MLB Winter Meetings: 6 things to watch for the Tigers

Baseball executives, agents, media members and job seekers will travel to Dallas starting Sunday for Major League Baseball’s annual winter meetings.

A year ago, the baseball world was obsessed with Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese two-way phenom whose record deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers turned on the hot stove and finally propelled the Dodgers to a 2024 World Series title.

This year, outfielder Juan Soto takes center stage. He is widely believed to be signing a deal that breaks Ohtani’s record and could sign him as early as this week in Dallas.

For the Detroit Tigers, it’s been a quiet offseason thus far, with little activity beyond routine postseason roster pruning. Although the Tigers are not in the Soto sweepstakes, his decision could have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the market.

Here’s what to watch for over the next four days in Dallas.

1. The Hall of Fame Classic Baseball Era Committee will announce its selections (if any) on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. This year’s candidates include players, managers, referees and executives whose greatest contributions to the game took place before 1980.

The finalists are Dick Allen, Ken Boyer, John Donaldson, Steve Garvey, Vic Harris, Tommy John, Dave Parker and Luis Tiant.

Garvey, John and Parker are still alive, while other candidates have died.

Allen, a longtime Philadelphia Phillies infielder who died in 2020, he is missing one vote in 2014 and 2021.

2. A year ago, the San Diego Padres acquired Soto during the Winter Meetings. He landed with the New York Yankeesand his phenomenal season helped them advance to the World Series.

This year, Soto has the stage to himself.

He could end up staying in New York, as the Yankees and Mets reportedly did. breathtaking offers of around $700 million.

The Dodgers, Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays could also be in the mix.

3. Soto’s signing could help speed up the rest of the market. Teams that lost him will look to backup plans and have money to spend.

The next tier of outfield free agents — Anthony Santander and Teoscar Hernandez — will likely want to wait until Soto’s deal closes to ensure they can take advantage of the entire market.

Alex Bregman’s free agency will also be interesting to watch. Will he get the huge contract he’s looking for?

4. Corbin Burnes headlines the remaining free agent pitchers and there’s a chance he ends up with the second-richest contract this winter (after Soto). Max Fried won’t be far behind him.

The Tigers will also shop for pitchers, but likely in a different aisle.

It remains to be seen whether they will stick to short-term deals or consider longer-term commitments. A reunion with right-hander Jack Flaherty could make sense if Detroit expands its contractual comfort zone under President Scott Harris. Another interesting option could be Walker Buehler, who could seek rich one-year deal to rebuild value after mixed 2024 campaign.

5. Draft Rule 5, which allows the teams to select unprotected players from other clubs, takes place on Wednesday.

The Tigers didn’t enter the draft last year for the first time since 2015, and they could miss out again this winter. They currently have no vacancies on their 40-man roster, so they will need to create one if they want to add a new player.

The Tigers still have two former Rule 5 picks in their system: outfielder Akil Baddoo (2020) and right-hander Mason Englert (2022).

6. THE MLB Draft Lottery The determination of the 2025 draft will take place Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. Sixteen teams will compete for the top six spots, but the Tigers will not be one of them. As a 2024 playoff team, the Tigers will not enter the lottery. They already know they will have the 24th pick in 2025.