What We’ve Learned From MLB Managers at the Winter Meetings

DALLAS — On Day 2 of the MLB Winter Meetings inside the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, 10 managers took their turns at the podium. There was a wide range of experience within that grouping, with Bruce Bochy of the Texas Rangers (entering his 28th season as a big-league skipper) to Will Venable of the Chicago White Sox, who will be making his managerial debut on the South Side this season.

So what did we hear from these team leaders? Here are four quotes that stood out to us.

Yankees putting positive spin on losing out on Juan Soto

It’s hard to smile when you know you didn’t win the Juan Soto sweepstakes, but Yankees manager Aaron Boone did his best to do just that on Tuesday.

With Soto now no longer an option for the Yankees after signing his massive deal (and perhaps changing the perspective around the league of the New York Mets), Boone will now have to figure out another way to get back to the World Series.

Certainly the offseason is not over and the Yankees will make more moves, but it’s clear that Boone is already thinking about life in the Bronx without Soto.

“There’s more than one way to build a team or skin a cat,” Boone told reporters. “Maybe it allows you to be more defensive. Maybe it allows you to play in the pitching market more often. Again, it’s where you line up. It’s like there’s a lot of ways to become a great team.

“Last year we had an outstanding offense, obviously anchored by Juan and Aaron hitting back to back. That’s not the only way to be a great team, though, you know what I mean?

“We’ll see. We’re going to try our best to and are confident that when we get to spring training, we’ll be in a position that we’ll be one of those teams that has a chance to go compete for it all.”

Rob Thomson on Phillies trade talk around Alec Bohm

The Philadelphia Phillies manager made it very clear on Tuesday that any trade rumors surrounding third baseman Alec Bohm such as this one were not the result of the franchise pushing him out the door.

“We’ve texted, but I talked to him on the phone yesterday,” Thomson said.

“He’s in Houston right now. He’s working out. He’s got a workout place that he goes to every year. So he’s been there for, I think, about a month. He’s going to go to Clearwater for Christmas and then back to Houston and then back to Clearwater for spring training.

“He’s in good shape. He’s working hard lifting, and he’s actually hitting all right. I just wanted to let him know we’re not — this guy is a really good player. We’re not shopping him, but because he’s a good player, there’s a whole lot of interest in him from other teams.”

That last sentence from Thomson is a key because he wanted to drive a stake through the heart of the discussion that the Phillies were looking to shake things up by moving the 28-year-old Bohm. While the rumors are swirling, Thomson said any trade talk is because the Phillies are just doing their due diligence.

“Obviously you have to do your homework and talk to people and listen,” Thomson said.

Minnesota Twins: Position change coming for Royce Lewis?

After primarily playing third base over the 152 games he has seen action with the Minnesota Twins over the last three seasons, Royce Lewis may be seeing plenty of time at second base in 2025.

The former top overall pick in the 2017 MLB draft has the tools to handle the new position, said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli.

“I said before I think he can handle it,” Baldelli said. “If he has time to prepare and get ready for this and he has the second half of an offseason and spring training to get ready, he has the skill set. He has the ability to handle that. I have very little doubt that he can do that.”

Baldelli said that Lewis has been working out in the Dallas area and the duo had a chance to catch up while the Minnesota manager was in town for the Winter Meetings.

“Royce actually said he’s been taking balls on both sides of second base. So that’s — it tells you a little bit about where his head is. He’s like, yeah, I’ve been getting some work done at second just in case, just in case. We’ll make that decision when we see what our roster overall is going to look like.

“It’s hard to say anything about where Royce will ultimately fall. I’d like to figure that out sooner than later, and I’m sure he would too. But at this point in the offseason, we probably can’t answer that question quite yet. He can do it. He can do it.”

Baldelli said that Willi Lewis would also see some time at second base, but finding a place where Lewis can focus is a priority for the Twins in 2025.

“I think finding a spot, a good spot for him and letting him settle in, prepare, get ready confidently and play, I think that’s what we’re looking for,” Baldelli said.

Texas Rangers: Don’t blame Jonah Heim’s 2024 on the World Series

For Bochy, a down year from Jonah Heim (.220/.267/.336 with an OPS+ of 72) was just one of the problems in a season where the Rangers slipped from World Series champions to 78-84 and third place in the American League West.

However, Bochy refused on Monday to buy into any talk that Heim’s run behind the plate for the Rangers on the way to capturing the Fall Classic had anything to do with his down year last season.

“I can’t say that. I really can’t. Only because there’s been a lot of teams that won World Championships and have to bounce back,” Bochy said.

“So whether that did — he did carry a heavy load, no question about it. So that’s why getting Higgy (Kyle Higashioka, a free agent catcher signed by Texas in the offseason) here to help out, you know, to lighten the load for him, hopefully we keep him fresher.”

Could the 29-year-old Heim be among those who read his own newspaper clippings after logging a 106 OPS+ and winning the Gold Glove during an All-Star season?

“I don’t want to say anybody got complacent. I know Jonah didn’t, but at the same time I think it’s just a reminder that you can’t let up,” Bochy said.

“You can’t stop trying to become a better player. Not that he didn’t, but this is a wake-up call that we have work to do. We have a lot of work to do this spring.”

