Skubal Free Agency And ‘Business As Usual’: 5 Takeaways As MLB GM Meetings Begin

LAS VEGAS — All the big free-agent moves and trades are still ahead as Major League Baseball executives, players and agents meet in person this week at the general manager meetings at the Aria hotel and resort in Las Vegas. Here are five takeaways from Day 1 of the meetings. Ask nearly any executive about the looming lockout and the answers are strikingly uniform. “We’re here preparing for a business-as-usual offseason, a business-as-usual season,” Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “It seems like a normal offseason. That is the feeling, for me, when I talk to agents, when I talk to other executives, that’s the feedback I’m getting from them as well. The pacing of all of this feels very representative of what we’ve experienced in the past.” Baseball’s collective bargaining agreement is set to expire on Dec. 1. Until then, agents and executives are expecting a frenzy of activity on the free agent market and trade front. As of Tuesday, when the GM meetings officially kicked off, no major moves had been executed. “In terms of our process of evaluating players, valuing players, talking to agents and individual players, we’ve been doing kind of what we do every offseason, putting ourselves in position to make decisions,” said Padres GM A.J. Preller. “You factor in everything. The possibility of having a different economic system, you take that into consideration. But it’s really hard to predict what’s going to happen, what the exact system is going to be. Ultimately, if we see something we think makes sense for us both in the short and long term, we’re going to be prepared to act on it, but we’ll factor everything in, and it’ll all be part of our decision-making process.” All of this talk is doing the heavy lifting of a potentially compressed calendar. The lockout will freeze all transactions once the CBA expires and the Winter Meetings will also be canceled, so these GM meetings are likely the only time top executives are in the same building. At least one executive is looking forward to the unfamiliar nature of this offseason. “I think that’s what makes it fun,” new Astros GM Randy Flores said. “There is a lot of unknown. We’ll see how the pace of this — I think I remember last time we had an impending lockout there were some pretty major, major deals that happened. What I don’t recall is the pace on the trade front, so I’m asking our guys to kind of take a look just to use historical comps as a proxy for how active teams were in adjusting some of their roster decisions via trades.” Added Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen: ‘”It seems like there’s been a lot of activity leading up to the GM Meetings. Like I said, it feels like some of the conversations we’ve had have been more robust conversations. But that may not mean anything. We may not get anything done. It’s hard to know what’s going to happen.” Business as usual seems to be the collective message, even if the reality is more akin to a one-month sprint. — Deesha Thosar At least within the industry, the New York Mets appear to be the favorites to land this year’s belle of the ball, left-hander Tarik Skubal. The left-hander and two-time Cy Young award winner leads this year’s free-agent class by a long shot as the best player available on the market. The Mets have the financial might to meet Skubal’s demands, and they have the desperation to get a deal done. This year, they were the most disappointing team in baseball after failing to qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season despite flashing one of the richest payrolls in the majors. Part of the reason for their demise was their lack of dependable pitching. Stearns thought he had an ace on the staff when he traded for right-hander Freddy Peralta, but that didn’t work out when Peralta recorded his worst career season in New York. Once again, the Mets need an ace to lead a rotation that currently consists of green arms, including Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, Zac Thornton and Jonah Tong. “Having a complete rotation is really important and that includes pitchers who can successfully get through a playoff series,” Stearns said on Tuesday. “We’ve seen over and over again in the playoffs that that could be constructed in a variety of ways. And so we’re open to doing it any way possible. Stearns declined to talk about any specific free agent, but a New York Post report indicated the Mets have a meeting set up with Skubal for next week. The Mets, of course, are not the only interested party. The Dodgers have been in touch with Skubal’s camp, which is led by agent Scott Boras, and their expectation is they will meet with the southpaw at some point. Skubal finished the year with the Dodgers after the Tigers traded him to Los Angeles at the summer deadline. In the regular season, he recorded a 2.61 ERA in 10 starts and 62 innings pitched for the Dodgers. In the postseason, he registered a 2.45 ERA in two starts and 11 innings pitched before the Dodgers were eliminated by the Brewers. “I think a lot of it is continuing to see what this all looks