2011 MLB Winter Meetings: Recapping Latest Trades, Free-Agent Signings & Rumors

Major League Baseball’s annual invasion of a hotel kicks off today with the Winter Meetings taking place in Dallas, Texas. It has been a very quiet offseason thus far, with the exception of a few relievers drugging some general managers into ridiculous contracts, but all that will change this week.

UPDATE: Thursday, Dec. 8 at 11:45 a.m. EDT

C.J. Wilson

Not long after the Los Angeles Angels grabbed Albert Pujols, they also landed C.J. Wilson. The deal was first reported to be five years, $75 million by Jon Heyman. It was later confirmed to be for $77.5 million by ESPN's Karl Ravech. 

We can call this the Angels Day of Massive Overspending. At least Wilson's deal is "only" for five years, but I don't like either signing long-term for the team. But who cares about the future when the present looks so shiny. 

UPDATE: Thursday, Dec. 8 at 10:45 a.m. EDT

Albert Pujols

Apparently the "Pujols won't sign before the end of the Winter Meetings" story was bogus, because the three-time NL MVP has agreed to a 10-year, $250-260 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports.

For the next two or three years, that will be a pretty good deal. The problems come when you get into year four and beyond. Hopefully the Angels know what they are doing because that kind of money for a player who will be 32 on opening day next year is dangerous. Just ask the Yankees if they would like to redo that A-Rod contract.

UPDATE: Thursday, Dec. 8 at 9:00 a.m. EDT

Albert Pujols

It is safe to say that at this point, no one really knows what is going on with Pujols. The only thing that we do know is that the Marlins are out of the bidding for him, and the Angels are pushing hard to get him to sign, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

There will be no resolution to the "Pujols Sweepstakes" by the time the Winter Meetings end on Thursday, says ESPN's Jayson Stark. 

C.J. Wilson

Unlike Pujols, we should know where C.J. Wilson is going before the end of the day. According to ESPN's Jim Bowden, the Angels appear to have the inside track on him. 

According to Jon Morosi of Fox Sports, the Angels proposed deal for Wilson is for five years. The Buehrle deal worked out well for him if he is able to get a contract for that long. 

Yu Darvish

While he won't actually be negotiating with a team until next week at the earliest, Japanese pitcher Yu Darvish is going to be posted today, according to agent Don Nomura. 

ESPN's Jim Bowden tweets that the Red Sox could make a hard push to get Darvish. I think that the Daisuke Matsuzaka deal will make them a little skittish on Darvish, even if he is a better pitcher than Dice-K.

Jimmy Rollins

The Phillies have always wanted to bring Rollins back, though there was some skepticism that they would give him what he wanted. According to Matt Gelb of Philly.com, the Phillies are close to a deal to bring the 2007 NL MVP back. 

"

They may leave Thursday without a deal, but all indications were that one will eventually be struck.

The Milwaukee Brewers, the Phillies' top competition for his services, were told not to bother continuing talks with Rollins, a baseball source said.

"

Gio Gonzalez

The A's would be willing to deal Gonzalez under the right circumstances, which Joel Sherman of the New York Post says means a Dan Haren kind of package. 

Haren was dealt from the Diamondbacks to the Angels two years ago for three minor league pitchers including Tyler Skaggs. So if someone wants to give that kind of haul up for Gonzalez, more power to them. 

Update: Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 4:45 p.m. EDT

Albert Pujols appears to be moving closer to returning to the St. Louis Cardinals. According to Bill Madden of the New York Daily News, the Marlins have dropped out of the running for the superstar and that the Cardinals are just a few million dollars apart on a 10-year deal. 

Within the same report, Madden also says that the Marlins have begun their pursuit of the Prince Fielder. 

Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald is refuting Madden's article and says that the Marlins are going to pursue pitching instead. 

Apparently Spencer knew what he was talking about, because Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that the Marlins have signed Mark Buehrle to a four-year deal worth $58 million.

Despite some reports that David Ortiz had accepted arbitration to remain with the Boston Red Sox, Rob Bradford of WEEI in says that the team is still waiting to hear from him. 

