Baseball NewsDecember is Christmas time, and for baseball teams it’s a time for shopping for new players at the annual winter meetings. This year promises to be one of the best in recent memory. This here they meetings will be held in Nashville.

“A lot of the conversations begin in earnest in the GM Meetings,” said an AL exec. “And with all the time leading up to [the Winter Meetings], a lot get completed.”

This year two of the most talented and high-priced free agents remain unsigned. Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton are two of the prized free-agents this year.

Greinke is expected to command upwards of a $150 million contract and Hamilton is looking for multiyear deal that will pay him in excess of $25 million a year.

Expectations are always high among fans and media, and rumors of trades and transactions will dominate baseball news for a week, MLB Winter Meetings previews and projections have begun

The Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to be one of the most active teams at this year’s meetings. The Dodgers have established themselves as the leader among baseball teams for spending money on new players. New TV baseball contracts are in place and the Dodgers aren’t afraid to spend.

Still all baseball team general managers look forward to this time of year. While players earn their living between April and October general managers earn their paychecks from October to March. The Dodgers, Red Sox, and Rays are expected to be among more active teams pursuing new talent.

The Toronto Blue Jays made a big splash ahead of the meetings in a blockbuster deal with the Miami Marlins.  The Miami Marlins sent All-Stars Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson and John Buck to the Toronto Blue Jays as part of a 12-player trade.

That means teams in the American League East will be looking to compete. For baseball fans it’s like Christmas comes early for their favorite teams.