Day Three Roundup from the 2024 Winter Meetings in Dallas, TX

DALLAS, Tex. — With the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings officially in the books, it’s time to look back at some of the biggest storylines of the final day.

While Wednesday was relatively quiet in Dallas with the exception of the Rule 5 draft, there were plenty of rumors floating around. As well, one of the biggest pitching names involved in those speculatory swaps was actually traded.

Here’s what stood out about Wednesday to a pair of Just Baseball columnists present in Dallas, Patrick Lyons and Kevin Henry.

Transactions

On Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox acquired 25-year-old left-hander Garrett Crochet from the Chicago Sox in exchange for four prospects (three position players and one pitcher). 

Crochet is under team control through the 2026 campaign, which meant the Red Sox needed to pay up in order to have a top-of-the-rotation arm as a part of their plans for the next two seasons.

So what do we think of the trade?

PATRICK LYONS: This time last year, Crochet was a reliever who made 13 appearances following his return from Tommy John surgery. Coupled with the fact that he could be gone in free agency 24 months from now, this move comes with a lot of risk on the part of the Red Sox.

One of the biggest elements of Crochet’s appeal is his projected $2.9 million salary for 2025. Before breaking out as a starting pitcher and All-Star this season, his work as a relief pitcher kept down his earning power through his first year of arbitration. He’ll be underpaid in 2026 as well, regardless of how well he performs this upcoming year.

For Boston to really win their end of this trade, they’ll need to sign the 25-year-old to an extension that gives him more guaranteed money these next two years and pays him well for another four to five years.

If they can’t come to an agreement on that, Crochet could enter the open market ahead of 2027, receive an even more lucrative deal and possibly leave the Red Sox stranded by signing with another club.

KEVIN HENRY: For the White Sox, this is once again a chance to kickstart the rebuild. A pair of Just Baseball’s Top 100 prospects are heading to the South Side in the deal: two first-round bats in Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery. 

Arguably, Crochet was the trade piece that was going to bring the most back for Chicago this offseason, so this deal simply had to be one that pays dividends down the road. We likely won’t know for years if the trade was worth it, but time is of the essence for the White Sox to get back to respectability.

Ramblin’ Rumors

This year’s Winter Meeting was a lot less waiting around for something to happen compared to 2024 when the entire industry waited for Shohei Ohtani to make his decision. Juan Soto was traded in the waning hours of the final day from the Padres to the Yankees, but most of the time, the meetings in Nashville were much ado about nothing.

Even after some major free agent pieces came off the board and a few trades were struck, many more moves and storylines from this year’s Winter Meetings remain compelling to explore. 

LYONS: For any number of teams who miss out on the Alex Bregman sweepstakes, Nolan Arenado is waiting in the wings to be had from the St. Louis Cardinals.

With the Colorado Rockies paying $10 million of the remaining $74 million on his deal for the next three years and the Cards open to chipping in their own piece, the 10-time Gold Glove Award winner could be had at a reasonable price.

The 33-year-old only has a few chances remaining to win a World Series, and his list of six teams for which he’d be willing to waive his no-trade clause shows that desire. A reunion with former teammate Trevor Story in Boston or a deal to either club from his Los Angeles area hometown would also be intriguing. 

HENRY: One of the rumors I am definitely following is the possibility of Kyle Tucker heading out of Houston to the North Side, which could start a domino effect that would send Cody Bellinger to the New York Yankees. Tucker is the ultimate prize in this trade, but Bellinger and his left-handed swing inside Yankee Stadium would certainly be something to see.

Would Bellinger be enough to make up for the loss of Juan Soto? Likely not, but he could be a piece of the puzzle that could help protect Aaron Judge in the lineup and allow him to move back to right field.

Rule 5 Draft

Need a good explainer of what the Rule 5 Draft is and who was involved on Wednesday? Our own Aram Leighton lays it all out quite well in this article.

In all, 15 players were taken during the Major League portion of the Rule 5 Draft, including two by Atlanta. You can find the entire list here.

HENRY: Again, it’s about the White Sox, for me, and that very first pick of the Rule 5 Draft, with Chicago taking right-hander Shane Smith from the Milwaukee Brewers. Knowing that Rule 5 draft picks have to stay on the active roster during the upcoming season, Smith is going to be a part of the White Sox bullpen in 2025. If he’s successful, this could be a good building block for the White Sox.

Rule 5 players are always a roll of the dice, but Chicago is in a position to take those chances. Smith’s potential is well worth what little risk the White Sox will be taking by bringing him onto the roster.

LYONS: I had been interested in Philadelphia prospect Eiberson Castellano from the Just Baseball Rule 5 preview. When he was announced as the no. 9 pick by the Minnesota Twins and I noticed Phillies POBO Dave Dombrowski seated next to me, I had to check to see the legendary executive’s reaction. Stoic.

Castellano had his strongest showing as a professional in 2024, pitching to a 3.99 ERA with a nearly 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 103.2 innings at High-A and Double-A. The fact that Minnesota finished the season with Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack on the 60-day IL suggests Castellano could be more than just the club’s long reliever for 2025. 

Looking Ahead

Though it’s a wrap on the 2024 Winter Meetings, the hot stove will still be active throughout the winter with Roki Sasaki and his decision looming large, not to mention free agents like Corbin Burnes, Pete Alonso and Teoscar Hernández still available.

As we wait for those transactions to transpire, take care of yourself for the next two months until we hear the four sweetest words in sports: pitchers and catchers report.