All of the talk of the offseason hangs in the balance of the CBA negotiations between the players and the League. As much a part of the speculation on where players will sign, and for how much, is the question of when things will start happening.
Trades come hot and heavy during the winter meetings, and with the potential lockout, it seems possible that the winter meetings aren’t happening. Trade season is going to happen, but it will be diffuse and won’t be the edge of your seat December weekend like it has been in the past. It’s harder to make calls than it is to see each other in hallways.
One thing people have really focused on is the free agent market. Since that is a player to team arrangement, and at large, players and teams have a fraught relationship, not many, if any signings were expected before there was a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
That Eduardo Rodriguez signed with the Tigers, and rumors fly that Corey Seager or Marcus Semien might sign soon may have changed the calculus a bit. But perhaps not a lot.
The Twins might feel some extra pressure to add pitchers soon because a division rival acted so soon, but it’s more likely that the Tigers really liked Rodriguez, and the Twins are probably casting a wider net. Without a pointed desire for an individual player, Minnesota is likely to act at whatever pace they always intended.
Seager and Semien, on the other hand, are probably due for an enormous pay day. Why not get paid? The CBA isn’t really for them, so to speak. For the rank and file of the Players Association, or players who don’t fit perfectly, the offseason still looks like it will take a back seat to labor negotiations.
The Twins offseason, along with the rest of baseball, is still in a holding pattern, even if some signs are popping up that some teams are ready to land some players.
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