Saturday, December 4, 2010

Meetings of minds could answer key questions

Meetings of minds could answer key questions Ten things to watch for during annual gathering of top execs

Two years ago, it was a clandestine flight to put a big lefty on the dotted line. last year, it was a three-way trade for an All-Star and a re-signing of an icon.

So as the 2010 Winter Meetings approach, the first question that needs to be asked is this: what do the Yankees have up their pinstriped sleeve this December?

Of course, a bunch of questions beyond Yankees Universe will be in play when the game’s baseball brains descend upon Lake Buena Vista, Fla., this weekend for Winter Meetings that begin on Monday. just like every year, the Winter Meetings are all about asking questions, answering them and, as very often has been the case, posing even more questions for the rest of the offseason.

All 30 teams’ representatives will be getting face time with each other and with agents at the annual gathering of question marks — and the occasional exclamation point.

Here are 10 of those questions with the Winter Meetings on the horizon, beginning with that pesky “Y”:

So, what do the Yankees have up their pinstriped sleeve, anyhow?They’d have a hard time topping their last two years, but Cliff Lee would be a good start.

The Winter Meetings have become Yankees general manager Brian Cashman’s playground the past couple of years. there was Cashman dropping by CC Sabathia’s California home with one of those Publisher’s Clearinghouse checks after swooping in from Vegas in 2008. Then, last year, the Yankees had the acquisition of Curtis Granderson and signing of Andy Pettitte.

Now that the Yankees are ex-champions again, the hunt is on for starting pitching, and that begins with Lee, the lefty with the Midas touch in the postseason and consistent excellence during the regular season. Cashman has flown all the way to Arkansas already on this one, so the Yankees are clearly going all-in on the biggest fish in the free-agency waters.

Yes, with Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera negotiations on top of that, there’s probably enough up that pinstriped sleeve to dominate the scene yet again.

Is this Lee derby just starting, or about to end?Well, it has at least two horses. Lee’s most recent employers, the defending American League champion Rangers, would love to have him back in their rotation for 2011, and beyond, as well.

Team president Nolan Ryan and GM Jon Daniels made their own trip to Arkansas to meet with Team Lee, and they know the Yankees and their bankroll won’t get caught looking at this one go by. as many as a half-dozen other teams are said to be interested, so perhaps more suitors will emerge into the public fray at the Meetings.

Should we expect Zack Greinke to be wearing Royals blue by the end of the week?Probably. but by the end of the winter? Maybe not.

The 2009 AL Cy Young Award winner is emerging as plan B for the Yankees or Rangers, whichever team loses out on Lee. Truthfully, any team would want to knock on Royals GM Dayton Moore’s suite door at some point to see if something could get worked out for the talented right-hander. Note to suitors: Bring plenty of prospects, for the Royals would have to get a huge haul for Greinke.

Whether or not they trade him, the Royals will know a lot more about their options a week from now.

What do the World Series champion Giants have left to accomplish before their defense begins?Boy, there’s a question that gets asked every, oh, 56 years.

Still basking in the orange glow of October glory, the Giants already have brought Aubrey Huff and Pat Burrell back into the fold and signed Miguel Tejada to help the middle of the lineup and the middle of the infield, which has seen the quick departures of veterans Juan Uribe and Edgar Renteria.

The Giants don’t figure to do a whole lot in these Meetings, seemingly set on relying upon their stellar pitching rather than making a big play for another bat on top of Tejada.

If not the Yankees, then what team figures to make news at the Winter Meetings?The Rangers, flush with success and ready to pump up the payroll, are a candidate, but they’re being held in abeyance somewhat by the Lee saga. but they might also make noise by moving on to Greinke to fill their need for a top-flight starter, or by going after their other offseason need — a designated hitter — with Paul Konerko and Lance Berkman as potential targets if a return of Vladimir Guerrero isn’t in the offing.

But it might be the Rangers’ division foes, too. the Angels are best positioned to go on a free-agency spree, with their sights set on speedy outfielder Carl Crawford and perhaps third baseman Adrian Beltre as well. one or both would make things interesting in the AL West, for sure.

What about some of the big boys?With the Red Sox agreeing to a blockbuster trade for Adrian Gonzalez, you can expect the team to continue to work on other areas with the middle-of-the-order slugger they’ve sought now in the fold. the Phillies, likely to lose Jayson Werth, figure to stand pat. the Mets, under new GM Sandy Alderson, don’t appear to be in much of a position to make big moves. and the Dodgers say they have pretty much filled their offseason wish list.

After starting pitching, what will be the most discussed position at the Meetings?Outfield is the current hot topic, with Crawford and Werth the top prizes in free agency. it appears as though either one signing would start the flow of free-agent signings, since they’ll be setting the top rung for position players.

When will one of the Uptons, if not both, change addresses?Justin of Arizona is more likely to do it soon, although D-backs GM Kevin Towers is said to be asking a lot in return for a star talent who’s still only 23 years old. B.J. of Tampa Bay is an intriguing potential trade chip, but with Crawford on the move, the Rays’ outfield can only take so much of a hit.

Will an influx of non-tendered free agents into the market stir the pot?It could, if only slightly. a once-dominant closer is available in Bobby Jenks, plus there’s shortstop J.J. Hardy, catcher Russell Martin and starter Kyle Davies. Truth is, a lot of the non-tendered players could wind up in the waiting game while the top-level free agents do their business.

Will they need name tags at the managers’ luncheon?Since the game’s decision-makers last gathered for the Winter Meetings, there have been 12 managerial changes, so the place settings at the annual managers’ luncheon will be a little different. while there will be an event to honor four outgoing managerial legends — Bobby Cox, Joe Torre, Cito Gaston and Lou Piniella — the new skippers will begin sailing toward 2011 for real with their arrival at the meetings.

Some of the faces are familiar, like Buck Showalter of the Orioles, Clint Hurdle of the Pirates and Terry Collins of the Mets. but there also will be first-timers like the Brewers’ Ron Roenicke, the Blue Jays’ John Farrell and the Dodgers’ Don Mattingly.

John Schlegel is a reporter for MLB.com. this story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101203&content_id=16246454&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlbtag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20101203″>Meetings of minds could answer key questions


baseball, execs, game, lefty, yankees

No comments:

Post a Comment