Day one of the winter meetings has come and gone with a few splashes here and there. The big three (Jason Bay, Matt Holliday and John Lackey) have yet to move, but there's a lot of buzz surrounding potential new teams.
Oh, yeah. And Brad Penny is still too overpaid for 2010.
RED SOX RUMBLINGS
Full Count " Reports: Red Sox sign Castro, Gabbard
More minor moves. Castro is a "sign and see" type, where he's shown decent production at the minor league level, but hasn't pitched in the bigs since 2007. Gabbard, as we all know, was re-acquired last season from Texas but struggled once he went to the Sox. Actually, he struggled before that, too. This re-signing is probably just a last-ditch effort to see if he can give the Sox anything.
Twitter / Michael Silverman: Red Sox are one team that ...
The Red Sox are not interested in going after Detroit's Edwin Jackson, who will most likely be moved this offseason.
No shocker here. We knew he would do this about 12 months ago. I'm pretty sure he could make a tad more money in free agency. With that said...
Bay remains Sox's top priority | redsox.com: News
Really? To quote Theo, Bay is "one of" the team's priorities. There have been multiple reports: some say the Sox really want him back, others saying they'd rather go after Matt Holliday. But who really knows? There's also reports about Bay, that the Mariners are going hard after him (or not) and the Angels are really interested (or not). Who knows what is actually true? My bet: he stays with the Sox. Four years, $17M with a good amount of incentives.
Twitter / Jayson Stark: Hear Seatt has Nick Johnso ...
The Red Sox are interested in OBP-machine and injury-prone first baseman Nick Johnson. One question: where does he fit on this team? Oh, and the really important question: how much?
Full Count " Duchscherer’s agent, Red Sox meet
Justin Duchscherer wouldn't be a bad pickup for the Red Sox, barring his knee and depression is taken care of. He doesn't want to be in the 'pen either, though
Tim Wakefield, Daniel Bard want to see Jason Bay stay - BostonHerald.com
Your standard "find a teammate that likes the guy trying to get a contract" story. I'm sure they could find more, but there isn't a more interesting duo than Wake and Bard. We also find out that Bard follows offseason transactions closely (because he doesn't know if he'll get traded) and Wake doesn't (because he knows there's not a shot in hell he is traded).
NON-RED SOX RUMBLINGS
Shortstop Adam Everett re-signs with Tigers | freep.com | Detroit Free Press
My shortstop preference has gone back to his homeland a.k.a former team the Tigers. The deal is worth $1.55. That is absolutely peanuts for one of the best defensive shortstops in baseball.
New York Yankees trade Brian Bruney to Washington Nationals for draft pick
FIRESALE! OK, but not really.
Twitter / Ed Price: Hearing #Brewers closing i ...
Randy Wolf is close to signing with the Brewers. Depending on the money, this is a good pickup for the Brewers. He's going to be effective and not cost nearly as much money as John Lackey, one of only a handful (if that) of better starting pitchers that are in free agency.