"

A major league source confirmed that the Red Sox still have not heard any official word from David Ortiz or his representatives as of 4 p.m. Wednesday regarding the designated hitter's desire to either accept or decline the team's offer of arbitration. Ortiz has until midnight Wednesday to make his decision.

 

"

Hanley Ramirez has not seemed to be excited about Jose Reyes taking his position, but don't expect the Marlins to move him, according to Ken Rosenthal. 

It would be stupid for the Marlins to trade Ramirez now because his value is as low as it has ever been thanks to his performance in 2011. 

UPDATE: Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7:15 a.m. EDT

Despite the Marlins pushing to get Albert Pujols to make a decision one way or the other on Tuesday, he is still trying to decide what he wants to do. Last night, reports surfaced that there was a third team in on the superstar, but whoever it is wanted to remain a mystery. 

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports tweeted that the Marlins are skeptical that a third team even exists in the Pujols negotiations. This is pure speculation on my part, but if there is really a third team in on the action, I would bet that it is Texas, a team with money to spend and ready to contend. 

The Chicago White Sox are trying something new after dealing Sergio Santos, at least that's what general manager Kenny Williams is saying. I don't understand the move for them, but it is a terrific get for the Blue Jays, who gave up a low-ceiling prospect in return.

The bidding for C.J. Wilson is starting to heat up, with the Angels and Rangers getting in on the action. He reportedly has a six-year contract offer from a mystery team. As Jon Heyman said, if he actually has a deal for that many years on the table, he should take it because no one else will match that.

Red Sox fans reportedly got some good news late Tuesday as a source told ESPN Deportes Los Angeles that David Ortiz is expected to accept salary arbitration and remain with the team for at least one more year. 

Gio Gonzalez is becoming the most sought after left-handed pitcher at the Winter Meetings, writes Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com. He says that the Tigers, Reds, Diamondbacks, Marlins, Reds and Phillies are kicking the tires about making a deal with Oakland. 

As I said yesterday, unless you play in a big ball park where fly balls go to die, Gonzalez is going to be a bad fit. 

UPDATE: Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 5:00 p.m. EDT

It appears that not everyone in Miami was thrilled to see Jose Reyes come to town. According to Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com, incumbent shortstop Hanley Ramirez does not want to move off the position and would prefer to be traded instead. 

Ramirez is as talented as any hitter in the game, but his size and work ethic were always going to result in a position change.

The Boston Red Sox have had an eventful offseason, and they will be facing an even bigger public relations nightmare if they let beloved designated hitter David Ortiz get away. 

According to Joe McDonald of ESPN.com, Ortiz is looking for $7 million more than the Red Sox have offered. 

It wouldn't be an offseason without some Yankees rumors, and according to Bob Klapisch, they have inquired about Oakland's Gio Gonzalez. 

That would be a terrible move for the Yanks if it were to happen because Gonzalez is a fly ball pitcher who benefits tremendously because of Oakland's spacious park.

The Orioles have been expected to make a move of some kind this week, likely in a trade, and one of the most popular names they have is Adam Jones.

Last week Steve Melewski of MASN Sports reported that new general manager Dan Duquette had not made a decision about what to do with Jones.

Now, according to Jon Morosi, the Orioles have made their decision known to everyone around the league.

Jones was one of the best prospects coming up with Seattle a few years ago and was the key piece to the Erik Bedard trade before the 2008 season, but his inability to hit breaking pitches has limited his upside.  

The news is not all bad for the New York Mets. Sure, they lost Jose Reyes, but according to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, the team is close to signing a late-inning reliever. Bring on the NL East pennant in 2012, right?

UPDATE: Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 1:40 p.m. EDT

In an update to the earlier story about the Marlins (ridiculously insane) 10-year offer, Bob Nightengale of USA Today tweeted that the deal is, in fact, for more than $200 million.

That's not a surprising development, nor is the fact that the Cardinals are going to make a counteroffer. 

In this day of social media and so much information being passed, it is surprising that the team who reportedly made C.J. Wilson a six-year offer hasn't come out. Without knowing the financial terms, I would find it hard to believe that any other team would offer more years than that. 

The Washington Nationals, who are no strangers to making a splash in free agency, are reportedly having conversations with the Tampa Bay Rays about B.J. Upton. 

