Latest Winter Meetings rumors...

This is all from the Baseball Tonight special on ESPN2 about the winter meetings.

(11:06PM) Pettitte returning to the Yankees will have a big effect on the Johan Santana deal, and might drop the asking price. The Yankees and the Twins are at an impasse on the Santana deal right now. The offer of Hughes, Cabrera and a "respectable third prospect" still stands, but the Twins are holding out for Ian Kennedy. Steve Phillips says if he was the Yankees GM, he would not let Kennedy get in the way of making that deal. Buster Olney disagrees with him and says he would keep the younger pitching and save the money. Olney says that just because the "deadline" for the deal to get done might pass does NOT mean the deal is dead, considering what happened with the Alex Rodriguez negotiations.

I'm with Steve Phillips on this (wow, who said that?). I don't think you can let Ian Kennedy stand in the way of getting a shot at Johan Santana. He is, after all, Johan Santana. I don't think Melky Cabrera is going to amount to anything consequential in MLB, and although Hughes has a high ceiling, it's not guaranteed that he's going to be even half the pitcher that the Yankees know Santana is. The Yankees have got to make this trade happen.

(11:15PM) Alex Rodriguez is in the process of taking his physical to finalize his contract. His contract could be official sometime within the next week or so.

"If the Yankees get Santana and sign him to an extension, their offseason acquisitions could approach half a billion dollars," notes Buster Olney.

(11:17PM) Dan Uggla comes on the show for an interview. This is largely unrelated to the winter meetings, so I'm not going to write any more about it.

(11:25PM) The analysts start talking about the market for centerfielders. Tim Kurkjian thinks that Andruw Jones will be the next centerfielder to sign, and he says the Dodgers have the inside track to sign him. The Dodgers have a two year, $32 million offer on the table. Aaron Rowand is looking for a five year contract, but teams are balking at it, says Steve Phillips. Kurkjian agrees.

(11:29PM) Video footage of Kosuke Fukudome is shown. Wow, he has a long swing. The Padres are rumored to be interested.

(11:33PM) Erik Bedard talk starts. Dave Trembley (Orioles manager) comes on the show and talks about the Orioles. He seems like a friendly fellow but he isn't talking about the meetings. Since he isn't saying anything noteworthy, I start watching the Patriots game to watch them suck out another cheap win. Well, that's Patriots football for you.

(11:41PM) Apparently Carlos Silva has a four year offer on the table, but Karl Ravech doesn't know from who. Livan Hernandez appears to be a good fit for the Mets, says Steve Phillips. Tim Kurkjian says there's a question as to whether or not the Mets have the pieces to get Erik Bedard. Thanks Tim, tell us something we haven't heard a thousand times. The Cubs are open to trading Mark Prior.

(11:48PM) The Santana rumor talk starts up again. Nothing has changed. I'm getting bored with the same rumors over and over.

(11:54PM) Steve Finley comes on the show and talks about how some team should take a chance on him.

(11:58PM) Barry Bonds probably won't get signed, say both Phillips and Kurkjian. The Johan deal didn't happen before midnight, which means the Yankees are "out of it" and other teams might get involved.

And that's the show. Nothing groundbreaking (although I think someone will sign Bonds eventually) but still relatively interesting. I have to start scouring for more news.

Here's two interesting stories that have slipped under the radar:

The Mets might end up trading Estrada to the Nationals (bottom of the page in the link).

Omar has been trying to get a contract extension but has been shot down for the time being, reports Ken Rosenthal.

More rumors tomorrow...

Nady on the Market

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Pirates are ready and willing to trade 1B/OF Xavier Nady. If they get any offers at the winter meetings this week, they will more than likely non-tender him before the arbitration deadline on December 12. Nady hit .274 with 20 HR and 74 RBIs last year for the Pirates, and was one of the few bright spots in the lineup. The Pirates and the Indians are in talks for a Nady-Kelly Shoppach swap, but nothing is imminent at this point.

From the Mets perspective, especially with how lefty-heavy their lineup is right now, trying to acquire Nady might not be a bad idea. The newly-acquired Ryan Church could easily be packaged in any deal for a top-notch starter, which would leave the Mets with an open spot in the outfield for Nady.

Expect frequent postings throughout this week with all of the buzz at the winter meetings in Nashville. Buster Olney has already laid out what he thinks might happen at the meetings. While Olney's opinion should always be taken with a grain of salt, he provides some interesting ideas at least. (Note: Reading Olney's article might require you to have an ESPN Insider account.)