MLB Winter Meetings

I read an article on ESPN.com by Jim Caple about how it is time to just stop with the winter meetings. He claims that the meetings are no fun for the fans because most teams aren't really that into the meetings because they have no money, don't want to gamble, etc. Caple also writes that GMs are under immense pressure to sign someone, anyone, so they panic and offer crazy contracts like $50,000,000 over five seasons to someone like Gary Matthews Jr. (pictured)Come on, that would never happen.

As you will come to learn, I am a Tiger fan. For many years, my team had nothing, I mean nothing, going during the winter meetings, I still loved following them. These meetings are always full of fun stuff for baseball fans. The fact that most GMs are under this pressure to sign someone makes it all worth while. That pressure is what made Chan Ho Park and Darren Dreifort multimillionaires. That's five star entertainment as far as I'm concerned.

The bottom line is that I just don't buy the whole, "winter meetings are boring" argument. The winter meetings help shape clubs for the seasons to come in both good ways and bad ways. It was during the winter meetings of 2003 that the Detroit Tigers signed both Rondell White and Fernando Vina to two year contracts. Now it wasn't that these were great bargains, the Tigers overpaid, and it's not that these two played huge roles in the starting lineup this past season. Vina played 25 games for the Tigers White played in 218 over two seasons. The key was that both players gave the organization credibility. The signing of two respected veterans like White and Vina told the rest of the league that the Tigers were through being doormats. Later that offseason, in February of 2004, the Tigers landed Ivan Rodriguez and suddenly the Tigers were taken seriously by the rest of baseball.

This very plan is used every offseason during the Winter Meetings. For example, the Kansas City Royals gave $55,000,000 to Gil Meche (pictured) over the next five seasons. Is Meche worth that? According to his statistics, definitely not, no way, no chance. However, what Meche does do is add a solid starter to an always awful Royals rotation. It tells the rest of the league that the Royals may finally be through acting as the farm system for the rest of the league. With young stars like Billy Butler and Alex Gordon in the minors, the Royals are getting closer.

So sure, the Winter Meetings are home to some awful deals. They can be full of boredom for some fans. However, the meetings are also home to teams starting to turn things around and at the very worst, they are a site for some amazing comedy.

-Blake-