A guide to the Winter Meetings
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- December
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A few people have e-mailed asking what the Winter Meetings are about. Here is the deal:
Where: Gaylord Opyland Hotel, Nashville, Tenn.
When: Monday-Thursday.
Who attends: Everybody. All 30 MLB teams send a contingent. For the Yankees, it will probably be up to 20 people. There are actual meetings for the GMs, trainers, PR people, player development people, travel coordinators, etc.
Minor leagues: This is their convention as well. There is a giant trade show showcasing any sort of product you can imagine in a stadium, from hats and bats to cups and grass seed. Every minor league team will have staff members here.
Job seekers: Every college kid with a resume and a dream of working in baseball will be here. They stalk the halls and lobbies looking for people to pitch to.
Players: It’s rare but every once in a while a player shows up looking for a job. Barry Bonds was there to beg the Giants last season. Just a hunch, he won’t be there this year.
Highlights: There is an annual media luncheon with every manager. Joe Torre never used to show up, but Joe Girardi will be in town. The Rule 5 Draft is Thursday. Baseball America holds a banquet to honor assorted award winners.
Media: Put it this way, if a media outlet isn’t there, then it isn’t serious about baseball coverage. There will be, roughly, 20 print reporters from New York alone along with two radio reporters. Most teams set up as meeting with their local media and the GM every day. There is a giant media work room and usually some radio stations set up in the lobby. ESPN will have five or six people there.
The good: If you really like baseball, it’s great being in the same place as everybody in the game. It’s a chance to break some news, make contacts and have a beer or two in the evening. The Meetings are sort of the unofficial close of business for baseball. Most everybody in the game goes on vacation at the end of the month.
The bad: The Opryland Hotel is a sprawling mess. There is no central lobby, which makes it difficult to stake out the person you need to talk to. The Meetings also coincide with their “Country Christmas” display. So the place is full of tourists gawking at the lights.
I’ll be there this evening and will start blogging then.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 at 2:51 pm by Peter Abraham.
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Chad Jennings
Sam Borden
I live in the area, and those lights are awfuly purty….
have a good time pete.
Pete,
I tried to go through every post from your last entry but it’s getting tiresome and I’m hypnotized right now. Please awaken me when the Yanks do or don’t get Johan.
Have Fun
Pete, let us know if the Yanks make a run at Elvis. He’s well rested, that’s for sure.
Bosox to include ellsbury in santana trade espn reports.
If I’m the Twins I think I would be asking for Bucholtz instead of Ellsbury.
Not only college kids with resumes. Lots of unemployed people probably with resumes, too.
Please find Cashman and Hank and beg them NOT to trade Hughes or Kennedy.
Why does the phrase ‘unemployed college kid’ spark not laughter on my part but extreme worry?
Mike S.
December 2nd, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Not only college kids with resumes. Lots of unemployed people probably with resumes, too.
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Yeah, but, no Barry Bonds. Guess he’s not allowed to travel out of the state of Confusion…errr…California. Flight risk.
Is anyone watching the Jets game. Someone in the stands blew a whistle and caused the players to stop playing. So the official blew his whistle and stoped the play. He said that a fan blew a whislte therefore there was on play, than all the fans started to whistle. what idiots!!
Put this on the other thread but
Wouldn’t it be great if the Twins announce they accept Boston’s offer, only to have Santana invoke his NTC clause because they cannot get a deal done.
Then the Twins turn to the Yankees who say, they are no longer interested because they have Haren.
Twins are stuck with Santana, no quality CF, and lose him at the end of the year to FA. Onlyl to have him sign with the Yankees.
Very very wishful thinking but if it happened would laugh my freakin ass off.
You know what would be really funny? If Bill Murray were to show up at the winter meetings.
Like, he’d just show up at the Gaylord Opyland Hotel, in a suit, sit on the couches in the lobby, and stare at baseball executives, listen in on conversations, nod like he understands and approves from time to time.
Then, when he’s in an elevator, with like, two people from the meetings (interns, nobody important) right before he would get off, he’d rub their heads and give them nuggies and say “no one will ever believe you,” and run off.
That would be funny.
