Winter Meetings Slow to Develop
Not much is happening in Dallas.
In the two days since Juan Soto signed his record-breaking contract with the New York Mets, the rest of the Winter Meetings have seen very little action.
That's not necessarily a bad thing.
The last thing Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins - or any other baseball executive - wants to do is rush into things and make a rash decision.
And while there hasn't been much transactional movement since the Soto deal, expect that to change over the next 48 hours.
As well as the many rumours that fly around this time of year, the next two days bring us both the 2025 Draft Lottery as well as the Rule 5 Draft.
On the former, the Blue Jays have roughly a 7.5% of nabbing the first overall pick, but stand a good chance of landing somewhere in the top 10.
On the latter, the Blue Jays took a risk in leaving some young prospects unprotected, most notably speedster and minor league gold glove-winning outfielder Dasan Brown.
Unlike the draft lottery, the order for the Rule 5 Draft is dictated by where a team finished in the standings the previous season, going in reverse order.
The Chicago White Sox had the worst record in baseball in 2024 and so will get the first pick.
The Blue Jays will pick seventh.
With 38 players currently on their 40-man roster, the Blue Jays have room for a rule 5 pick, should they choose one.
While Rule 5 picks must be on the major league roster for the entire or returned to their original team, it is often seen as a low-risk investment for many teams looking to add complimentary pieces.
Notable recent Rule 5 picks include Anthony Santander, Mark Canha, and Ryan Pressly.
In addition to the Rule 5 and Draft Lottery, Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki has officially been posted. Teams have until January 23 to negotiate with the superstar pitcher.
While the first day of Winter Meetings haven't brought much excitement, expect big things to happen soon.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 10 | 211 ANSWERS Winter Meetings Slow to Develop What should the Jays' biggest focus be at the winter meetings? | ||
| A starter | 78 | 37 % |
| A reliever | 70 | 33.2 % |
| An outfielder | 63 | 29.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
