I’m gonna lay some heavy truth on you all, and I’m not looking to ruin anyone’s Christmas (if the Winter Meetings is your Xmas), so skip this comment if you you don’t want your fantasy shattered . . .

. . . the Winter Meetings do not exist for the purpose of trading and signing players.

The Winter Meetings exist mainly so ML teams can meet with their MiL teams, MLB & MiLB vote on rules that govern their relationship, individual leagues meet and vote on league issues, industry award banquet, galas, organizational dinners (everyone except the Yankees), massive trade show, job seekers meet with Minor and Major league organizations, and more.

That the timing of it and convenience lend itself to players meeting with prospective teams and and a trade or two is simply a happy by-product of the event itself. The ubiquitous media presence (WM locales always make great TV backdrops) makes it appealing to organizations looking to make a big FA signing or trade. That Beane didn’t land an OF is not necessarily a reflection on him or the A’s.

Beane may sign someone the day after he gets home. Or even later on. It doesn’t have to happen at the Winter Meetings. Yet the media loves framing the backdrop of the Meetings as this massive FA and Trading marketplace, when, in fact, its not.

And I’ll go a further step . . . the Winter Meetings is the year end party, and dare I say . . . the baseball industry can party with the best of them. Baseball, Booze & Boobz is the underlying theme of the Meetings.

I never attended a Winter Meetings in which I didn’t see the Brett brothers blitzed or Harold Reynolds working his magic on the ladies.

The Winter Meetings are an adult Disneyland for those lucky enough to attend.