We've finally reached the MLB Winter Meetings, which means offseason action might start finally start picking up across baseball.
Last winter was a surprisingly quiet one, something that doesn't appear to be the case again this year. Juan Soto is the big fish that everyone is trying to net, and once he signs the floodgates will likely open and moves will come fast and furious.
The Minnesota Twins probably won't be in any of those groups, but there's still plenty for fans to pay attention to over the next few days.
2024 MLB Winter Meetings: Dates, schedule, and everything Twins fans need to know
Officially the MLB Winter Meetings get underway on December 9th, with most folks flying into Dallas the day before to settle in. That means we could see some action right away but chances are any big trades or signings will happen throughout the course of the week rather than right off the bat.
Date | Event |
|---|---|
Monday, December 9th | Winter Meetings begin |
Tuesday, December 10th | MLB Draft Lottery |
Wednesday, December 11th | Rule 5 Draft |
Thursday, December 12th | Winter Meetings end |
For the Minnesota Twins, we probably won't see much action overall in terms of going Big Game Hunting, but there could be some moves made and at the very least some of the pre-planned events will be of note ot fans. Perhaps the biggest is the MLB Draft Lottery, which is set to be held on Tuesday with the Twins in a position to potentially move up in the order again like they did the last time they were in this position.
Back in 2022, the Twins came off a similarly embarassing season but struck gold in the Draft Lottery by moving all the way up to No. 5 overall. This allowed the team to draft Walker Jenkins and add a top overall prospect in baseball to the farm system.
Perhaps lightning will strike twice for Minnesota.
The Rule 5 Draft will take place on Wednesday, which is where the Twins might be the most active. They added a handful of players last year but none that had much of an impact, as the spirit of the draft being a giant lottery to see if you can strike gold on a flier is in the very nature of how the Twins operate.
What will the Twins do at the MLB Winter Meetings this year?
Usually the Twins are pretty quiet during the Winter Meetings and typically don't jump to the front of the line for making moves. That doesn't mean we won't see either outright action or rumors kicked around that involve the team.
The biggest rumor that will likely be circulating is whether or not the Twins will trade Carlos Correa. It's foolish idea that sends all the wrong signals about a team that is supposed to be trying to win, but the murmurs about a potential deal haven't gone away.
To be clear, the Twins have not indicated they are interested in trading Correa, but the front office has danced around definitively shutting the rumors down. We'll likely see the peak of any rumors hit in the aftermath of Juan Soto signing somewhere, as Correa will be a name that some teams might get linked to as a back-up plan.
If the Twins make any moves at all, though, it will either be signing low wattage fliers or salary dumping players in trades. Chris Paddack and Christian Vazquez have been floated as potential salary dump candidates with the former being the most likely to get moved. Willi Castro could hear his name tossed into trade rumors as well, but any move Minnesota makes will be one where they're not getting much back in return.
A trade for the Twins means clearing up some payroll and roster space for other moves, rather than making a Pablo Lopez-style deal to add talent.
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