NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Shohei Ohtani met with the Los Angeles Dodgers a few days ago at Dodger Stadium, Manager Dave Roberts revealed Tuesday at the winter meetings.

The two-way star is expected to command a record contract of $500 million-plus on the free agent market coming off his second AL MVP award in three seasons.

The Dodgers manager said the front office is working tirelessly with lots of scenarios and ways free agency could go.

“Clearly Shohei’s our top priority,” Roberts said. “So I still think that we’ve got a lot of people working on other things ultimately to be the best ballclub we can be.”

Roberts said Ohtani has a “very good poker face,” keeping the manager from drawing any clues from a meeting that lasted two-to-three hours.

“We want to respect Shohei’s wishes as far as being private,” Roberts said, “but obviously people talk. I don’t think I need to share what we talked about.”

Roberts at first hesitated before giving a few details.

“Yeah, we met with him,” he said. “I don’t want to – I’d like to be honest and so we met with Shohei and we talked and I think it went well. I think it went well. But at the end of the day, he’s his own man and he’s going to do what’s best for himself, where he feels most comfortable.”

Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes said later Tuesday he was “surprised” his manager shared news of the meeting with Ohtani. Details on Ohtani’s free agency have been sparse amid reports his side has demanded negotiations remain private.

Gomes, who said the Dodgers brought a large party to these meetings, refused to share any details because they’re not supposed to talk about current free agents.

“Dave made a comment, and, you know, we just, for us personally, don’t feel comfortable going into it any further,” Gomes said.

Asked about what Ohtani brings the team he chooses to sign with, Gomes called him a dynamic player.

“It’s just not something I’ve ever seen,” Gomes said. “A special talent and has the ability to change the game in a special way.”

Blue Jays General Manager Ross Atkins also dodged questions about whether Toronto has met with Ohtani, saying only that they are doing everything they can to make the team better.

“Some meetings that occur, that don’t occur, I’m not going to get into the specifics of,” Atkins said. “Just as I was speaking earlier about the stakeholders (and not commenting), with free agents, they’ve earned that right and we want to be very respectful of that.”

Ohtani led the AL with 44 homers and hit .304 with 96 RBI, eight triples and 20 stolen bases for the Los Angeles Angels in a season that ended Sept. 3 because of an oblique injury.

He was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts on the mound, striking out 167 and walking 55 in 132 innings before tearing the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 23. He had surgery on Sept. 19 that will keep him off the mound until 2025.

Ohtani has not spoken with reporters since Aug. 9, failing to get on a conference call after his MVP award.

MLB DRAFT: The Red Sox will select 12th overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. The draft lottery took place at the Winter Meetings.

Boston, which finished the 2023 season with MLB’s 12th worst record, had just a 1.2% chance of receiving the top overall pick. Cleveland, which finished with the 10th worst record, won the lottery and will pick No. 1 overall despite entering with just a 2% chance.

Oakland, which finished with the worst record in MLB, received the fourth overall selection. The Reds will pick second, the Rockies third and the White Sox fifth. The Royals, who finished with MLB’s second worst record, will draft sixth overall.

The Red Sox will draft two slots ahead of where they picked in 2023 when they used the 14th overall pick on catcher Kyle Teel who finished the season at Double-A Portland.

Boston last drafted 12th overall in 2016 when it selected left-handed high school pitcher Jay Groome who has yet to pitch in the major leagues. Boston traded Groome to the Padres at the 2022 deadline for Eric Hosmer, Corey Rosier and Max Ferguson.

The Red Sox also had the 12th overall pick in 1998 (Adam Everett), 1994 (Nomar Garciaparra) and 1988 (Tom Fischer).

YANKEES: Japanese pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, another prized free agent, could be sought by the New York Yankees and Mets, who set payroll records this year in their third season under owner Steve Cohen. The Mets’ projected final 2023 payroll is about $346 million and their luxury tax roughly $102 million.

