MLB's Hot Stove Should Be Burning Bright At Winter Meetings

MLB today begins its five-day Winter Meetings in Orlando "on the heels of the busiest two days" in the sport's offseason. Over the weekend, Japanese P/DH Shohei Ohtani and RF Giancarlo Stanton "settled on teams few expected" (Angels and Yankees, respectively). The Winter Meetings "always spark action," as "proximity leads to conversations and conversations produce agreements" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/11). The meetings "should be hopping now that the two biggest dominoes have fallen, clearing the way for the next tiers of players to be moved and creating a trickle-down effect expected to last into the new year" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/11).

Stanton's trade from the Marlins to the Yankees is "expected to be formally announced" during the Winter Meetings (MIAMI HERALD, 12/11).