Winter is coming. But first, winter meetings.
Business will be conducted, news will be broken, players will be signed when MLB front offices, players and agents all meet in sunny San Diego for this year’s baseball Winter Meetings, from Sunday, Dec. 4, to Wednesday, Dec. 7.
This offseason, the majority of eyes are set on MLB’s literal and figurative biggest free agent, outfielder Aaron Judge. Recent reports indicate that Judge could make a decision this week that will set the stage for the remainder of his career. Which coast Judge will be playing on remains to be seen; rumors indicate that the Giants or Yankees could sign the MVP slugger.
Other stars, such as Justin Verlander, Trea Turner, Carlos Correa, Carlos Rodon and Xander Bogaerts, figure to contribute to what could be a wild week of signings, trades, rumors and more.
MORE: MLB free agency tracker — Latest news, updates for 2022 class
The Sporting News will be tracking the latest out of San Diego below.
MLB Winter Meetings rumors, news, signings
Athletics could be close to dealing Sean Murphy
Date: Sunday, Dec. 4
Source: Mark Feinsand, MLB.com
The Athletics appear ready to resume their roster blowup, this time shipping off their No. 1 catcher. Feinsand reports that multiple teams are in the hunt for the 28-year-old Murphy but the Braves are not one of them, updating an earlier report.
Update on Sean Murphy: it still appears Oakland is close to a trade, but the Braves are NOT going to be the acquiring team, per source. The Cardinals, Rays, Guardians and Red Sox are among the teams that have been connected to Murphy in recent weeks.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) December 4, 2022
Murphy hit a career-high 18 home runs for Oakland in 2022, a key component in his 122 wRC+. He won a Gold Glove in 2021.