I have always found that phrase "conversations" interesting because it is so vague and generic. They could have asked how his offseason is going. 

UPDATE: Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 8:30 p.m. EDT

The Marlins have lost their minds, apparently, because Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman tweeted that they have a 10-year contract on the table for Albert Pujols.

Everyone loves the future Hall of Famer, but 10 years for a 31-year-old is ridiculous. 

The Philadelphia Phillies need help on offense, so they are looking at Aramis Ramirez, according to Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post.

Those lovably inept Baltimore Orioles have a lot of work to do in order to get better, and Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun believes that they will make a trade of some sort. How large or small it is remains to be seen, but they don't have a lot to give up. 

"

They want starting pitchers. They want relievers. And executive vice president Dan Duquette said he spoke to more than half of the major league teams, including about a dozen face-to-face on Monday. There are reportedly starting pitchers on the block: Wandy Rodriguez, Matt Garza, John Danks, Gavin Floyd, to name a few.

"

While any of those pitchers would upgrade the O's rotation, it is hard to imagine them parting with the young pieces necessary to make a deal for one of them.

In an unsurprising twist, the market for Prince Fielder is reportedly dwindling with each passing day. 

If Scott Boras and Fielder are going to keep asking for $200 million, that market is going to keep shrinking. 

UPDATE: Monday, Dec. 5 at 4:00 p.m. EDT

No significant signings have taken place thus far. The biggest story of the day came around 11 a.m. when it was announced that Ron Santo was elected to the Hall of Fame by the Veterans Committee. 

On the free agent front, Yoenis Cespedes, the Dominican Republic star who has caused quite a stir, is looking for a ton of money. According to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com, he wants double what Aroldis Chapman got from Cincinnati two years ago.

The Tampa Bay Rays are still listening to offers for B.J. Upton, but according to ESPN's Buster Olney, it will take a lot to pry him away from them.

Roy Oswalt, who could turn out to be one of the bigger bargains on the market, has his share of suitors, but he is in no rush to get a deal done. According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, he is going to wait for the top pitchers to sign before he makes a decision.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Of course, the Miami Marlins got things started early on Sunday night by signing Jose Reyes to a six-year, $106 million contract. Who knew that a new stadium would make them such big spenders?

That is the kind of activity you can expect from this year’s festivities. The free-agency period always kicks into high gear when the general managers and agents actually meet face to face in order to iron out contract details.

Where: Dallas, Texas

When: Monday, Dec. 5 through Thursday, Dec. 8

Watch: Coverage throughout the week on MLB Network; ESPNEWS Special Each Day at 6:00 p.m. EDT

For those that are new to this whole thing, basically representatives from all 30 teams, top players available on the market and their agents sit in the lobby of a hotel for four days trying to iron out details of a potential contract.

Virtually every team will contact an agent just to see if there is interest and what it will take to get a deal done, but most of it is all white noise.

But as mentioned before, expect a flurry of activity as the week rolls on. It is perfectly reasonable to expect players like Albert Pujols, Prince Fielder and C.J. Wilson to walk away with fat new contracts before the end of the week. 

Top Free Agents Available

Position	Name/Age	Previous Team
1B	Prince Fielder, 27	Milwaukee Brewers
1B	Albert Pujols, 31	St. Louis Cardinals
SP	Mark Buehrle, 32	Chicago White Sox
SP	C.J. Wilson, 30	Texas Rangers
SS	Jimmy Rollins, 32	Philadelphia Phillies

(Note: Because Yu Darvish has not been posted, he is not on that list. If he were available, he would be the top starting pitcher on the market.)

It is no secret that this free agent class has a substantial drop off in talent and value when you get past the top four players, and with Reyes off the board, that number is down to three, so teams are going to be much more active in the trade market than they normally are.

Regardless of what happens this week, it is the first real step that players and teams take toward getting ready for the 2012 season.  

We will have all the latest news and information coming out of Dallas as it becomes available, including updates on players signing, trades being made and potential moves that may happen.

Be sure to check back to this page throughout the week for the latest rumblings and grumblings from the MLB Winter Meetings.