MLB's in-person Winter Meetings are back
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Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings are back in person for the first time in three years, and a free-agent frenzy is expected across the four-day event, which began Sunday.
State of play: Hundreds of team reps and player agents have taken over San Diego's Manchester Grand Hyatt, where a record $1.07 billion worth of contracts were handed out to 19 free agents in 2019.
Between the lines: The top free agents can be broken into three groups: shortstops, starting pitchers, and Aaron Judge.
- Shortstops: Four studs — all World Series champs since 2017 — will cost teams a lot of money. Trea Turner (29 years old) and Carlos Correa (28) could get almost $300 million; Xander Bogaerts (30) and Dansby Swanson (28) should command $150+ million.
- Starting pitchers: Jacob deGrom is off the board after Friday's mega-deal with the Rangers, but the Mets may replace him with Justin Verlander. Carlos Rodón has plenty of suitors after compiling a 2.67 ERA since 2021.
- Judge: The reigning MVP and new AL home run king is likely to receive nine years and at least $300 million, probably from either the Yankees or Giants.
The backdrop: The Winter Meetings were canceled last year amid MLB's longest-ever lockout.
Coming up: MLB's first-ever draft lottery takes place tomorrow, with the 18 non-playoff teams vying for the top six picks. The Nationals, A's and Pirates have the best odds (16.5%) to land the No. 1 pick.
