Starting on Monday,
Major League Baseball will hold its Winter Meetings in Las Vegas, Nevada (December 9-13). The location should be quite apt—as plenty of trade and free-agent "wheeling and dealing" is likely to take place. The Red Sox head to
'The City Of Sin' with a pretty solid handle on what the 2019 defending World Series Championship team will look like. Having already signed free-agents
Steve Pearce (World Series MVP) and
Nathan Eovaldi (World Series Folk-Hero), only
Joe Kelly and
Craig Kimbrel are un-signed 'hold-overs' from the 2018 championship squad. So, the closer spot, a bullpen spot or two and a
possible "insurance" player at second base (if
Dustin Pedroia doesn't fully return to form) still need to be filled by
Dave Dombrowski. While several high-profile deals have already been made—highlighted by the Nationals' acquisition of starting pitcher
Patrick Corbin,
other top players may be involved in various transactions. Plus, teams like the Phillies, Yankees, Astros, and Indians still have a lot of moves to make. In addition,
Jerry DiPoto is likely to trade away the entire
Starbucks workforce from Seattle. And, of course, the ultimate destinations for big names like
Bryce Harper and
Manny Machado should highlight the festivities.
