I’m thrilled to say I will represent Metsmerized as credentialed media at the Winter Meetings this year in Nashville at the Gaylord Opryland. The meetings begin on Sunday and go through Wednesday, and while the focus will undoubtedly be on trades and signings, other important announcements and events are taking place.

Sunday, Dec. 3

Contemporary Baseball Era Committee Ballot results will be announced on MLB Network at 7:30 p.m. ET. Former Mets manager Davey Johnson is on the ballot, which includes Cito Gaston, Jim Leyland, Ed Montague, Hank Peters, Lou Piniella, Joe West, and Bill White.

Monday, Dec. 4

This is when things start to kick off regarding managers and front office executives having media availability and when at least a few player moves are reported.

Tuesday, Dec. 5

The MLB Draft Lottery results will be released on MLB Network at 5:30 p.m. ET. The Mets have a 4.3% chance of getting the first overall pick. The Mets, Yankees, and Padres are in the lottery, but because they exceeded the second surcharge threshold of the competitive balance tax, they will have their first overall pick drop 10 spots unless they get a top-six pick in the lottery. In which case, their second-highest pick will be dropped 10 spots.

The A’s, Royals, and Rockies all have the highest odds of earning the top pick in the draft, at 18.3%.

Wednesday, Dec. 6

My nerdy-favorite part of the Winter Meetings is always the Rule 5 Draft that takes place on the last day. The Mets decided to add only outfield prospect Alex Ramírez to their 40-man roster last month before the Rule 5 roster protection deadline. Right-handed pitcher Coleman Crow is the most notable player that the Mets decided to expose to the Rule 5 draft, and there’s been buzz that he could get selected.

Last year, teams selected 14 players in the Major League phase, and eight of those players saw big league time in 2023. The Mets selected right-handed pitcher Zach Greene last year in the major league portion, but returned him to the Yankees during spring camp. They did select infielder Jonathan Araúz during the minor league portion (no roster requirements), and he played in 27 big league games for the Mets this year.

We will have you covered at the Winter Meetings with non-stop coverage and hopefully lots of Mets-related news!