The Rule 5 Draft starts in a few hours, and after that most team executives will head back home. There was lots on action on Wednesday, so let's recap…
- Two of the better free agent starters came off the board during Day 3 of the Winter Meetings. Randy Wolf finalized his three year, $29.75MM deal with Milwaukee, and even managed to secure an option for a fourth year. Andy Pettitte re-upped with the Yankees for another year, and will earn $11.75MM in 2010.
- The Rays acquired relief ace Rafael Soriano from the Braves for Jesse Chavez, pending medical review. Tampa will take on all of Soriano's salary, whatever that ends up being. The Yankees, Angels, Orioles, and Astros were all considered suitors for the righthander throughout the day.
- The Astros imported a notable pair of relievers of their own on Wednesday. First they traded two minor leaguers and their pick in the Rule 5 Draft to Florida for closer Matt Lindstrom. Later in the day, they signed Brandon Lyon to a three year, $15MM deal. Those moves will help make up for the loss of LaTroy Hawkins, who inked a two year, $7.5MM deal with the Brewers.
- The Rangers finally sent Kevin Millwood packing, dealing him to the Orioles for Chris Ray. Baltimore is also sending the third overall pick in the Rule 5 Draft to Texas. That move opened the door for the Rangers to sign Rich Harden to a one year, $7.5MM contract that includes an option for 2011. The Mariners were rumored to be in on Harden, but they had to settle for Corey Patterson instead.
- While that was happening, the Rangers moved closer to acquiring Mike Lowell from the Red Sox for Max Ramirez. There's a chance Lowell's hip and thumb issues could interfere with the deal, though. That move would open a spot for Adrian Beltre, who the Sox have serious interest in. Despite their need for a corner bat, the Giants are not interested in Beltre.
- Bobby Crosby signed a one year deal with the Pirates, and will earn $1MM with another $500K in incentives.
- On the pitching market, Ben Sheets is looking for big money, while multiple teams are discussing Derek Lowe. The Mets, Nationals, and Phillies are all interested in Jason Marquis, while Darren Oliver has plenty of suitors as well. Joel Pineiro, as expected, has a bunch of teams after him. In a move of astounding cheapness, the Padres are expected to non-tender Kevin Correia.
- Nick Johnson is a wanted man, with seven teams pursuing him. The Reds, meanwhile, are interested in Craig Counsell, while five teams are interested in Scott Podsednik. The White Sox appear to be closing in on J.J. Putz, and the Padres are shopping Kevin Kouzmanoff.
- The Rockies are nearing a two year deal with Yorvit Torrealba, while the Mets are prepared to offer Bengie Molina a deal by Thursday afternoon. Sticking to the theme, the Royals offered Jason Kendall two years as well.
- Of course, it wouldn't be a day near the Hot Stove without some talk about Jason Bay, Roy Halladay, Milton Bradley, and John Lackey.
In case you missed it, here's MLBTR's review of Day 1 and Day 2.
