MLB Winter Meetings 2019 dates, trade rumors, top free agents available

Winter heats up in San Diego.

The 2019 Winter Meetings come to you from the West Coast this year, starting Sunday, and there will be no shortage of starpower being discussed over the fivedays by the bay.

Gerrit Cole, Stephen Strasburg, Anthony Rendon are the big three free agents still floating without employers this offseason, and you can bet their names will come up a lot over the next week as players, agents and front-office members from all 30 squads meet in California.

MORE: 2020 spring training reporting dates for every team

Last year, the Winter Meetings — and offseason in general — proved fruitless, as baseball dragged along through the winter months leading up to the 2019 season. Andrew McCutchen and J.A. Happ were arguably the biggest names signed during the time in Vegas, while the biggest trade was a Tanner Roark for Tanner Rainey swap between the Reds and Nationals.

Hopefully, this year will providesomeearly December excitement as teams gear up for 2020.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2019 Winter Meetings:

When are the MLB Winter Meetings 2019?

• Start date: Sunday, Dec. 8
• End date: Thursday, Dec. 12

The 2019 Winter Meetings start on Sunday, Dec. 8, and end Thursday, Dec. 12. Front office members, agents and players will all be in attendance.

Where are the MLB Winter Meetings 2019?

The 2019 Winter Meetings are held at the Hilton Bayfront in San Diego. This is the first time since 2014 that the Winter Meetings will be in San Diego, and the fourth time overall the city is hosting.

MLB trade rumors

Dec. 3:The Mets could look to shop two veterans to alleviate some payroll: Jeurys Familia and Jed Lowrie are on the block, according to the Athletic's Ken Rosenthal.

Dec. 1: Miguel Andújar missed most of 2019 with a shoulder injury, and could find himself in a new uniform come 2020, a report says.

Dec. 1: Could Josh Hader be on the move? The Brewers could look to trade him this offseason, reports say.Here are five teams who could make sense for the relief ace.

MORE: Where could Zack Wheeler land? | Madison Bumgarner's best fits

MLB free agency rumors

Dec. 9: The White Sox are in on both Marcell Ozuna and Nicholas Castellanos, and have a "great chance" at landing one of them, per Fox Sports' Jon Morosi.

Dec. 8: The Yankees may or may not have tendered a contract offer to Gerrit Cole.

Dec. 3: The Yankees are all in on Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, per reports. That's a good thing for New York and its fans.

Top 2020 MLB free agents

The current free-agent class is still headlined by Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg. While the latter two could sign sooner rather than later, Cole might not choose to sign until January or later, according to his agent.

The next tier of free agents features Zack Wheeler and Madison Bumgarner. Wheeler, 29, and Bumgarner, 30, are both legitimate top-of-the-rotationpitchers when healthy.

For a more comprehensive ranking, visit Sporting News' definitive free agent ranking for 2020.