You will be hard-pressed to find a more consistently exciting time of the MLB offseason than the Winter Meetings.
General managers, agents, media, and other prominent baseball figures will congregate upon the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas on Sunday for the annual four-day session when trades and free agent signings reach new heights.
Some big moves have already been made, such as the Nationals signing Patrick Corbin and the Cardinals acquiring All-Star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
The big fish on the market, Bryce Harper and Manny Machado, remain unsigned, and pitchers like Corey Kluber and Madison Bumgarner are available in a trade.
MORE: Nationals signing of Corbin marks Washington's latest championship push
As a potential preview of things to come this Sunday through Thursday, let’s take a stroll down memory lane and revisit the biggest transactions over the previous four Winter Meetings.
2017: Yankees acquire Giancarlo Stanton
New York made the biggest splash of a rather quiet Winter Meetings that would serve as an ominous sign to come for the remainder of the offseason.
The Bronx Bombers seized the opportunity to pair the slugger and reigning NL MVP with fellow behemoth Aaron Judge in the middle of their lineup.
The trade was announced on the first day of the Winter Meetings, with the Yankees taking advantage of the large media presence to hold a press conference for the deal.
Stanton had his ups and downs in his first year in Pinstripes, as he overcame occasional showers of boos to hit 38 home runs, the second-highest total of his career.
2016: Red Sox trade for Chris Sale
Trade rumors surrounded Sale throughout the 2016 season as it became clear a rebuild was imminent for the White Sox.
His jersey-cutting incident didn’t seal the deal of a trade, but a few months later GMs Rick Hahn and Dave Dombrowski agreed to a trade at the Winter Meetings in Washington D.C. to send Sale east for a package including top prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech.
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In his two years so far with the Red Sox, Sale has started the All-Star Game twice and recorded the final three outs of the 2018 World Series. Meanwhile, Moncada and Kopech seems like potential centerpieces of the White Sox youth movement. Everybody wins.
2015: Braves trade Shelby Miller to Diamondbacks for Ender Inciarte, Dansby Swanson
If the 2018 winter meetings are anything like the 2015 edition, there won't be a whole lot of action.
The biggest move from the summit was one that initially looked like it would benefit both sides short and long-term, but turned out to be very one-sided. Swanson and Inciarte are both everyday starters for the Braves and were key members to their playoff run in 2018.
Meanwhile, Miller had a disastrous stint in Arizona, posting a 6.35 ERA in 28 starts over three injury-riddled seasons. He was non-tendered by the Diamondbacks in November.
2014: Cubs sign Jon Lester
Questions were aplenty regarding whether the Cubs would become buyers during the 2014 offseason or wait another year. The signing of Jon Lester supplied the answer.
The left-hander was paid handsomely, receiving $155 million over six years. He’s been a consistent frontline starter for Chicago over his four seasons there and enjoyed possibly the best year of his career in 2016 while taking home NLCS MVP and helping secure a championship.
The signing of Lester paved the way for a flurry of other Cubs transactions that signified their desire to contend after many rebuilding years. Their 2016 World Series win to break the infamous 108-year drought made it all worth it.