The Major League Baseball offseason doesn’t really begin with the Winter Meetings. It’s starting in Las Vegas, where I’m on the ground with team executives, agents and scouts for the GM Meetings.
It’s where the groundwork is laid for trades, free agency feelers and the biggest offseason rumors and narratives and the biggest offseason narratives that will dominate the next few months. I’ll share the intel I’m hearing from Vegas that will help shape a very busy offseason.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB offseason.
Nov. 10, 12:53 p.m. ET: The Red Sox are a team to watch for Kyle Schwarber
Talk to anyone around baseball and they’ll tell you the same thing: they love Kyle Schwarber. While he only played in 41 regular season games in Boston, Schwarber made an impression on the organization. During the season, manager Alex Cora said he was “very intrigued” by the sluggers upcoming free agency.
A reunion for Schwarber in Boston makes sense. It’s something that rival executives are monitoring as a possibility this offseason. The competition for Schwarber will be immense this winter – I anticipate the Phillies doing whatever possible to retain him – which figures to only drive up the price tag. Schwarber's connection to Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long gives them an edge, but ultimately, their offer will do far more convincing than any coach or front office executive ever could. Is Philadelphia willing to pay Schwarber an immense asking price for a DH? We'll have to wait and see.
Should the Phillies balk, expect Boston to be waiting in the wings, but they won't be alone.
We'll have more live updates from the MLB GM Meetings as they occur.