Teams wasted little time in getting down to business on the first day of MLB‘s annual winter meetings, as Rich Hill and Mark Melancon, two of the higher-profile free agents, came off the board. Hill re-signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, while Melancon signed on to solidify the back-end of San Francisco’s bullpen.
Trade chatter continues to swirl around a slew of players, including Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale. But don’t expect the southpaw to be dealt anytime soon. Some of the teams in the mix for the Chicago White Sox ace tell ESPN’s Jayson Stark that the asking price has not dropped and, as a result, none of them foresee a trade getting done during the winter meetings.
How high is that asking price, you ask? FanRag Sports’ Jon Heyman hears that the White Sox asked Houston for a package that included third baseman/shortstop/outfielder Alex Bregman, a request the Astros promptly denied.
But enough about a deal that isn’t likely to be completed this week.
What follows is a look at the biggest moves and most significant rumors from baseball’s annual gathering, held this year in National Harbor, Maryland.