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Winter Meetings Review: Day 2

By Luke Adams [December 9, 2009 at 6:05am CST]

Before we dive headfirst into Wednesday's winter meetings action, let's take a minute to recap the top news and rumors from Tuesday....

We saw our first blockbuster trade of the winter, as the Tigers, Diamondbacks, and Yankees agreed on a three-way swap. The deal sends Curtis Granderson to New York, Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy to Arizona, and four players, including Max Scherzer, to the Tigers. Reactions? Most writers agreed that the Tigers and Yankees made out well, but didn't like the deal for the D'Backs. I'm inclined to agree. Granderson should rake in Yankee Stadium and the Tigers were able to add some promising talent while cutting payroll, but it's unclear what Arizona's endgame is here.
The White Sox signed Mark Teahen to a three-year deal worth $14MM. The price isn't bad for Chicago, though it might lock them into mediocre third base production for a few years. If Teahen could match his 2006 numbers (.290/.357/.517), he'd be a bargain, but his career line is just .269/.331/.408.
Milton Bradley trade talks swirled all day, with one report calling a deal with a surprise AL team "three-quarters done." With the Rays and Rangers apparently not involved, it's anybody's guess who the mystery club could be. There doesn't seem to be any one team that stands out as being a fit for Bradley and the Cubs.
Bobby Crosby is on the verge of signing with the Pirates, and it looks like he'll get his chance to compete for an everyday job. I don't think Crosby is a major-league starter at this point, but the risk is fairly low for the Pirates at just $1.5MM over a single year.
The Phillies bolstered their bench by agreeing to sign Ross Gload to a two-year deal. We haven't seen a price attached to this one yet, but assuming it's affordable, I like the move for the Phillies. Gload has proven throughout his career to be a solid pinch-hitter and part-time player.
To make room for players that accepted arbitration, the Twins designated Boof Bonser for assignment and the Braves DFA'd Ryan Church. The Church move is a bit of a surprise, and one that came as a result of another surprise: Rafael Soriano accepting arbitration.
The Rockies offered Yorvit Torrealba a two-year contract, but the backstop has received attention from a host of other clubs as well.
Kevin Kouzmanoff was another hot commodity Tuesday, as multiple teams contacted the Padres about acquiring the third baseman. With Chone Figgins and Placido Polanco already off the market, it looks like teams are getting more creative when it comes to targeting infielders.
We heard plenty more talk about Roy Halladay, Jason Bay, Randy Wolf and Kevin Millwood with nothing concrete happening yet.
In news not directly hot-stove related, Peter Gammons will be leaving ESPN.com to join MLB.com, the MLB Network and NESN.com. Having grown up on Gammons' columns, I look forward to following his work for his new employers.