Ellsbury but no Lester. Let the Sox have Santana. Let them throw a monkey wrench into their salary structure and pay Santana over twice what they pay Beckett and send their payroll skyrocketing. Hughes may be a better, I said may, be a better pitcher next October, if the Yanks make it that far, anyway, and a helluva lot cheaper. And watch Boston fans start balling if they trade Ellsbury.
The Bad aspect of the Hotel itself (in Tennessee in December)it begs the Question why do the meetings move around. Why wouldn’t their be a central location. Their is no team in that State, who wants to be there anyway. Why not always have it somewhere warm like California or Florida or really why not Maui. Is Maui gonna get old? You ever gonna say to yourself “Ahh hell the stupid winter meetings are here again I gotta go to Maui again”.
jennifer: we don’t get the Jets here when the bills are on ;_;
“Put this on the other thread but
Wouldn’t it be great if the Twins announce they accept Boston’s offer, only to have Santana invoke his NTC clause because they cannot get a deal done.
Then the Twins turn to the Yankees who say, they are no longer interested because they have Haren.
Twins are stuck with Santana, no quality CF, and lose him at the end of the year to FA. Onlyl to have him sign with the Yankees.
Very very wishful thinking but if it happened would laugh my freakin ass off.”
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I was thinking something along the lines of that also. People seem to be ignoring the fact that Santana has a NTC, and if the rumors that he would like to play in NY are true, how sweet would it be to see him decline the offer and invoke his clause to not go to boston. If he really wanted to play in NY, he could wait until next season, sign a long-term deal with them, and still have all the young SPs on the staff with him for the duration of his contract which would make them a better team and bigger contender.
Why do Yankee fans think Santana would not want to play in Boston…He’d actually have the best chance to win if he went there…You guys just have blind hate for Boston so you think no one would play there…
Pepper Brook, it would be even better if Santana invokes his NTC and then the Twins are forced to accept a Yankees offer sans-Hughes.
What would be better for Minnesota…accept an offer from ny without hughes, or take 2 draft picks?
I hated the Fins before this game. Now I hate them even more!! Fins put a TOTAL late hit on the Jets!! Play was over he came over and slammed him to the garound!!
Btw, the Twins almost have to get a major league ready starter back in this deal for Santana. Johan would be gone, they’ve already traded Matt Garza, and Carlos Silva will leave as well. That’s three fifths of their 2007 rotation.
i just met arod and rivera and i’m pretty pumped.
Adam and Mike,
I agree. If I am the Yankees and that were to happen, I would flip Hughes for Kennedy.
I also noticed that they announce Hall of Fame entrants from the veterans committe. Got an email from mlb.com that they will be beroadcasting all sorts of things live including that and the rule V draft
How ironic would it be if the Fins go 0-16 in the same year the Pats go 16-0???
Where at frits?
Matt, because Santana has openly said so last season. Torii Hunter interviewed last week said Santana wanted to play for the NYY.
rodg12 – church.
Let’s say the Sox and the Twins agree on the players in the trade, and then Johan exercises the no trade clause. Would we even hear about it? It would be great news, frankly, but I’m not sure it would be made public.
I think Santana would like very much to play in Boston but he has according to teammates openly wanted to play for the Yankees. Boston might hold one drawback for him that I doubt he would kill the deal over and that is he’s a lefty and they don’t like pitching in Fenway. More than anything he wants 150 million dollars. But Boston is not better than us, you got lucky you didn’t play us in the playoffs cuz we would have smacked you around like we did all year. If not for our atrocious and worn out bull pen early in the year we would have beaten Boston 15 times.
You know, Santana really does control his future place of employment. I believe he’s said, in the past, that all things being equal (ie, $$$), he’s happy in Minnesota, though he sure would like to win. Well, since he’s signed for the same $13.5M next year regardless of where he pitches, he shouldn’t be broken up if he stayed in Minny for this year. So, he either winds up where he’s going now, or next year. And if that place is NY, based on comments from Torii Hunter, Ron Gardenhire, maybe backchannel talks between Yanks and his agent…Why are we offering up Hughes, again?
Just asking the cognoscente here, but would a statement from Andy P that he will be back for ‘08 change the dynamic in this process? It seems Smith sees the situation with Andy as putting additional pressure on the NYY FO.
If so, could Andy help us here with a statement? He could always retract it for some reason later after the Santana situation is resolved in our favor if he had to.
