Baseball Winter Meetings in Nashville: 8 things to know

Baseball's Winter Meetings, the sport's annual gathering of executives and agents, will be held this week at Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center in Nashville.

The meetings begin Sunday and conclude Thursday. If you're thinking of dropping by, here are seven things you should know:

What is it?

It's a who's who of major- and minor-league executives, team scouts and agents scurrying around one of the country's largest hotel and convention facilities. There are dozens of meetings scheduled, from a gathering of the Appalachian League general managers to discussions about future Pacific Coast League all-star games.

Most of the national attention will be focused on the major league general managers who will gather in hotel suites and talk trades. There will be plenty of free agency talk, too, as agents will stalk teams as they attempt to peddle their talent to the highest bidders.

There will also be hundreds of trade show exhibitors, people seeking jobs with minor-league organizations and more than 500 media members.

History

The origin of the Baseball Winter Meetings dates to 19th century. The first meeting was held in 1876 when the National League owners met after their season concluded. The meetings became an annual event in 1901. This is the fourth time since 2000 (2002, '07, '12, '15) that the event has been held in Nashville.

It was held in San Diego in 2014 and is headed to Washington, D.C., in 2016.

Tradefest

Some of the biggest names in the sport have been traded during the annual meetings. Frank Robinson, Jackie Robinson, Rickey Henderson, Goose Gossage and hundreds of other players have been swapped during these affairs. At the 2014 Winter Meetings, the Los Angeles Dodgers made six transactions in a 24-hour period.

Autographs

If you're looking to add to your memorabilia collection, you're advised to stay away. While there could be a few prominent players attend the event, they're not there to sign autographs and meet with their fans. You will have better luck at receiving a handshake from David Dombrowski, the Red Sox president, who recently signed Murfreesboro's David Price to a $217 million contract.

Trade show

More than 300 vendors will participate in an annual trade show. They'll market their equipment and pitch new and old promotional ideas to the baseball executives. Hey, the bobblehead craze started somewhere. It was likely at one of these trade shows a few decades ago.

Need a job?

Looking for a job in baseball? Many minor-league teams will be looking to fill their staffs this week. Many of these positions are low-level positions. Others are internships. But, if you're looking to get your career started in baseball, the job fair begins at 8 a.m. Monday in the Governor's Ballroom.  There is no admission charge.

Hall of Fame attention

The Pre-Integration Committee will vote on possible additions to the 2016 Hall of Fame class. The nominees are selected from a pool of players, umpires and executives who were in the game prior to 1947.

The Baseball Writers Association of America will announce the winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award, honoring the industry's best in baseball writing. The Hall of Fame will announce the winner of the Ford C. Frick Award for broadcasting excellence. Both winners will be honored in Cooperstown in July at the Hall of Fame's annual induction ceremony.

The final event

The final scheduled event is on Thursday at 9 a.m. when Major League Baseball conducts its annual Rule 5 draft. Teams can select eligible players from other organizations for $50,000. Who can't be drafted? Players who are on the major league team's 40-man protected rosters, players who were drafted at 18 or younger and are still in their first four minor-league seasons and players who were drafted at 19 and are still in their first three minor-league seasons.

After they are drafted, the selected players must stay on their new major league team's 25-man roster for the entire season. If they do not, the player may be offered back to the original team for $25,000.

Reach Dave Ammenheuser at 615-259-8352 and on Twitter @NashSportsEd.