Odds & Ends: Melky, Green, Branyan, Lowe

It's officially Winter Meetings time! New thread for links as the folks in Indianapolis begin to wake up and get going:

• Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets an interesting situation: the Cubs and Yankees both like Mike Cameron, while the Cubs like the Yanks' Melky Cabrera.  The Cubs will need to clear payroll space before they can try for Cameron though.  Also muddying the picture: both clubs may have interest in Curtis Granderson.
• ESPN's Buster Olney is hearing that the starting pitching market is "intensifying."
• Larry Stone of the Seattle Times has all kinds of amusing Winter Meetings memories from years past, and he explains why the Meetings were cancelled for five years in the nineties.
• David Lennon of Newsday says Mets COO Jeff Wilpon is not scheduled to come to Indianapolis this week, suggesting the team won't be signing major free agents at the Meetings.
• The Dodgers met with Nick Green's agent, tweets Yahoo's Tim Brown.  Green, 31, hit .236/.303/.366 in 309 plate appearances for the Red Sox this year while playing all around the infield (mainly shortstop). 
• The Mariners have begun preliminary negotiations with Russell Branyan, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.  Branyan already rejected an offer from the Mariners in November.  The Mets appear to be among Branyan's other suitors.
• Jon Heyman reports, via Twitter, that Adrian Beltre is "not likely" to accept Seattle arbitration offer. They'll still likely try to retain him, however.  It might be difficult to keep Branyan, Beltre, and Jose Lopez, with Ken Griffey Jr. already signed.
• In case you were wondering, Morosi tweets that nothing is cooking with the Braves and Diamondbacks for Derek Lowe.  Nor are the D'Backs in on Bronson Arroyo.
• Dan Uggla doesn't like the uncertainty surrounding what uniform he'll be wearing in five months. The Marlins slugger says he still sees himself as a second baseman, though many teams would like to move the 30-home run machine to third base. Matt Lindstrom is in a similar spot.
• Andy MacPhail told Steve Melewski that free agents are beginning to look at Baltimore in a different light, thanks to the great reviews their farm system is getting in the national media. That said, Melewski still feels that if the O's add a big name this offseason, it'll be through a trade.
• Alex Speier takes a look at what pieces the Red Sox could potentially use as trade bait.
• Joel Sherman explains why Andy Pettitte is so important to the Yankees, why personal relationships matter among GMs, and the Mets struggles in finding a taker for Luis Castillo.
• Mark Feinsand gives Yankee fans five situations to watch this week, including Pettitte, Roy Halladay, Johnny Damon, the Tigers, and Hideki Matsui.