With the MLB Winter Meetings kicking off today in Dallas and the potential awkwardness of trading players scheduled to appear at Redsfest avoided, this could be the week something happens. Maybe? The Reds are said to be hopeful that they can get something done this week on the pitching front, but John Fay's Enquirer coverage on Sunday was chock-full of highly-qualified and tentative remarks from both Jocketty and Baker.
So the Winter Meetings in sunny DallasFortWorthMegalopolis&CowboysParkingLot is the big item on the dance card this week. The Rule 5 Draft takes place Thursday, but if the Reds don't outright someone off their full 40-man roster by later today, they won't be taking anyone. I don't think they're too concerned about it. You shouldn't be either.
- Monday: Winter Meetings begin at the Hilton Anatole, a luxury hotel somewhere in the Dallasland area and, I can only assume, named after the titular character in a series of children's books written by Eve Titus and illustrated by Paul Galdone. Anatole. Anatole, as you may already know, "is a mouse who lives in an un-named 'mouse village' outside the French city of Paris, commuting by bicycle who was foraging for food when he overheard some humans complaining about mice as villainous. Deeply aggrieved at the insult to his honor, Anatole resolved to do better" (Wikipedia).
- Tuesday: Any Red Reporters in Dallas? It'd be nice to get someone on the scene to dish on whether the Reds have left their rooms. And, if so, whether it was for ice or ice AND mixers.
- Wednesday: Winter Meetings continue. Midnight Wednesday is also the deadline for free agents to accept arbitration offers from their previous clubs. The Reds don't have any offers out. And with Ramon and CoCo in special Type B status, they didn't need to make any in order to get picks back.
- Thursday: Winter Meetings conclude with the Rule 5 Draft. Like free agent arbitration (and possibly free agency altogether), the Reds aren't getting involved. Judging by this list - and the number of players they added to their 40-man roster last month - they probably won't lose anybody either.
- Friday: Cool down from the Winter Meetings. Even if a big trade doesn't happen, it will have been an anxious week. Take a vacation. May I suggest Dallas? It's a major airline hub.