MLB Winter Meetings: Winners, Losers From 2023 Event In Nashville

Wake up. The 2023 Major League Baseball winter meetings are over.

You’d be forgiven if you snoozed through this year’s event in Nashville, because it was a total dud. Sure, there was a blockbuster trade involving one of the game’s best players, but Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — two of the most fascinating free agents ever — remain unsigned, and there was very little movement elsewhere. Yawn.

That, of course, makes identifying winners and losers a tad tricky. But we love a good challenge. Let’s get our hands dirty.

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WINNERS
New York Yankees
That blockbuster mentioned above? Yeah, it involved the Yankees, who pushed in their chips with a move that would’ve made George Steinbrenner proud, acquiring All-Star outfielder Juan Soto as part of a seven-player trade with the San Diego Padres. The cost wasn’t cheap, with Soto projected to earn north of $30 million in the final year of his contract and the Yankees surrendering several controllable pitchers, but we’re talking about one of the best pure hitters in MLB. It was a bold, win-now splash. Because why not?

The Yankees also acquired Trent Grisham in the trade, which became official one day after New York acquired Alex Verdugo from the Boston Red Sox. New York now has a new-look outfield mix, with Soto, Grisham and Verdugo joining franchise cornerstone Aaron Judge on the grass. Don’t be surprised if the Yankees have more moves up their sleeve this offseason.

Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are coming off a surprising run to the World Series. They fell flat in the Fall Classic, though, with starting pitching depth being an issue they wasted little time in addressing. Arizona signed Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year contract reportedly worth $80 million.

Rodriguez, who opted out of his contract with the Detroit Tigers earlier this offseason, is a polarizing pitcher, largely because his production hasn’t always matched his talent. But he’s been solid for a good chunk of his MLB career. And that’s a reasonable price tag for a high-upside mid-rotation starter entering his age-31 season. E-Rod should slot in nicely alongside Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly and Brandon Pfaadt in 2024, offering left-handed balance to the Snakes’ rotation.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto
MLB Trade Rumors last month predicted Yamamoto would secure a nine-year, $225 million contract in free agency. Now, it feels like he might land a more lucrative payday, with a bidding war potentially pushing the total figure closer to $300 million.

Yamamoto not only had a sensational career in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball. He’s also just 25 years old, far younger than the big-name alternatives available in free agency, and therefore fits any club’s competitive timeline. The result? A robust market reportedly featuring multiple deep-pocketed franchises. His earning power seemingly keeps growing.

LOSERS
San Diego Padres
Look, the Padres basically had no choice. They needed to trade Soto this offseason to help alleviate their financial crunch. Still, it’s a tough pill to swallow, especially when you consider the package San Diego received from the Yankees this week relative to the prospect haul the Padres sent to the Washington Nationals for Soto at the 2022 MLB trade deadline.

It’s apples and oranges, obviously, with Soto now one year away from free agency. And the Padres acquired useful, albeit unspectacular, pieces from the Yankees that’ll help them in 2024. But it’s nevertheless deflating to think about what could have been in Slam Diego.

Oakland Athletics
The A’s had the worst record in the majors by six games, posting a 50-112 record in 2023. They had an 18.3% chance of landing the No. 1 overall pick in this week’s MLB draft lottery. Yet, the pingpong balls didn’t bounce Oakland’s way. The A’s ended up with the No. 4 overall pick for next July’s draft, behind the Cleveland Guardians, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies.

This marks the second consecutive year of lottery disappointment for the A’s, who dropped to No. 6 last year despite being in contention for the No. 1 pick. Next year, the A’s will be ineligible for the lottery, per the collective bargaining agreement, as a club that receives revenue-sharing payouts and had a lottery pick two years in a row. They can’t select higher than 10th overall, an unsettling development for a rebuilding franchise planning to relocate to Las Vegas.

Casual baseball fans
The winter meetings are a blast when teams are wheeling and dealing. And this year had so much potential thanks to Ohtani’s looming monumental, league-altering decision. But there just weren’t many signings or trades. Even the rumors were whatever, turning a must-follow event into early-December background noise. A real missed opportunity for MLB.