By Sam Reeves

This week kicked off MLB’s patented annual Winter Meetings.

Tis the season when the “Hot Stove” tends to start heating up and things move more rapidly. This year, however, feels a little bit different.

There is a trade market for a few players out there being reported. There is a bidding war for Shohei Ohtani going on behind the scenes as well. That’s all fine and dandy, but there are some other key things that have been happening during these meetings that aren’t getting as much attention from the likes of Jeff Passan and Boob Nightengale.

Let’s dive in to what I’ve been hearing from my well placed #sources.

White Sox GM Chris Getz Lost
The new general manager, who was hired after a long and extensive interview process, got a little confused on his first day at the meetings. He didn’t know anyone’s name, any of the meeting room locations, nor where to be at what time. Now we have all been there; whether it’s a new job, new school, or a stranger’s home and you need to take a shit really badly but can’t find the bathroom. Everyone gets a little lost from time to time.

Chris Getz eventually figured it out when he walked into the first meeting room and overheard some guys talking about analytics. He realized he was in the wrong room, and went to the next one down to find the people in the room watching highlights from the 2015 Kansas City Royals World Series championship. He pulled up a seat, watched the entire thing, and then went to lunch.

John Fisher Traveled in Style
Oakland Athletic’s owner John Fisher arrived very late in the day on Monday. He booked a flight with Spirit Airlines with two layovers to save some money. It was reported he was telling everyone he flew first-class, but wouldn’t tell them what airline.

When asked why he arrived so late, Fisher retorted, “Do you know how difficult it is to leave Las Vegas when you’re crushing at BlackJack? I was up $60, I couldn’t leave then!”

Scott Boras Gave Insight
Super agent Scott Boras met with the media at the meetings as he does every year. However, he called for this media scrum not to announce a signing or anything with his clients, but to field questions regarding his sock choices while making deals. Boras told the media if the deal seems pretty straightforward, he will tend to wear socks with golf balls on them.

“It’s like hitting a nice 3-wood 260 right down the middle.” If the deal seems like it might take some time to hash out details, he will wear socks with puppies on them.

“If I find myself working really hard on a deal, I know I need to step back, pull up my pantleg and look at those cute little puppies. Really brings my focus back to the matter at hand.”

This went on for over 45 minutes.

Alex Anthopoulos Keeps Making Trades
The Atlanta Braves GM has already made a couple of trades this offseason with the Chicago White Sox and Seattle Mariners to help improve his team. It appears he is doing even more while here at the meetings. Not for his team, but for his meals.

The mover and shaker will yell across the food hall to anyone willing to listen that he will trade his entrée for three of their side dishes. He offered a pudding cup for four water bottles. The man cannot be stopped when he is in trade mode. No word on if anyone accepted his proposals.

DJ Arson Judge Entertained
Yankees RF Aaron Judge was hilariously mistyped as Arson Judge during his free agency last season and yes it’s still funny. He decided to make a DJ persona out of the name and play some wet beats for the Winter Meetings. Judge has some house-made tracks he dropped such as “We Need More Than Cash, Man” which everyone thought was a shot at GM Brian Cashman, but was really just a song about diversifying his portfolio. Coincidentally the only one watching this concert was Jon Heyman.

Boob Nightengale Got Confused…Again
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale is a writer and reporter usually plugged into MLB happenings. For a long time was thought to be Jerry Reinsdorf’s media puppet. However, it was rumored he was actually Kenny Williams’ media puppet. Who knows what is true, nevertheless, Bob Nightengale showed up in Nashville but checked into the wrong hotel.

The Winter Meetings are being held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort, but Bob, being the focused man he is, accidentally booked at Motel 6. He then reported that the meetings had been canceled. It took him quite a lengthy conversation with the desk clerk before it clicked in that he made a mistake. He now has to take a 20-minute Uber to and from the meetings because of his mistake. The good news is that this Motel 6 has a restaurant attached!

Juan Soto Dressed for the Occasion
One of the big names on the trade market is OF Juan Soto of the San Diego Padres. Rumors are he was in town, not for the meetings, but to do some karaoke dressed as a cowboy. Apparently that is his dream and Nashville is the place to start for that career.

He was covering Willie Nelson, Garth Brooks (where are the bodies?!), and Reba McEntire. Locals who were there insisted it was pretty good. There is no news whether any labels have reached out to Juan Soto, but if he gets traded, hopefully its not too far from Nashville.

The Winter Meetings may be short, but their lasting impact is very long. PHRASING. Just remember, ASS is your most trusted news source for all things sports. We are accredited by the BS Journalism of America. We appreciate you reading along, and hope you enjoyed it.