All eyes in the baseball world will be in Dallas, Texas, as the 2024 Winter Meetings kick off, and we have you covered so that you don't miss any action.

Meet the Press and Programming Note: Washington Nationals Manager Dave Martinez is scheduled to meet with reporters at 2:00 p.m. (We will cover it all for you.) Also, during this year's Winter Meetings, the 2025 MLB Draft Lottery will be held on Tuesday, December 10th, and the results will be announced live on MLB Network at 4:30 p.m. (The Nationals have a 10.20% chance of getting the first pick in the 2025 MLB Draft later in the season. Fingers crossed!)

Good Morning, Happy Monday. Here are your Morning headlines, analysis, and more for December 9, 2024.  

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📌 DRIVING THE DAY HERE AT THE NATS REPORT

📌 The 2024 MLB Winter Meetings will kick off today in Dallas, Texas, the big story we will be watching! Will former Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto sign with a team during this year's MLB Winter Meetings? For the second consecutive year in a row, Soto will be the talk of the meetings, as the Yankees traded for Soto with the Padres during last year's meetings. Did you know that back in 2010, the Washington Nationals made headlines during that year's Winter Meetings by signing Jayson Werth? Could the Nationals make some headlines this year? Nationals fans are hoping that the team can make headlines once again!

The Nats Report is YOUR source of all Washington Nationals news, headlines, analysis, and more during this year's Winter Meetings, so be sure to check out our live blog for the latest. Just in case you need a reminder of the location for the live blog, here it is! Be sure to bookmark this link and check back often!

📌 Juan Soto, Yeah, Juan Soto. There is much to write about Juan Soto and his mega gargantuan (yes, we used two different words that mean the same thing): $765 million contract with the New York Mets. There are also a lot of questions that need to be asked both at MLB headquarters and around front offices across the leagues. I was listening to the Junkies this morning on my way to get my coffee, and the one discussion point that caught my attention is how are other mid-market baseball teams going to compete with the big market teams? Is it fair to the sports fans in those cities and markets that their teams can't compete salary-wise with the big market teams? Is this time for the sport to finally put a salary cap for all teams? I think that Baseball is broken, and as much as the Commissioner wants to improve the pace of play on the field, what is happening off the field will make the sport great again. It would be extremely boring to see a Dodgers vs. Mets NLCS year after year for the next few years.

What about the Nationals? What does this mean? I think that the Nationals shouldn't be reactionary. The team needs to continue on the path that they are currently on and add some power to the lineup. Let's be honest: trying to compete salary-wise with the Mets, Yankees, Dodgers, and Red Sox is a lose-lose situation. The Nationals must do what's good for the team in the long run. However, I think that the Nationals need to figure out a way to be competitive in a very tough NL East. It will be rough, but let's hope the front office knows what they are doing. {Over the next few days and weeks, we will be taking a closer look at some of the questions, impact, and more and trying to help figure out some answers}

Another question we are asking this morning after the Soto signing is: Now that the biggest free agent has been signed, will we be seeing more movement in the free agent market? Port St. Lucie, FL, will be the place to be this Spring Training, that is for sure.

📌 Welcome back to Rochester, New York. Check out our latest Rochester Report on Nationals prospect Jack Dunn: Jack Dunn Takes Being a Utility Player to Another Level. "In the last two seasons in Rochester, Dunn has played every position except pitcher and catcher. Last year, on Opening Day, the Red Wings did not have a shortstop on the roster. Trey Lipscomb was called up for the opening game for the Nats, leaving the Red Wings down an infielder. When it came to writing a name on the lineup card to play shortstop, Manager Matt LeCroy put Dunn’s name on the lineup card. Dunn played shortstop so well that he played there every game in April." Read the full report here.

📌 Published this morning. This morning, we published Part Four of Owen's in-depth look at Washington Nationals prospects. Be sure to check out Parts 1, 2, and 3, and of course, don't forget to check out our Top Ten list! The Nats Report is THE place for the latest on Washington Nationals Prospects!

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