Winter Meetings–Day One (And A Little Bit of Hall of Fame, Too)

Throughout the week, we’ll be reporting rumors, analyzing the scuttlebutt, and dissecting actual trades taking place at the winter meetings in Nashville. With the hope that this will be the busiest winter meetings in recent memory, let’s begin.
Day One of the winter meetings figured to be relatively slow for two reasons: 1) teams don’t want to upstage the Hall of Fame’s Veterans Committee announcement and 2) most teams aren’t yet ready to announce any concrete trades or signings.

Before we get to the rumors, I’m thrilled that the Veterans Committee balloting has actually created some new Hall of Famers, of which at least three (and possibly four) are most deserving. Now that a new system is in place featuring an actual committee that meets and builds consensus, we’ll see a much steadier flow of managers and executives reaching the 75 per cent of the vote needed for election. That’s a good thing, because the inability of the previous Vets Committee to vote anyone in from 2002 through 2006 left a large backlog of qualified candidates. Billy Southworth and **** Williams are two excellent managerial choices; each man won two World Championships, won four pennants, compiled good winning percentages, and left behind distinct legacies. Using a patient, player-friendly approach, Southworth excelled at teaching, emphasized small ball, and platooned far more extensively than most managers of his era. Williams also stressed strong fundamental play, but did so with a more military, disciplined approach in which he made players accountable for lack of hustle or execution. (By the way, Whitey Herzog barely missed election, falling short by just one vote. He could be a favorite for election in 2009.)

On the executives side, Barney Dreyfuss is also a solid choice. As the president and general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Dreyfuss presided over the Pirates’ historic merging with the Louisville Colonels (a merger that brought with it Honus Wagner and Rube Waddell among others), oversaw the team’s move into Forbes Field, and played a major role in structuring the first World Series. The other two choices—Bowie Kuhn and Walter O’Malley—are more debatable. As for O’Malley, he was arguably the most powerful owner in the game during the sixties and seventies because of his strong influence on Kuhn, but will always leave a bad taste due to the underhanded way that he moved the Dodgers from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. Still, I can certainly understand the argument for O’Malley, given the on-field success his teams had in both locales along with his powerful effect on major league policymaking. As for Kuhn, I liked him personally and believe he was a principled and well-intended man, but his many defeats at the hands of Marvin Miller represent a major deficit in his record…

Now to the rumors. I don’t see the Yankees budging from their stance on the Johan Santana talks, especially now that Andy Pettitte has committed to return to them in 2008. They’ve already made one concession by including Phil Hughes in the three-man package, along with Melky Cabrera and a third player, believed to be either shortstop Alberto Gonzalez or pitcher Jeff Marques. The Twins want the third player to be one of the Yankees’ other upper tier prospects, either Ian Kennedy, Austin Jackson, or Jose Tabata. The Yankees are understandably balking at that request. Similarly, I think the Red Sox would be foolish to give up Jacoby Ellsbury as part of a Santana deal, but they’re apparently willing to do so. A package of Coco Crisp, Jed Lowrie, Clay Buchholz, and Jon Lester should be good enough for the Twins, who have already been told by Santana that he will invoke his no-trade rights once the season begins…

The Twins aren’t the only team being a bit unreasonable in what they’d like in return for a top-flight starter. A’s general manager Billy Beane has already told Yankee counterpart Brian Cashman that he would expect two of the big three—Hughes, Kennedy, and Joba Chamberlain—in any deal for Dan Haren. If that’s really the case, I don’t think Beane is serious about trading his No. 1 starter, at least not to New York… Then there are the Orioles. They are supposedly expecting four good prospects in any deal for Erik Bedard. In other words, they think Bedard is worth more than Santana, a two-time Cy Young Award winner who is actually four days younger than the Orioles ace…

As part of Day One action, Nationals GM Jim Bowden landed one of his most desired targets with the acquisition of troubled but talented Elijah Dukes from the Rays for a player to be named later. Bowden, as we all knows, loves outfielders with natural tools; he now has three of them in Dukes (left field), Lastings Milledge (CF) and Wily Mo Pena (RF). That could turn out to be the outfield of the new millennium, or it could give plenty of headaches to manager Manny Acta given Dukes’ legal problems and Milledge’s iffy attitude. Still, it’s a good gamble for the Nats, who need to build up as much of a talent base as they can…

The White Sox’ thirst for outfield help was exemplified with the other early trade of the winter meetings. In acquiring Carlos Quentin from the Diamondbacks for first base prospect Chris Carter, the Sox have solidified their corner outfield positions. With Jermaine Dye in right and Quentin (if he’s healthy) available to compete with Josh Fields in left, that leaves center field as the one remaining vacancy in Chicago. The White Sox may fill that gap with Japanese free agent Kosuke Fukudome, who is expected to reach a decision within the next week. The 30-year-old Fukudome is also being hotly pursued by the cross-town rival Cubs, the Padres, and the Giants. There’s some debate as to whether Fukudome can play center field at a high level. There’s no doubt that he has the arm strength to play right field, which is where the Cubs would likely use him… Either way, the Cubs will likely deal Matt Murton at the meetings. If they don’t sign Fukudome, they might trade Murton for a left-handed hitting outfielder as a way of balancing their mostly right-handed lineup. Otherwise, Murton could be sent packing for some bullpen help…

One of the hottest rumors of Day One involved the Pirates and Indians, who are contemplating a Jason Bay for Kelly Shoppach and Cliff Lee deal. That trade would satisfy the Indians’ desire for a new left fielder, while giving the Bucs a wealth of catchers, a position that already includes Ronny Paulino and the versatile Ryan Doumit. Given the lack of quality catching around the major leagues and the potential for a bounce back by Lee in a weaker division, that’s a deal I would make if I were the Pirates.