The baseball Winter Meetings are about to commence in San Diego, California. Executives from all 30 major league teams will be present, and since everyone is in one place at the same time, the time is one of the busiest of the offseason for trades. Jayson Stark of ESPN.com posted a Winter Meetings preview column and he had two points: Cole Hamels does not seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, and Marlon Byrd is a good bet to move this week.
First, Stark had this to say about Marlon Byrd:
The Phillies might succeed in finally trading somebody next week. (Marlon Byrd, anyone?)…. Byrd gets our vote for Most Likely Phillie to Get Traded Next Week.
With more outfield-type players off of the market (Nick Markakis, Torii Hunter) there will be teams looking for another outfield bat. Byrd's 25 home runs were more than any free agent outfielder this offseason (note: this assumes that Nelson Cruz is a DH) and he would represent an upgrade. The Phillies could have competition from the Atlanta Braves, who are looking to trade outfielder Justin Upton.
While the stove does not seem hot enough on Phillies ace Cole Hamels at the moment. Nonetheless, an executive says that the Phillies can make a "good trade" for Hamels, as executives believe that the Phillies are asking too much even for the ace that he is:
"Here's my take," said an official of one club that has traded an ace in the not-so-distant past. "I think the Phillies can make a good trade for Cole Hamels. I don't think it will be a grand slam. If he was making $5 million a year, then they might get a grand slam. But he's not. I think they can make a good trade, one that makes sense for both teams. But I think there are too many different starting-pitcher options available for a team to give up the kind of prospects they're asking and pay that money. Teams don't have to do that right now. And they're not going to do that."
Would the Phillies be okay with a "good" deal?
Red Sox owner John Henry flew to meet with former Red Sox ace pitcher Jon Lester, reports WEEI. The Red Sox taking Lester off the market could entice those in the starting pitcher market to move their attention to Cole Hamels. The San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Boston Red Sox seem to be Lester's primary suitors this offseason, though the St. Louis Cardinals met with Lester and the Atlanta Braves had a conversation before declaring themselves out of the running. Whether or not Henry's appeal will work remains to be seen, but the end of the Lester sweepstakes appears to be soon.
