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Major League Baseball’s General Managers will gather in Orlando over the next four days for what it is labeled The GM Meetings.
…basically, general managers and team executives, as well as a few high-profile agents, collect to discuss league business, such as Instant Replay, as well lay off-
season ground work and create a framework and let other teams know who will aim to do what over the next few months…typically, one or two low-impact trades are made, a few players will re-sign with their former teams, and a ton of rumors get started because GMs are talking with other GMs, while their underlings are talking with other underlings…in short, these meetings often set a game-plan for the MLB Winter Meetings in Nashville, which take place during the first week of December, when the real action happens…
It was during the 2000 General Manager Meetings when former-Mets GM Steve Phillips had his one-and-only meeting with Scott Boras, regarding free-agent SS Alex Rodriguez, out of which the phrase ‘24 and 1’ was born.
…odds are good, i would think, that Mets GM Omar Minaya will have a chat with boras, if for no other reason than to check in, see what’s up, and get a sense of the super agent’s off-season plans, you know, in case he reps anybody of interest to minaya…
For an outstanding preview of the Meetings, read Jim Salisbury’s column in yesterday’s Philadelphia Inquirer.
According to Salisbury, hot topics over the next four days will be Rodriguez, the trade and free-agent market, and the Mitchell Report’s findings from Sen. George Mitchell’s 18-month investigation into baseball’s steroid era, which are due for public release before the end of the year.
…the buzz from baseball suggests most GMs are waiting on the report, hoping it comes out sooner than later, because there is no telling what type of impact it will have on the entire market, for better or worse…
Would anyone be surprised if one of our needs was met this week (2B, C, SP)?
The only one I really see as likely is resigning Castillo for 2B. I don’t think they would reup Loduca this earlier, but maybe Castro.
No way they get a big time SP, and not likely they make a middle level (say Blanton) deal before the FA signing period opens.
I would be shocked if any GM would sign A-Rod before the findings of the Mitchell commission are released.
As an idealistic fan of the game, it would really hurt to see A-Rod’s name come up in the findings. I am hoping like hell that it doesn’t. I would love to keep believing that there are players out there that are just so supremely talented and have the god-given ability to just flat out be great at playing the game I love so much that they do not have to resort to “enhancing themselves” chemically.
Sorry for going off-topic.
I wonder if GMs will be able to get away with a mitchell report void clause if they do offer a contract before it is releasesd?
Or maybe they will be able to at least ask the committe if a guy they plan to offer up a deal to is about to be outed?
I suppose the best bet is to wait for it to come out, but then you are playing a game of chicken that the guys you want don’t sign elsewhere.
Great visual accompanying the post. A brainless suit. LOL. While a little bit of a stereotype, the Rangers execs were certainly suits with few brains when they signed A-Rod in 2000. Will Omar and Freddie become brainless suits and fall for Boras’ BS? I hope not. And I think not. And I doubt any team will offer more than the total package the Yankees offered him.
What’s interesting is that even some players’ agents are saying they hope the owners collude against Boras. It was in the NYT’s:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/sports/baseball/04chass.html?ref=baseball
When other agents say that, then you know Boras and A-Rod have acted poorly.
Isn’t that picture the cover of “The Unbearable Lightness of Being”? I only know because I’ve looked at it so many times while intending to read it only to put it back down.
I think from now on all GMs should sport that kind of top hat.