BY CLAYTON RICHER – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
The first day of the baseball winter meetings in Nashville have concluded with a couple significant free agent signings and a plethora of rumour mongering. The Blue Jays had a rather uneventful first day however they did claim reserve catcher Eli Whiteside off waivers from the Yankees. Whiteside is purely a depth move after the loss of Bobby Wilson.
In saying the move stirred the catcher trade controversy which was then further fueled by former Mets General Manager Jim Duquette with this tweet.
Source – #Blue Jays are 1 of the serious suitors for RA Dickey – would include a package with a catcher (Arencibia) plus others. — Jim Duquette (@Jim_Duquette) December 4, 2012
Source – #Blue Jays are 1 of the serious suitors for RA Dickey – would include a package with a catcher (Arencibia) plus others.
— Jim Duquette (@Jim_Duquette) December 4, 2012
Duquette then went to on to mention that Gose may have to be a part of the deal in order to pry the knuckleballer from the Big Apple. Former pitcher turned MLB analyst Dan Plesac also tweeted he would not be surprised to see the Jays pull off a deal for Dickey.
Alex Anthopoulos addressed the media and as expected kept his cards close to his chest. Anthopoulos did state there are fluid talks with Darren Oliver and Carlos Villanueva still has interest in returning to Toronto.
John Gibbons also spoke to the media and displayed an obvious exuberance when discussing the upcoming season. Gibbons shed some light in his lineup stating the top four in the batting order will be without a doubt Reyes, Cabrera, Bautista and Encarnacion.
Show Me The Money
The Red Sox made a splash on the first day inking former Blue Jay Mike Napoli to a three-year deal estimated to be valued at 13 million a year for the tenure.
The San Francisco Giants welcomed back Angel Pagan investing $40 million over the next four years into the speedy centre fielder.
The Rays signed first baseman James Loney to a one year, $2 million deal closing the door on Carlos Pena.
The Rangers locked up catcher Geovany Soto on a one year deal in the neighborhood of $3 million. It is also rumoured the Rangers have an agreement in place on a two year pact with reliever Joakim Soria.
The Padres also joined in the fray resigning veteran hurler Jason Marquis to a one year deal.
Geriatric Yankees:
The New York Yankees reported that declining third baseman Alex Rodriguez will be out anywhere from four to six months and is scheduled to undergo hip surgery in January. The Yankees now appear to be scrambling for infield assistance and will look to acquire a replacement for Rodriguez.
World Baseball Classic:
The schedule was released for the World Baseball Classic in March with Team Canada opening up the tourney against Italy. Blue Jays third baseman Brett Lawrie and Twins Justin Morneau have already committed to Team Canada.
Other Winter Meeting Ramblings:
The money saving Marlins are reportedly shopping former Blue Jays short stop Yunel Escobar.
The Mariners and Royals are discussing a trade involving All-Star first baseman Billy Butler.
The Atlanta Braves are rumoured to have an offer on the table to bring back lefty killer Reed Johnson.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have interest in everyone and could conceivably leave the meetings with every available free agent named Josh and Zack.
Let’s see what Day 2 brings…
Clayton Richer is a baseball writer for Baseball Hot Corner, his interviews and blogs can be found daily at www.baseballhotcorner.com as well you can also follow him on twitter MLBHotCorner
Related read: More MLB: Five free agents for Blue Jays to target
