It may not seem like it, given that it was less than two months ago that the Washington Nationals hoisted their first World Series trophy in franchise history, but baseball season is just around the corner with pitchers and catchers reporting to Training Camp about two months from now.

Smack dab in the middle of it all are Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings, which were held in sunny San Diego this year and wrapped up on Thursday. The annual event brings representatives from all 30 teams and their minor league affiliates together to talk, among other things, about league rules and policy changes. Perhaps the biggest headline this year is the new drug policy agreement between the league and its’ players’ union that will allow the league to test players for opiods and will remove marijuana from the league’s list of “drugs of abuse.” The new opioid testing policy is a direct response to the death of Los Angeles Angels’ pitcher Tyler Skaggs, who was found dead in his team hotel room this past July with two opioids in his system. 

The Winter Meetings also offer teams the chance to wheel and deal, and the Los Angeles Angels took advantage of that opportunity this year, signing former Nationals slugging third baseman Anthony Rendon to a seven year deal worth $245 million. The Dodgers had expressed interested in Rendon as well but weren’t able to get a deal done. 

Today on AirTalk, we’ll check in with a baseball writer who attended the Winter Meetings in San Diego and reconvene our Triple Play of Larry Mantle, A Martinez and Nick Roman to talk about the rule changes, hot stove action and the Dodgers’ and Angels’ offseasons so far.

Guests:

Bill Shaikin, baseball writer for The Los Angeles Times who was at the 2019 MLB Winter Meetings in San Diego; he tweets

A Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two”; he tweets

Nick Roman, host of KPCC’s All Things Considered; he tweets