After a nearly three-year hiatus, major league baseball's winter meetings will make a triumphant return to San Diego starting Sunday.
The 2020 incarnation of the event was virtual because of the pandemic, while last year's never happened because of the lockout. But now baseball execs and staff from all 30 MLB teams — plus their minor-league affiliates — will gather in person to conduct business of all kinds. The most important of that being player transactions.
Given the fact that all the league's general managers are in the same place for several days, the winter meetings have a long history of stunning moves. At the most recent in-person soiree, also in San Diego in 2019, the record for biggest pitcher deal fell twice, first when Stephen Strasburg returned to the Nationals for $245 million and then when Gerrit Cole signed with the Yankees for $324 million.
This year's free-agent market has been quiet so far, with big names like centerfielder Aaron Judge, shortstop Trea Turner and former Twins shortstop Carlos Correa all still unsigned. So this winter meetings, which run through Wednesday, could be the catalyst needed to start a torrent of deals.
Or it could be very uneventful. GMs have likely become very accustomed to dealing from afar after all the forced distance of the past three years. For instance, Twins' General Manager Thad Levine and President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey are often spotted on their cellphones, calling, texting, emailing as they work to add value to the team. They brought in Correa, for example, in the middle of spring training for this past season and in the middle of the night. No face-to-face confrontation needed.
Correa will likely be one of the major story lines of this winter meetings, especially for the Twins. He opted out of the final two years of his contract, worth $70.2 million, in order to seek his coveted long-term deal in free agency. He might want something like Corey Seager's deal with the Rangers, signed last year for $325 million through 10 years.
The Twins have no reason to not want Correa back given his clubhouse leadership and strong on-field performance, including stellar defense and .291 batting average with 64 RBI and 22 homers. But the Twins have never offered that long or that large of a contract.
The team's offseason moves so far have been underwhelming. They traded third baseman Gio Urshela to the Angels in exchange for prospect pitcher Alejandro Hidalgo and gained second baseman Kyle Farmer from the Reds in exchange for minor league pitcher Casey Legumina. Urshela was a solid addition from the Yankees for 2022, but his departure leaves room for star rookie Jose Miranda to claim his preferred spot at third base.
Farmer, meanwhile, creates a nice backup plan in case the Twins fail to re-sign Correa, as he can play shortstop until rookie Royce Lewis comes back from his second torn ACL sometime during the 2023 season.
The Twins are also on the lookout for another catcher to pair with Ryan Jeffers. They can also never have enough quality pitchers in both the rotation and the bullpen. But finding a shortstop is the top priority.
Levine and Falvey might not need the luxury of California sun to check off that item on the to-do list, but it probably won't hurt.
