We are about to enter the most exciting time of the offseason when representatives from all 30 MLB teams including the Atlanta Braves meet in one place. The Winter Meetings have always been a jumping point for some of the biggest free agent contracts and offseason trades.
The Braves have some work to do this offseason to fill a few different positions, including starting pitching, outfield, and maybe even a shortstop upgrade. This meeting will allow Alex Anthopoulos to kick-start solutions for Atlanta and try to repeat the success his predecessors found during previous meetings.
What are the MLB Winter Meetings and when/where are they held?
The MLB Winter Meetings allow team and league executives the opportunity to engage in business together in person. This is where a lot of groundwork can be created for free agent signings, trades, and more.
The winter meetings take place in one city during early December, but the location changes. This year, the meetings will take place in Dallas, Texas from December 9-12, 2024.
Players' agents are present, working on potential deals for their clients and baseball media is also present covering all the murmurings and decisions being made. The MLB draft lottery, Rule 5 draft, and the Hall of Fame contemporary era committee announcement also take place.
Before these meetings, the offseason is a bit dull and there's not a lot of action. Once the meetings are over, fans have a better idea of what the 2025 season will look like for each team.
The biggest moves the Braves have made at the Winter Meetings
Atlanta has been involved in some pretty big offseason moves during the meetings over the years. Let's take a look at a few of the biggest moves made by the Braves at the Winter Meetings.
Greg Maddux signs in 1992
Almost everyone expected Greg Maddux to end up with the Yankees during the 1992 Winter Meetings. New York was rumored to have offered the NL Cy Young winner a five-year, $37.5 million offer. Maddux stated he'd planned on signing with New York that offseason but an offer was never made.
He wanted to remain in the National League anyway ideally and the Braves were a team built to win. So Atlanta ended up signing Maddux to a five-year, $28 million contract. This addition was made after the Braves had a trade for Barry Bonds rescinded after Pirates manager Jim Leyland caught wind of it. I'd say it worked out well for the Braves in the end.
Adam Wainwright traded for J.D. Drew in 2003
The Braves and Cardinals shocked the baseball world when they announced Atlanta had acquired infielder J.D. Drew in exchange for coveted pitching prospect Adam Wainwright. This is a trade that Braves fans will always regret the team making despite Drew hitting 31 homers and producing a 157 OPS+. Wainwright went on to have an excellent 18-year career with the St. Louis Cardinals. J.D. Drew left the Braves in free agency after the season ended and signed with the Dodgers.
December 9, 2015 - the Braves acquire Dansby Swanson at the #WinterMeetings in a blockbuster five-player deal.
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 9, 2023
MLB Network + @CohnReznick pic.twitter.com/aZ1GmILHHA
Dansby Swanson trade in 2015
Atlanta shocked the baseball world in 2015 when a leak reported the Braves had acquired infielder Dansby Swanson from the Diamondbacks after being drafted by Arizona just six months earlier. Shelby Miller and Gabe Speier were traded in exchange for Swanson, Ender Inciarte, and Aaron Blair.
The leak almost put the trade in jeopardy as early reports had the Braves committing highway robbery. Honestly, they had a point, the Braves received a quality leader for their future, an excellent defensive outfielder, and a budding pitching prospect. Shelby Miller was a bust and his career was never the same after leaving Atlanta. However, the trade went through and the rest is history. Inciarte won three Gold Gloves and Swanson helped lead the Braves to a World Series title.