This week will be hectic in the MLB world.
Wishing for the New York Mets to focus? Let the impatient among us exhale with relief. About that time, actually.
Although the MLB offseason has already begun, December is when things really pick up speed. November is designated for internal events, including deadlines for non-tender submissions and the 40-man roster. A lot of it comes down to what a team can start working on in the last month of the season, which also happens to be the first significant month of the MLB offseason.
Here are a few important dates you should be aware of in the coming week.
Winter Meetings of MLB, December 4–7
With the cancellation of the GM Meetings in November due to upset stomachs, some of the events that could have transpired then will now have the opportunity to occur. The MLB Winter Meetings open the floodgates to free agency. I hope Pepto Bismol isn’t undercoverly funding this thing. The Mets signed Justin Verlander on the opening day of the previous Winter Meetings.
December 5 is MLB Draft Lottery day.
The MLB Draft Lottery will happen one day into the Winter Meetings. The Mets’ chances of gaining a better draft position will be seventh-best. The most crucial thing is to at least barely make the top six. They will drop ten spots if they place seventh or lower overall due to their placement in the luxury tax penalty bracket. Please have someone freeze a ping pong ball.
Draft Rule 5 for December 7
The Rule 5 Draft, which is probably scheduled against a few significant free agent signings and trades, marks the conclusion of the events. Should the Mets lose one of their unprotected players or take a chance on a bullpen arm? Before spring training concluded, they selected Zach Greene, a pitcher for the New York Yankees, only to send him back to the Bronx.
Get ready for a hectic week for the Mets—and pretty much everyone else, too. Next week is the best time to use paid time off (PTO) to update social media and take a break.