to their rosters, which is always a highlight for prospect enthusiasts. All signs point to the Nats passing on the draft because of the strict rules that Rule-5 players must remain on the MLB roster for the full-season. But Nats fans will be watching to see if any of their unprotected players are drafted.
- Trade and Free Agent Activity: Several high-profile players could move or sign contracts during the meetings. Names like Garrett Crochet, Devin Williams, and Jesus Luzardo have been mentioned in trade talks, while free agents like Bregman, Pete Alonso, Christian Walker, and Anthony Santander, have all been named as Nats targets in rumors. We added Carlos Santana to the names that the Nationals should consider as a first base target. In addition the Nats will be looking for a significant bullpen arm as well as a veteran pitcher.
- Free Agent Signings: Significant contracts have already been signed, with Blake Snell signing a five-year deal with the Dodgers, and other pitchers like Frankie Montas, Clay Holmes, and Matthew Boyd securing deals. Willy Adames just signed to go to the Giants. However, many top free agents remain unsigned, promising further action during the meetings with Soto promised by many to be signed in the next 24-hours.
- Rule Changes and Committee Meetings: While not directly trading or signing related, there could be discussions or announcements about new rules or committee decisions, such as the Hall of Fame Contemporary Baseball/Managers-Umpires-Executives Committee vote. To begin the Winter Meetings, the National Baseball Hall of Fame’s Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot results will be broadcast tonight on MLB Tonight at 7:30 p.m. ET. The eight candidates who comprise the Classic Baseball Era Committee ballot – Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris, Tommy John, Dave Parker and Luis Tiant – are players and managers whose primary contribution to the game came from the period prior to 1980, including Negro Leagues and pre-Negro League stars. A 16-member committee look at these candidates’ contributions to baseball and any candidate receiving votes on at least 75 percent of all ballots cast will earn induction into the Hall of Fame Class of 2025. Following the Classic Baseball Era ballot results, the BBWAA will announce the results of its 2025 Hall of Fame vote live from Cooperstown on Tuesday, Jan. 21 at 6 p.m. ET.
- Team Specific Needs: Teams are coming into the meetings with specific objectives. For instance, the Nationals are looking to fill corner infield spots. This targeted approach often leads to significant transactions as Rizzo will work through his Plan A, Plan B, and possibly even a Plan C.
- What Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez will say: Yes, stay tuned for the Nats’ brass to participate in two-to-three interviews during the Winter Meetings. There will be individual media sessions then the scheduled appearances on MLB Network and MLB Network Radio. We should get our best indications of the offseason as to the direction.
Don’t expect two dozen top free agent players to be signed in the next three days. The free agency signing process takes time. The ones that have happened and will happen at the Winter Meetings have been worked on for several days or even weeks. Nats fans on this Twitter/X poll are mostly pessimistic on the Nats building a winning team. Just under 20 percent are believers:
For Rizzo, he has been fairly clear without naming names of targets, that he is looking for two middle of the order bats and pitching. The Nats non-tendered Kyle Finnegan making a closer or setup starter a must to pair with Jose A. Ferrer. But clearly, the need points to first base, third base, and DH where the team needs two spots filled.
“We need some offense. We need a couple of bats that can hit in the middle of the lineup — and take the onus off some of these good young core players and assist them in the run creation of our offense.”
— Rizzo said this to Bill Ladson of MLB.com in mid-September
“We have the core players to be middle-of-the-lineup hitters. If we add a bat or two into that group, it takes a little bit of pressure off everybody — and everybody can relax a little bit more and develop into the players we think they are going to be.”
Now it is time for action, and the Nats will competing with several other teams with each top player. Most teams are looking to improve. The Winter Meetings is what some call the kick-off to the offseason. These elements collectively make the 2024 Winter Meetings a focal point for baseball’s offseason activity, setting the stage for the 2025 season.
