Live updates from MLB Winter Meetings: Here's what our Mets writer is seeing and hearing

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The heart of the baseball world has descended upon Music City.

Down the road from the Grand Ole Opry here, all the attention of baseball fans has locked in on the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings in the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center where representative of all 30 teams gathered beginning Monday to chart their course for the 2024 season.

For the Mets, there are areas of need in the starting rotation, bullpen and outfield, but how aggressive they will be in filling those gaps remains to be seen.

As the MLB's hot stove begins to simmer, the game's top star Shohei Ohtani is moving toward choosing his next home. Other big names, including Japanese ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, former NL MVP Cody Bellinger and NL Cy Young winner Blake Snell, are also up for grabs.

There is also the intrigue surrounding the trade market with the Padres' Juan Soto, Rays' Tyler Glasnow and White Sox's Dylan Cease all drawing trade interest.

It's one of the most exciting weeks in the baseball calendar, and I will be here in Nashville to break down all of the events concerning the Mets:

Jung Hoo Lee to be posted

Another enticing international free agent is set to hit the MLB free agent market on Tuesday.

The Kiwoom Heroes of the Korea Baseball Organization announced on Monday that outfielder Jung Hoo Lee would be posted, opening a 30-day window for negotiations to come to the U.S. According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, the Mets have strong interest in Lee to fill one of their outfield spots.

The 25-year-old Lee is known for his supreme bat-to-ball skills, posting a .318 batting average or better in all seven of his seasons in South Korea. Lee flashed some power during his best year in 2022 when he finished with a .996 OPS, 23 home runs and 116 RBI. Otherwise, Lee's previous career mark was 15 home runs in 2020.

Lee was 6-for-14 (.429) with four runs and five RBI during last year's World Baseball Classic.

Mets announce coaching staff

While the Mets pitching coach and hitting coaches remain in Jeremy Hefner and Jeremy Barnes, the team officially announced a new-look coaching staff on Monday.

Under new manager Carlos Mendoza, the Mets bring on former Blue Jays manager John Gibbons as bench coach, Antoan Richardson becomes the first base coach, Mike Sarbaugh as the new third base coach and José Rosado as bullpen coach.

Gibbons spent 11 seasons leading the Blue Jays, including back-to-back ALCS appearances in 2015 and 2016. Richardson spent the last four seasons as Giants first-base coach, overseeing baserunning and outfield instruction. Sarbaugh was the Guardians' third base coach for the last 10 seasons. Rosado was the pitching coach for the Hanwha Eagles of the Korean Baseball Organization for the last three seasons.

Eric Chavez will return to his role as one of the team's hitting coaches alongside Barnes.

A baseball paradise

It is my first time attending the Winter Meetings, so everything might appear larger in grandeur, but the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center initially made my head spin.

I did not expect to ever see a river boat coasting in between a swath of hotel rooms or a Christmas tree completely made of poinsettias.

Walking through the 4.5-acre garden feels a bit like Las Vegas without the casinos. There's about a dozen restaurants and bars, a water park and a fountain display with music spectacle that brings a piece of the Bellagio east.

The backdrop for the MLB's biggest week of the offseason meets the stakes of the days ahead.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets at MLB Winter Meetings 2023: News, rumors, free agency updates