Big names still available
Winter meetings end without deals for Hamilton, Greinke
NASHVILLE – As baseball’s new Mr. Moneybags, Ned Colletti gets mentioned when almost any free agent is discussed this off-season.
“There’s a perception that we’re in on a couple dozen starting pitchers, three dozen outfielders and infielders, 17, 18 catchers,” the Los Angeles Dodgers general manager said.
“People like to have us in. I guess it doesn’t hurt to have us in, even though we’re not in. We may have to hire somebody next year just to tell everybody who we’re not in on,” he said.
As teams headed home from the winter meetings Thursday, the biggest free agents were still on the market. The availability of slugger Josh Hamilton and pitcher Zack Greinke held up decisions on other signings and possible trades involving Rangers star Michael Young and the Mets’ Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey.
The Yankees, quiet thus far, were pursuing former Boston star Kevin Youkilis and also met with the agent for Mark Reynolds.
With most clubs already packed up and leaving the sprawling, 2,881-room Opryland hotel, Philadelphia acquired outfielder Ben Revere from Minnesota for righthanders Vance Worley and Trevor May.
Hamilton could remain with Texas, and Seattle seemed to be interested. Greinke’s options include staying with the Los Angeles Angels, moving up the coast to the Dodgers or signing with the Rangers.
Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik said that after taking in information from other clubs and agents, it was time to return home and “cool your jets.”
“There can be a domino affect,” he said. “I think when clubs are focusing on a certain position, a certain need, there’s options out there. And once one option goes away, then that changes the landscape of what a club would want to do. Everybody’s got their ducks lined up in a row, and it’s just a matter of how things fall. And there’s timing involved.”
The annual meeting wasn’t much of a swap session. The Phillies-Twins deal was just the fourth trade over the four days.
Atlanta announced a oneyear deal with outfielder Reed Johnson on Thursday, and Texas said reliever Koji Uehara had reached an agreement with Boston.
But the 25-foot wide dais with a podium backed by MLB logos was used just three times: Yankees general manager Brian Cashman discussed Alex Rodriguez’s hip injury; Major League Baseball announced an auction benefiting Stand Up to Cancer; and the Mets talked about David Wright’s $138 million, eightyear contract, which had been agreed to last week.