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Strike Zone podcast: Winter meetings preview with Dan O'Dowd, Jay Jaffe

On this week's edition of The Strike Zone podcast, MLB Network analyst Dan O'Dowd and SI.com's Jay Jaffe join the show to talk about the upcoming winter meetings.

The hot stove has started to heat up this week thanks to the signing of David Price, and you can expect things to get even busier next week when the winter meetings begin in Nashville. But what's on tap for the annual summit of agents, general managers and baseball executives, and which players and teams will be in the news?

On this week's edition of The Strike Zone podcast, host Ted Keith welcomes a pair of guests on to the show to discuss all things off-season and winter meetings. First up, Ted talks to former Rockies general manager and current MLB Network analyst Dan O'Dowd. A veteran of the winter meetings from his 15 years as Colorado's GM, O'Dowd discusses what the atmosphere is like at the week-long event, and what teams need to do to prepare themselves for the busiest period of the off-season. After that, Ted and Dan talk about which players could be on the move or signing deals in Nashville, and which teams could be the most active. Finally, the two debate the values of two of the winter's biggest free agents—Jason Heyward and Zack Greinke—and how teams try to balance the risk of a long-term deal against the short-term gains.

Continuing the winter meetings preview, Ted is then joined by SI.com baseball writer Jay Jaffe, who will be in Nashville to cover the week's events. First, Ted and Jay discuss Price joining the Red Sox on a historic seven-year, $217 million deal, and whether Boston will regret signing Price or if the contract will work out. After that, they turn their attention to Greinke, who is reportedly choosing between the Giants and Dodgers in free agency, to discuss which team needs Greinke the most and whether giving him a Price-sized deal is a risk that either can afford to take. Finally, Ted and Jay talk about the winter meetings, as Jay gives his thoughts on which teams and players may be in the spotlight in Nashville.

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