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DALLAS — The winter meetings are buzzing.
This year’s event, held at the expansive, 45-acre Hilton Anatole resort, has the potential to be an extremely active week for the baseball industry as club executives, managers, player agents, and numerous reporters settle into the most exciting time in MLB’s offseason.
After generational slugger Juan Soto got the week started with his eyebrow-raising decision to play for the Mets, free agents and trade candidates are expected to fly off the board as deals come together this week. Without further ado, here’s what we’re hearing from various corners of the industry.
Nolan Arenado is open to being traded
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The 10-time Gold Glove winner may have played his final game in St. Louis. The Cardinals are “motivated to move him,” and Arenado is willing to strongly consider being traded as long as the landing spot is with a win-now team, according to his agent, Joel Wolfe. Not only is Arenado involved in daily conversations with Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak about being traded, but Wolfe is telling teams that the six-time Platinum Glove third baseman is even offering to play a different position.
“Nolan wanted to offer it and say, ‘I’m happy to play first. I can move around and play third,'” Wolfe said on Tuesday. “Nolan was like, ‘I’ll play shortstop. I’ll do whatever. But I’m not insulted to go play first, and I can win a Gold Glove over there if that’s what it takes to move around,’ because a lot of teams value versatility. So he wanted to be the first to offer that, so that [Mozeliak] can tell other teams that. From what I heard, that was well received.”
Arenado has a full no-trade clause, so he won’t be leaving St. Louis unless he signs off on it. Wolfe indicated that Arenado’s priority is to play for a team that’s going to win now, and win consistently for the rest of his career. He wants a team that “has the throttle down,” Wolfe said, and since the Cardinals are prioritizing moving payroll, it’s in the best interests of both sides to go in different directions. But it won’t be easy.
Arenado, who turns 34 in April, is owed $74 million across the remaining three years of his contract, with the Rockies covering $10 million, so any team that wants him will have to absorb $64 million for a veteran who was once a superstar, but has shown serious signs of decline in recent years. He hit just 16 home runs, slugged .394 (his career average is .515) and posted a 101 OPS+ in 2024.
Garrett Crochet could be dealt this week
The White Sox ace has been attached to trade reports for a while now, but a source told FOX Sports that this could finally be the week that he’s dealt from Chicago. Before the retorts of “we’ll believe it when we see it” come flooding in, the expectation is that the White Sox are serious about negotiating a deal before the winter meetings are over. That should be an exciting jolt for contending teams; Crochet is the most coveted starting pitcher on the trade market.
The 25-year-old southpaw has two more years of team control remaining before he hits free agency, and he’s coming off a successful jump to the rotation that included a 3.58 ERA across 32 starts. While the White Sox are receiving calls from several teams, their asking price might be too high at this juncture of the offseason. A number of teams are expected to explore deals for the many free-agent starting pitchers still available before making the tougher decision to ship a slew of top prospects in exchange for Crochet. It’s possible that Crochet will get dealt after more starters fly off the board.
Boras expected to have an even bigger week
After Scott Boras got Soto, his top client, to sign Sunday to kick off the meetings, the industry is expecting the super agent to make at least one or two more big splashes before the week is over.
Boras, as usual, has high-profile clients under his purview, with first baseman Pete Alonso, third baseman Alex Bregman, and right-handed starter Corbin Burnes headlining the list of his free agents. It’s possible that Boras is under pressure to get his players to reach agreements with clubs sooner rather than later in light of the extremely delayed signings that happened a year ago. Some of the biggest names that were last to sign last offseason were Cody Bellinger (Feb. 27, 2024), Matt Chapman (March 2), Blake Snell (March 19), J.D. Martinez (March 23), and Jordan Montgomery (March 29).
Waiting until spring training was well underway — and in Montgomery’s case, two days into the regular season — didn’t bode well, in terms of performance and finances, for Boras’ players. It seems Boras has learned his lesson, as more of his top clients have already reached deals, including Snell’s five-year, $182 million pact with the Dodgers. Buckle up. More of Boras’ stars could be finalizing terms in Dallas as we speak.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB reporter for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. Follow her on X at @DeeshaThosar.
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Link to Original Article - on Fox Sports