Winter baseball meetings drawing to a busy close
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LAS VEGAS -- After a slow first two days, baseball’s winter meetings shifted into overdrive late on their final night with a spurt of trades either getting done or nearing completion.
The Detroit Tigers, who made the only deal during the meeting’s opening session Monday, added former Dodger Edwin Jackson to a shaky pitching staff by sending outfielder Matt Joyce home to his native Tampa. Jackson was a career-best 14-11 with a 4.42 ERA for the American League champion Rays last season.
Moments earlier the Mets added Seattle closer J.J. Putz to their bullpen in a three-team deal that netted the rebuilding Mariners seven prospects.
The Indians, meanwhile, reached agreement on a two-year, $20-million contract with free agent closer Kerry Wood, who is expected to undergo a physical Thursday in Cleveland. And the A.J. Burnett sweepstakes also heated up tonight with at least five teams showing interest in the right-hander, whose price appears to hovering between $60 million and $80 million over four to five years.
Pennsylvania’s two teams exchanged catchers, with the Pirates sending Ronny Paulino to Philadelphia, which sent Jason Jaramillo to Pittsburgh. And the wheeling and dealing isn’t done as talks were progressing late into the night regarding free agent Mark Teixeira and former Dodgers Derek Lowe and Milton Bradley, among others.
-- Kevin Baxter
(For the record: An earlier version of the photo caption on this post called the Rays the World Series champions. The Philadelphia Phillies defeated Tampa Bay in the World Series.)