A look at what lies ahead at the winter meetings at the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas.
The Dodgers have already gotten things rolling early this offseason, highlighted by adding Blake Snell and extending Tommy Edman, both signed through 2029. But there’s a chance for more activity as the baseball world descends upon the Hilton Anatole hotel in Dallas, Texas.
Here’s a brief look at the schedule for certain things to watch regarding the Dodgers at the winter meetings.
Hall of Fame
Eight players are on the Classic Baseball Era ballot for the Hall of Fame, including former Dodgers Steve Garvey, Tommy John, Dick Allen, and Ken Boyer. A committee of 16 will vote to see who gets into Coperstown, with 12 votes needed for induction, with results announced on MLB Network on Sunday evening at 4:30 p.m. PT.
For anyone who gets inducted, a press conference will be held at the winter meetings on Monday at noon PT.
Manager availability
Most of the scrums between managers and front office types are more informal, and at various times throughout the few days. But the winter meetings do provide one formal session for every major league manager, for about 20 minutes each in the grand ballroom, at scheduled times on Monday and Tuesday.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is set to speak at 3 p.m. PT on Monday. Sometimes this gets streamed on the MLB team websites, but at the very least this will be a time to follow the reporters on-site in Dallas of any news that might come out of this.
Draft lottery
The top six picks will be determined in the draft lottery on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. PT, which will be televised by MLB Network. All 16 teams that missed the postseason have a shot at drawing one of the top six picks, with their chances the inverse of their relative record placement.
The Dodgers aren’t involved in the lottery, and their first pick will likely be somewhere around 40th overall. For having a payroll higher than the third competitive balance tax threshold ($277 million in 2024), their 2025 first pick will drop 10 slots, like in the 2022 and 2023 drafts. The exact placement will be known once all the qualifying-offer free agents have signed and appropriate compensation and penalties will be levied.
Rule 5 Draft
On Wednesday at 11 a.m. PT, the Rule 5 Draft will be streamed on MLB.com, the annual picking of experienced minor league players who weren’t added to 40-man rosters in November. A player picked in the Rule 5 Draft must stay on the active roster of his new team for a full season in order to keep the player, which means losing a player doesn’t always mean for good.
The Dodgers added left-hander Jack Dreyer to the 40-man roster on November 19, but no other prospects were added. Among Dodgers minor leaguers who might hear their name called on Wednesday include first baseman/outfielder Ryan Ward, outfielder Damon Keith, plus pitchers Jerming Rosario and Carlos Duran.