“I don’t know if anybody can compete with Steve Cohen,” Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman said. “He’s obviously a titan of industry. He’s had a lot of success and built an empire which has allowed him to do things like the Mets. … We can just concentrate on what we’re going to concentrate on. Obviously, it’s a player of interest and we’ll compete for him and see where that takes us, and it will be enough or won’t be enough.”

Cashman also has talked about trying to acquire slugger Juan Soto from San Diego. The outfielder is eligible for free agency after next season, and Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller has discussed swaps.

“He’s a transformational bat. He’s one of the best hitters in the game. So he’s impact, period,” Cashman said. ”I know A.J. probably is being open-minded to do a lot of different things.”

New Padres Manager Mike Shildt plans to meet with Soto in Miami on Dec. 17.

ANGELS: Los Angeles will not trade three-time AL MVP Mike Trout, General Manager Perry Minasian confirmed at MLB’s winter meetings.

Minasian responded to the annual questions about Trout’s future with the underachieving Angels by providing the same answer he has given in past years – and the same answer given by owner Arte Moreno’s previous general managers.

“Mike Trout will not be getting traded, 100%,” Minasian told MLB.com and other outlets.

Trout is under contract through 2030, and he makes $35.45 million annually with a full no-trade clause. But even after he missed significant portions of the past three seasons due to injuries, his future in Anaheim remains an annual topic of debate due to his formidable talent and the Angels’ annual failures to achieve any team success.

The 32-year-old Trout has participated in one playoff series and has never won a postseason game in a 13-year career spent entirely with the Halos. Los Angeles is currently mired in streaks of eight consecutive losing seasons and nine consecutive non-playoff seasons, both the longest in the majors.

Trout is owed $248.15 million over the next seven seasons as part of his record $426.5 million, 12-year contract with the Angels.

He is coming off the least impressive season of his career, during which he was limited to 82 games – just one after July 3 – due to a broken bone in his left hand. He batted .263 with 18 homers and 44 RBI while playing in just 82 games, although he was still named an AL All-Star for the 11th time.

ASTROS: General Manager Dana Brown says the team isn’t exploring trades for Alex Bregman, even though the All-Star third baseman’s contract is set to expire after the 2024 season.

“Alex Bregman, he’s had a great career here. We’re not interested in trading him,” Brown told reporters at baseball’s winter meetings in Nashville, Tennessee. “I think Alex knows that and understands that based on our conversations.”

Brown addressed Bregman’s status amid speculation the Astros were looking to move him before he reaches free agency.

“I’m not worried one bit about the articles and the rumors and I’m not sure where it’s coming from,” Brown said. “But at the end of the day, Alex is a pillar here. You can’t replace that type of defense and that type of bat. So where not interested in (a trade). We’re trying to win here.”

Brown added that there have not been any negotiations recently on a possible extension with Bregman. He hit .262 with 25 homers, 28 doubles and 98 RBI last season as the Astros reached the AL Championship Series for a seventh straight year before falling to the Texas Rangers in seven games.

AWARDS: Gerry Fraley, a gregarious and tempestuous reporter over four decades until his death four years ago, won the BBWAA Career Excellence Award.

The honor was announced by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America at the winter meetings. Fraley will be honored during the Hall of Fame’s induction weekend from July 19-22 in Cooperstown, New York.

Known for his quick humor and combustible temper, Fraley died in May 2019 at age 64 after a two-year battle with cancer.

METS: Shortstop José Iglesias agreed to a minor league contract with New York and will report to big league spring training.

The 33-year-old hit .292 with three homers and 47 RBI in 118 games this year for the Colorado Rockies.

WHITE SOX: Erick Fedde is returning to the majors with Chicago after spending last season in South Korea.

The right-hander has agreed to a $15 million, two-year contract with Chicago, according to a person familiar with the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the move was pending a physical.

RAYS: Tampa Bay signed reliever Chris Devenski to a one-year contract with a club option for 2025.

The 33-year-old reliever spilt the 2023 season between the Los Angeles Angels and the Rays, going 6-4 with a 4.46 ERA over 38 games. He was released by the Angels on Aug. 29 and signed the same day with Tampa Bay.