Winter meetings wrap-up
Nightengale: Team wish lists yet to be filled
LAS VEGAS – Seattle Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto pulled off a three-way trade while lying in his hospital bed with a blood clot in his lung but still managed to fist-bump his assistant, and even the nurses, while hooked up to monitors.
New York Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen, who has been coming to these meetings for 20 years as an agent, made a dramatic entrance in his new gig, talking to virtually every team in the building at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, and walking away with closer Jeurys Familia as a $30 million door prize.
There was plenty of talk about the Philadelphia Phillies spending stupid money on Bryce Harper or Manny Machado, and the Chicago White Sox bidding on Harper, but the only bidding was at the blackjack table late Wednesday night while the Phillies dumped $50 million on the table for free agent outfielder Andrew McCutchen.
It might not have been a titillating winter meetings, with Boston Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski even lobbying to impose a deadline for trades and signings, but it still was intriguing and mysterious, as usual.
It’s still unknown just who’s in or out on Harper and Machado, whether the Cleveland Indians will trade former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber or perhaps future Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, and whether Miami Marlins catcher J.T. Realmuto will wind up with the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers or even the New York Yankees.
Yet the 30 teams scurrying home Thursday morning at least have everyone’s Christmas lists, and now that they’re out of the smoke-filled casino will be able to clear their heads before a flurry of trades and signings.
“Exhilarating,” said Van Wagenen, describing the feeling of his winter meetings debut as a GM. “As I (came) down here, I knew that we wanted to be busy. We were.
“I run on adrenaline. We’ll see at which point I crash.”
It was baseball winter meetings Vegas style, where the bars don’t close, the sun doesn’t peek through the casinos and there are no clocks on the walls.
It’s the place where time is irrelevant, leaving GMs no choice but to put off their holiday parties and shopping, with vacations postponed for at least another month.
“Everybody needs a break at some point,” Dombrowski told reporters. “They need to change the rules or something where there’s some downtime. Every other sport has it other than ours. It goes longer and longer.”
So with no lightning round until the July 31 trade deadline, everyone will have to wait to see whether a proposed three-way trade with the Mets, Marlins and Padres would actually work involv- ing Mets starter Noah Syndergaard and Realmuto.
The Red Sox lost marquee reliever Joe Kelly to the Dodgers for $25 million over three years and don’t have the stomach to bring back All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel to a six-year contract exceeding $100 million, but they certainly can’t head to Fort Myers, Florida, as defending World Series champions without a closer.
“I anticipate a couple more deals that will happen in the next couple days, just from things I’ve heard,” Dombrowski said, “but there’s still a long way to go. This time of year, if you’re going to sign someone, you’re going to be aggressive to make it happen with big dollars.
“And we’re not at that point right now.”
Who knows, maybe as rival teams suggest, they will really have to trade starter Rick Porcello, center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. or even shortstop Xander Bogaerts.
“We’re not driven to move anybody,” Dombrowski said. “But I think you always have to keep an open mind to anything that takes place. I know long term we’re not going to be able to sign all our players, that brings up conversations and people calling you about various things.
“But I guarantee you our primary focus is to try to win a world championship in 2019.”
And there will be 29 teams — OK, in reality about a dozen — that will be trying to stop them.
One of those teams will be the Phillies, who leave Vegas with a pocket full of cash and a visit scheduled next week with Machado in Philadelphia.
“I don’t know what the markets are going to turn out to be,” Phillies GM Matt Klentak said. “If it makes sense for this franchise, we’ll pursue it. If it doesn’t, we have to have a walk-away point, because to not have that is bad business.
“Do we want to do everything we can to compete for the playoffs in 2019? Of course. Are we going to mortgage our future to do that? Probably not.”
Still, if nothing else, every team knew the price of business as they headed to McCarron Airport, and with no slot machines chiming in the background or the smell of cigarette smoke burning their eyes, the real action will start.
“I look at progress in getting clarity,” Van Wagenen said.
“I have a pretty good understanding of what the acquisition cost is for all of the players, both in trades and free agency.”
And for Dipoto, the legend continues. He was unable to go days without at least proposing a trade and appeared weary and shaken as he returned to the winter meetings Thursday morning after his deal with the Cleveland Indians and Tampa Bay Rays (headlined by veteran DHs Carlos Santana and Edwin Encarnacion).
He insists he’s ready for more action. Stay tuned.
The trades and free agent signings have just begun and are coming to a team near you.