What Did We Learn from Managers on Day 1?

DALLAS — The Winter Meetings officially began on Monday, as the baseball world converged at Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas Texas. This is the time of year where free agency is at it’s height, and blockbuster trades can come together in an instant.

While the agents, and front office executives are usually very busy conducting their business behind closed doors, each team’s manager is often made available to the media, where a lot of them speak publicly for the first time since the end of the season.

Across our Day 1 coverage in Dallas, we were lucky enough to hear from four of the most prominent managers in the game, who are all seasoned veterans at navigating the Winter Meeting this time of year.

Between Terry Francona, Bob Melvin, Craig Counsell and Ron Washington, you are talking about baseball lives that span many decades, giving them a unique perspective on the game. Here are some of the top things we learned from the managers.

Terry Francona is Ready to Lead a Smarter Reds Team

It was perhaps fitting that Terry Francona was among the first MLB managers at Monday’s MLB Winter Meetings availability to take his place in front of the media and talk about expectations heading into 2025.

After all, Francona’s return to manage the Cincinnati Reds after stepping down for health reasons from the Cleveland Guardians following the 2023 campaign is one of the most interesting personnel stories of the upcoming season.

“I haven’t had a surgery in like 11 months,” Francona joked. “I’m on borrowed time.”

Francona takes over a Reds team that has the potential to be in the mix for the National League Central title this season, but there are plenty of things that need to go right for that to happen.

Among them is a consistent season from Elly De La Cruz, the 22-year-old infielder who finished eighth in NL Most Valuable Player voting last season but had questions swirling around his performance when he slashed just .208/.298/.287 in 115 May plate appearances.

While Francona didn’t speak specifically about De La Cruz, some of his comments about what can be improved for the 2024 Reds certainly fit into some of the criticism the All-Star faced last season.

“I think the idea is trying to create havoc on the bases, but also being intelligent,” Francona said. “I think taking that step forward will be really big for us.”

MLB Winter Meetings: Bob Melvin praises Buster Posey

The San Francisco Giants have already made a big splash this offseason, signing Willy Adames to a seven-year, $182 million deal that gives the franchise its shortstop of the future. The move was not only bold, but costly as well, marking the biggest contract ever handed out by the Giants.

If there was a way for new president of baseball operations Buster Posey to make a big impression in his first offseason running the franchise, this was it, according to Giants manager Bob Melvin.

“Buster is a winner. He wants to win. It’s why he is here,” Melvin said. “We’ll see where it goes from here, but a lot of the conversations about the types of players that we talk about all fit really well.

“There’s a lot of offseason left. Obviously here at the Winter Meetings is when a lot of stuff happens, but from the very beginning it was about not scaling back. It was how are we going to improve this team? I think we’ll be well on our way to improving the team.”

Sure, it’s early in the relationship, but Melvin said he and Posey have struck a similar chord based on a shared belief that the Giants can get back into the postseason, despite playing in the rugged National League West.

“Just spending time with him and listening to his baseball acumen and just talking a minute ago, there are certain guys that are just very common sense smart and everything that comes out of their mouth just sounds like, yeah, that’s well said and makes a lot of sense,” Melvin said.

“It’s been great to not only have that, but for the organization as well to have an icon like that running the Giants. I think it’s received across the board everywhere.”

MLB Winter Meetings: Counsell believes Cubs aren’t done

With the news coming out on Monday that the Cubs signed Matthew Boyd to boost their rotation, manager Craig Counsell was happy about the addition to his club, but also made it very clear that the Cubs are by no means putting a bow on the offseason.

“I think at this point in the winter you’re not saying we’re done anywhere,” Counsell said. “I just don’t think on December 10th you say that. You kind of see what the winter brings and go from there.”

He also doubled down on that later in his talk with reporters.

“I expect the team to look different in Spring Training than it is now, yes,” Counsell said.

Could that be on the pitching side? Counsell certainly seemed open to the Cubs finding more depth on the mound.

“Look, you just try to get the best pitchers you can,” Counsell said.

“I think good pitchers come in all shapes and sizes and velocities and strengths. So I don’t know if that’s something required. We just want to get as good of pitchers as we can. You always want good pitchers. That’s just something you’re trying to check off.”

MLB Winter Meetings: Ron Washington talks Mike Trout

For the Los Angeles Angels to have any kind of chance of making the postseason in 2025, a healthy Mike Trout must be a part of the equation.

Trout saw action in just 29 games last season because of knee issues, marking the third time in the last four seasons he has played in 82 games or less. With Trout turning 34 in August, time is of the essence if the Angels and Trout are going to return to the postseason.

Still, despite all of the injuries and frustration around Trout not being able to play, Washington made it clear that the future Hall of Famer is still an impact player at an elite level among his colleagues.

“My expectations of Mike Trout are the same as Mike Trout. He want to come back healthy, and he wants to put a tremendous year together for the Los Angeles Angels, and that’s what we all want,” Washington said.

“I do believe that we’re going to help him accomplish that. We’re going to help him accomplish that.

“But I’m going to tell you, Mike Trout still today — this is a big statement I’m making — 80 percent of the players in the league, and you can go to both leagues, Mike Trout is still better than them.”