LAS VEGAS — The lobby of The Cosmopolitan Hotel and Casino, normally a place featuring a younger crowd, often dressed up or sporting the latest trends in fashion, was being invaded by an endless stream of middle-aged men wearing quarter-zip pullovers, dark jeans and On Cloud sneakers.
Yep, Major League Baseball’s general managers meetings kicked off Monday at the “Cosmo” with almost four days of activity, including Thursday’s MLB Awards Show.
The top decision-makers from the front offices of each of the 30 teams, along with their similar clad staff of analysts, will be in the same confines for required meetings and other events.
The GM meetings don’t have the notoriety of the MLB Winter Meetings, which are held in the first week in December.
With text messaging now used so often, the face-to-face meetings with agents and even some players aren’t quite as necessary or as prevalent as years past. But the meetings do serve as an unofficial kickoff to the Hot Stove season.
And if you get enough executives together, something usually comes from it — oftentimes the preliminary discussions of trades that are eventually finalized start at the GM meetings.
The early buzz around the Mariners has centered on their known pursuit of Josh Naylor and what else they plan to do to build off this season’s success.
There has been some debate as to what the actual market looks like for Naylor. Pete Alonso heads the list of free agent first baseman with Naylor close behind with a huge drop in talent after them.
It’s difficult to see the Mets not finding a way to re-sign Alonso, who is their most popular player, one who came up through the organization.
While general manager David Stearns lamented the team’s run prevention shortcomings in his end of the season news conference, would Alonso’s shaky defense be reason enough to not bring him back? Could Mets owner Steve Cohen step in and push Stearns to sign Alonso regardless of his misgivings?
If the Mets decide to go in a different direction, Naylor could be a definite fit. New York could beat any other team’s offer if desired. But would Naylor, who likes to keep his personal life private, want the glare of playing in New York?
The Mariners aren’t the only team in need of a first baseman. But they might have the most motivation and money to sign Naylor.
The Yankees seem inclined to play Ben Rice at first base and focus on other aspects. Rice is making the league minimum and posted a .255/.337/.499 slash line with 28 doubles, 26 homers and 65 RBI in 138 games. There’s also Naylor’s little feud with New York’s Gerrit Cole a few years back.
The Red Sox are a team that might consider going after Alonso even with oft-injured Tristan Casas still under club control. Boston has been searching for right-handed hitting power to complement Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Marcelo Mayer — all lefty hitters.
The San Francisco Giants have money, but not necessarily the need. They plan to go with a combination of top prospect Bryce Eldridge and Rafael Devers, who is now willing to play first base after being against it with the Red Sox.
The Rangers, who used the combination of Rowdy Tellez and Jake Burger, have an obvious need, but they don’t necessarily have the money to make it work due to a fear of going over the luxury tax threshold for a third straight year. GM Chris Young said on a radio broadcast that their payroll wouldn’t be at the same level this season.
The Diamondbacks acquired Naylor in a trade last offseason, then traded him to the Mariners. He was productive in Arizona, but the Diamondbacks don’t seem inclined to use their payroll to sign him.
The Padres could also use an upgrade at first base, but they’ve been cutting back payroll each of the past few seasons with a shift in their ownership group.
It all lines up for the Mariners to re-sign Naylor. They’ve made it clear he is a priority. But it’s also never quite that simple.
“There’s always that one unexpected team that comes in and causes issues,” a former MLB executive said. “You think you have the market figured out and the right deal and everything changes.”
Rumblings
Free agent left-handed pitcher Framber Valdez is reportedly in Vegas to meet with teams.
While he is one of the most talented pitchers available, his antics last season, including intentionally crossing up pitches with his catcher in retaliation for a dispute on pitch selection, has raised more question marks about his maturity and attitude.
Valdez’s durability and obvious talent will still land him a four-year contract close to $100 million. But he had the potential to earn so much more.
Paul DePodesta, who was named the Rockies’ new president of baseball operations, met with local media for the first time since the announcement. DePodesta, who worked for the A’s as an assistant GM to Billy Beane in the Moneyball era, has worked for the Cleveland Browns since 2016 as the chief football strategy officer.
DePodesta will have to hire a general manager as well as a field manager for the Rockies, who have been one of the worst franchises in MLB for the better part of a decade.