This is getting pretty wierd with the Sox pulling every stop they can. We should use whatever strengths we have as well. Smith will only get the “GM of the Year Award” if the Yankees allow him to.
Motown-
THere has to be some way the Yanks would know. It may not be public.
EIther, at this point, the Yanks should only decrease their offers.
I met Von Hayes last night. Greatest night of my life.
What would be funny is the Sox trying to chump change him, than Santana invoking the ntc. As they did with Matsuzaka, spend 50 mil. to talk to him then sign him to 6 mil. per..
Motown:
I’m sure we would. One or more of the insiders would probably announce that the twins and the other team have agreed to a deal to trade Johan, and shortly after they could say the deal failed because he denied it.
My mistake. That sentence should read “So, he winds up where he wants to go now, or next year.”
If anyone cares.
My theory is still:
Yanks and Sox are just daring each other to go all in. Smith is getting dangerously close to over playing his hand, though.
Jazz Hands -
I’ve met Bill Murray, and that sounds exactly like something he would do.
I’d have to think he’d be very open to Boston as well. They are the favorites right now obviously after winning this year. Who knows how this will play out.
Argh, this thing is taking so much of my attention.
If Santana wants to come here, leverage is on our side and there would be no reason to include Hughes. If he wont waive his NTC to go to Boston, we can probably work a trade giving up IPK and other mid-level prospects. It doesnt seem like this is the case though.
I expected a Jet blowout win. Dolphins were looking at this week as their chance for a win and were favored. Ridicules they’re horrible. They started as a bad team, had a ton of injuries and traded Chambers. Awful Awful team, one of the worst I’ve ever seen. The Jets are a decent team which is why even if they win 3 to 5 games this year there a bigger disgrace than the winless Dolphins.
No wonder they call the Yankees the “Evil Empire.” I hope the Twins get Hughes and he becomes the stud some Yankee fans think he will be. Keep buying your way to be runner up to the Sox suckers!
I met Jeter last Month at PF Chang’s in Tampa, it was awesome. He also run the track at my school every now and then with his trainer.
Thrillington-
I agree, this is getting to be boring. I don’t even care at this point. I’d love to root for Santana and be a favorite to win it. But I also have no problem being the underdog and rooting for a Wang, Joba, Hughes, (Pettite) rotation.
And, everyone remember, there are still 162 games that need to be played. ANYTHING can and will happen.
If Boston traded for Johan they would tell everyone and then let every detail of his contract demands leak as a way of trying to make him look greedy. Like he’d care, players never do. Poising the well with the fans and making them upset if he signs their and furious if he doesn’t. Nothing is gained from this but all the teams do it. They almost did irreparable harm to Dice k last year but he got off to good start.
People how can you still believe that Santana has a preference as to where he would play? If he wanted to invoke the NTC he would have done it already.
The Twins have already come to him and asked him would you accept a trade to NY or Boston, he said yes to either one.
He is not going to wait after an agreement is made and then tell Boston or the Yankees I don’t want to go there. he is willing to go to Boston, we have to accept that reality
Just because Johan likes NYY, doesn’t mean he dislikes Boston…
Its funny how the odds makers favored the fins based on the mud game last week. Any defense would have looked great playing on that field. LOL
All it did was tick off the Jets!
Purist- The only tema you can consider the evil empire is the Red Sox. If they werent involved in the Johan talks, we would not be either. The Red Sox are the only reason the Yankees are talking to the Twins.
So baseball puristcare to share what team you root for?
Gotta love those Yankee haters. They have no life other than hatred, must be a great way to live.
I want to know what team he roots for. He can come and shoot his mouth off without sharing that info.
Matt, how do you know what Johan likes or doesn’t like? Many players have stated how they dislike both the RS and the Yankees. When a player states that he would like to play for a team that has to be taken somewhat seriously, and it can figure into the equation.
Matt – Fenway Park is very unfriendly to LHP. Johan has not performed particularly well there. I don’t think he would want to pitch half of his games there for the next 7 years. It’s not about Johan hating Boston or “Yankee Fan Ignorance”.
“Purist- The only tema you can consider the evil empire is the Red Sox. If they werent involved in the Johan talks, we would not be either. The Red Sox are the only reason the Yankees are talking to the Twins.”
