And with a lockout looming when the current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1, the next four weeks will likely be the only time that teams have to sign free agents, make trades and reshape their rosters before transactions come to a halt. Want some context into just how much of a mad dash this could become? One brief exchange with a head of baseball operations offered a glimpse.
When asked what his club anticipated in the coming weeks, the executive offered only this: "I'm going to stiff arm you on this one," the exec said. "Because I'm time constrained right now. A lot going on with staff and player conversations." Urgency will play a role this November.
Naturally, teams don't want to be left behind. And the way modern baseball conducts business could be challenged. Over the last five years, the early stages of MLB's offseason have been largely anticlimactic.
Front offices, many of which rely on similar analytical models, have increasingly approached the market with caution, contributing to a process that can drag well into the winter. Even the Winter Meetings, traditionally a gathering place in early December for blockbuster trades and significant free-agent signings, have increasingly become more of a launching pad for offseason conversations than a destination for completed deals. So, what does this peculiar November have in store?
Yes, there will be moves. But according to one high-ranking league executive, don't expect the approaches that have defined the modern offseason to change entirely. The urgency might be different, but the process of gathering information, evaluating talent and understanding the market remains largely the same.
"You can't get caught flat-footed, so we're going through the same motions of lining up who we like, identifying different ways to meet our needs, calling agents and letting them know we have interest," the executive said. "Next week at GM meetings will be helpful to learn more. That's usually when we indicate we want to zoom with a player and we'll see how agents/players react to that." Trades, certainly, could take precedence over free-agent signings, given the circumstances and the talent available.
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