latimes
Baseball's general managers meetings are a staple of the offseason, but this year's gathering in Las Vegas carries added significance due to the looming lockout. The three-day event, which began Tuesday, typically sets the stage for the winter meetings in December, but those are expected to be scrapped if a lockout occurs. The current collective bargaining agreement expires on Dec. 1, and if fears of a salary cap don't freeze the free agent and trade markets, the deadline could accelerate moves.
The Dodgers are positioned to make headlines for multiple reasons: they have a coaching staff opening to fill, a finalist for a major award, and a prized free agent from the 2026-27 class testing the market.
Coaching Staff Vacancy
Los Angeles recently parted ways with co-hitting coach Aaron Bates, so president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and general manager Brandon Gomes are expected to face questions about their plans to replace him. The team will likely be asked about the qualities they seek in a new hire and the timeline for a decision. The rest of manager Dave Roberts' staff, including co-hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc, is expected to return.
Tarik Skubal's Free Agency
Tarik Skubal, acquired from the Tigers at the trade deadline this year, is the top free agent in a potentially tumultuous offseason and will serve as a key indicator of the market. The last time MLB headed toward a lockout, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Javier Báez all signed nine-figure deals before the CBA expired on Dec. 1. Like Seager and Semien, Skubal is represented by agent Scott Boras. Whether the Dodgers will aggressively pursue a reunion with the two-time Cy Young winner remains uncertain.
"I can't say enough good things about the impact that he made in such a short period of time," Friedman said at his end-of-season news conference last month. "We have a tremendous amount of respect for him on and off the field, and for us, he's put himself in this position to go out and be a free agent. And for us, it's, continue to talk to Scott. But he and his family have to make a choice over where they want to spend the next X number of years, and obviously we wish him nothing but the best."
How similar will this November be to 2021, when teams committed $1.9 billion to free agents before the lockout? The short answer is: it's hard to say with any certainty. "I never have any feel for how a market's going to play out," Friedman said. "We've kidded ourselves in the past that, like, Hey, we think this is going to happen, and it just takes on its own life form. So for us, it's just about being as prepared as we possibly can be, and pouncing on opportunities."
Though the expectation of a lockout remains the same, the owners and players are fighting over a potential overhaul of the system this time around. MLB's push for a salary cap in their early proposals—even though their latest pushed back implementation to 2028—could affect teams' behavior.
Awards Season
It's baseball awards season, with the Baseball Writers' Assn. of America announcing award winners for four straight days. Detroit Tigers infielder Kevin McGonigle was named the American League rookie of the year and Cincinnati Reds first baseman Sal Stewart was honored as the National League rookie of the year on Monday. Manager of the year awards will be revealed Tuesday, Cy Young and reliever of the year on Wednesday, and finally MVP on Thursday.
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is a finalist for National League MVP. But Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is the favorite to win it, which would end Ohtani's three-year MVP streak. Ohtani has won four MVP awards in all, two in the AL and two in the NL.
On Wednesday, MLB will also hold its own awards show, announcing All-MLB teams, and awards such as the Hank Aaron Award, the comeback players of the year, the Mariano Rivera & Trevor Hoffman Relievers of the Year, the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter of the Year and the MLB executive of the year.
Originally reported by latimes.