What are you talking about…that doesnt make any sense. You’re telling me the Yankees don’t need Johan??
Jennifer – I am a Twins fan. I actually like the Yanks over the Sox…Jeter is the bomb!
But when I hear, lets wait til Santana becomes a free agent and then sign him…that’s exactly why we had a strike in ‘94. If the rich keep getting richer by out bidding everyone, baseball is screwed!
And yes…Santana puts the Yanks in front of the Sox right now. He is that good. Nobody dominates like him, put the Yanks offense behind him…22-25 game winner. He’s durable and I think would thrive pitching in NY.
Oh please your own is richer than George is. Don’t be angry at us because your owner needs to pocket the Yankees money instead of putting in back into his team. He was the owner who wanted contraction. He wanted out of baseball even though he has a team that competes. what a great owner.
If you think santana would refuse a trade to boston, you are insane.
I never said Yankee fans were ignorant…I am just saying…No one knows that Johan hates the Red Sox like pretty much 80% of the fans here are saying…Red Sox give him a great chance to win…Johan had a small problem with Homers last year but I know first hand that 95% of those homers were with with no one on base…
Thanks kasey…I totally agree…
I agree Pohlad is a tight wad. But he’s losing money on the Twins with a $70 million payroll, George isn’t losing money on the Yanks. BIG difference.
Baseball Purist, but it would be nice if your owner actually spends some money. The Yankees do revenue share. The Yankees do play in a big market which helps them generate revenue/money. But not every team plays in a big city. That’s not the Yankees fault.
Let’s make it an even playing field…salary cap!
I don’t disagree with any of your agruements. Pohlad is a crap owner.
I wouldn’t mind a salary cap.
If you put a salary cap than you need to put a floor.
A hard cap would make things very difficult for some teams.
Well spoken, Jenn.
A salary cap is nothing more than socialism.
Wanna win? Spend. It’s the American way.
Theo Epstein and Peter Gammons have approached Commissioner Selig about playing their guitars for him anytime in exchange for his authority to give the Twins a favorable nudge in Boston’s favor.
Mitchell report will reveal that Gammons and Olney were using “controlled substances” in an effort to make their substandard reporting seem legitimate.
In disgrace, Olney will now write for Page 6 of the Post and Gammons reitre and tour with Bronson Arroyo as a roadie.
It’s hard to argue with that logic.
But when I hear, lets wait til Santana becomes a free agent and then sign him…that’s exactly why we had a strike in ‘94. If the rich keep getting richer by out bidding everyone, baseball is screwed!
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I am a long time Yankee fan, but I agree with you. However, the Devil isn’t George Steinbrenner or the Yankees, but Fehn, the players union and whatever parties made both player and team salary caps impossible. There should be team minimum and team maximum payrolls, but its not to be.
However, as a team in a major metripolitan area, with an indoor stadium, and one of the richest owners in baseball (currently valued at 2.6 – 2.8 billion), Twins fans have absolutely no basis to complain to anyone but your owner.
The fact is he doesn’t give a sh*t about your team. Steinbrenner has faced bankruptcy in his limetime… he wasn’t always that rich. He has made a commitment to continue the Yankees history and tradtion (unlike previous owners CBS) and puts a winning team on the field, even in the face of financial lose (3 years in a row). He plays by MLB rules and finances all the other teams and MLB.
Bottom line is Pohlad is an as*hole and should be run out of town. Your anger is misdirected!
Of course he might refuse!
No.. he doesn’t hate the Sox.
Maybe he just likes the history and tradition of the Yankees. Possible? Maybe he looks ggod in Pinstropes. Have you ever heard of ANY other players who WANTED to play for the Yankees?
And certainly the differences in the stadiums, and how that might effect Santanas performance, is an issue. Do you think a guy like Mike Lowell would prefer Fenway to Yankee Stadium?
And What if the Sox offer him 5/$100? Does he have to accept? Have you seen the figure 6/$150 in any newspapers? I bet Santana has. Santana has THE POWER and will exercise it as he sees fit.
I have to say, the Opryland Hotel is absolutely amazing. The entire middle of the hotel is a gigantic park with a river running down the middle, and there are tons of bars and restaurants in there as well.