like,” Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said regarding how aggressive the team will be in pursuit of Skubal. “He was awesome getting to know. He fit in great into the clubhouse. Obviously, we know what kind of pitcher he is. So for us, it’s understanding what this all looks like, as far as what does our team need? What does the contract look like? Where does he end up? I don’t know. We know we love the player, we love the human, and you kind of have to let things play out to understand what that looks like, and if it’s something that we’re gonna ultimately execute.” — Thosar Nolan Arenado has never played a position in the field other than third base over his 14-year career, but that could change in 2027. The Diamondbacks know they need to make pitching additions this winter, but general manager Mike Hazen also hopes to upgrade a lineup that ranked 26th in OPS against right-handed pitching. Depending on where those changes happen, it’s possible that Arenado  moves to first base — either full-time or on a part-time basis — to accommodate those upgrades. “He told us he’ll do whatever we ask,” Hazen said. “But we’ve talked through the scenario of what first base will look like full-time, too.” Hazen expressed regret that he didn’t do enough at the deadline to help a Diamondbacks team that missed the playoffs for a third straight season following their 2023 run to the World Series. He’ll have an opportunity to remedy that mistake this winter. The positions at which those offensive upgrades are made is still to be determined, but they’re more likely to happen in the infield than the outfield. Last year, Arizona first basemen ranked last in MLB in OPS. “DH, first base, third base, depending where Nolan ends up, are open areas for us right now,” Hazen told me. “Those are the most natural ways that we can fit that in.” Whether Arizona trades second baseman Ketel Marte — a rumored possibility last season — also remains to be seen. But the D-backs appear open to change as they try to get back to being playoff contenders. “I just think I have to be open to adjustments to what the roster looks like,” Hazen said. — Rowan Kavner The Astros filled their general manager opening two weeks ago by hiring former Cardinals assistant GM Randy Flores. Soon, Flores hopes to have the team’s manager opening filled as well. That decision could happen by the end of this week. “I’m hopeful,” Flores told me. “Now, hope and fact are two different things. But I’m hopeful.” Flores assumed the rule previously held by Dana Brown, who was let go in August. The Astros ultimately won a weak AL West despite winning just 81 games before losing both games of the wild-card series. They did not renew the contract of manager Joe Espada last month. Among the candidates for the manager vacancy are a trio of former players in three-time MVP Albert Pujols and former Astros Brad Ausmus and Morgan Ensberg, though Flores said playing experience is not necessarily a prerequisite to getting the job. Owner Jim Crane and senior adviser Jeff Bagwell have also been involved in the interview process. “I want to be open-minded to whatever personality and profile that person is,” Flores said. “That’s what I want to do. Just look at our track record in the draft, with the Cardinals. There wasn’t a certain type of profile. It’s being open to whatever the board presents to you.” — Kavner On Tuesday, Yankees GM Brian Cashman did not commit to what his coaching staff will look like next season, and that includes the fluid situation among his hitting group. As of now, the club is still deciding how to handle hitting-coach duties. James Rawson has served as the Yankees’ hitting coach since the 2024 season, but his contract expired after this season. “James Rawson is a free agent,” Cashman said on Tuesday. “He’s talking to other clubs at the same time. We’re also engaged in the marketplace, and also internally determining what’s next and best for us. So it’s not resolved yet.” Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner pointed his finger at the Yankees offense as the reason for their early playoff exit following their 93-win season this year. Late last month, Steinbrenner expressed deep disappointment with the hitters, stating the unit was “inconsistent for long periods of time” and “detrimental to accomplishing numerous things, including the ultimate goal of winning a championship.” It’s not the first time Steinbrenner has blamed the Yankees offense for falling short of their championship goals, but nonetheless, his criticism brought a spotlight onto Rawson and the rest of the Yankees’ hitting-coach staff. With Giancarlo Stanton missing almost the entire season with calf strains and Aaron Judge playing in just 66 games due to a rib fracture and a calf strain, the Yankees offense recorded a 101 wRC+ this season, which indicates they were just one percent better than the league average. “I know one thing we’ll do is we’ll be instantly better if we have a healthy Aaron Judge,” Cashman said, stating the obvious. “That’s a clear statement. That’ll lengthen and deepen our lineup. But it’s my job to improve all aspects of it and not just count on him coming back to fix everything.” — Thosar