NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Things have turned so agonizingly slow here, and Minnesota is spending so much time behind closed doors in its Opryland hotel suite, that folks are becoming concerned the Twins soon might become Triplets. Or the Quadruplets.
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| Andruw Jones brings his Gold Glove to Chavez Ravine. (US Presswire) |
Sadly, for both frustrated clubs and rumored-out reporters, the answer mostly is no.
A resounding no.
"People I've talked to today, it seems like everyone is going, 'What are we doing?'" said Dodgers GM Ned Colletti, who finally sent a jolt through the winter meetings several hours later when word reached the hotel lobby that Los Angeles had acquired the big bat it has been looking for by reaching a preliminary agreement with free agent center fielder Andruw Jones on a two-year, $36.2 million deal.
Prior to the big Jones news, Colletti said, "I think it's a real long shot that we'll leave (Thursday) with anything done."
Colletti has been involved in trade talks for Baltimore pitcher Erik Bedard, Milwaukee starter Ben Sheets and St. Louis third baseman Scott Rolen -- among others -- as well as with Jones and fellow free agent center fielder Aaron Rowand.
"We're still talking to some clubs, but there's nothing new right now," said Angels GM Tony Reagins, who had been involved in trade talks for Miguel Cabrera, who officially was shipped from Florida to Detroit on Wednesday, and who continues searching to add another bat.
Why has it mostly been slow? When there are clear needs, excess baggage and 30 clubs gathered under one massive hotel roof ... why aren't more clubs filling their needs?
"It seems that the anticipation is greater than the reality," said Colletti, who admittedly arrived in Nashville on Monday afternoon expecting a full week of wheeling and dealing across the baseball landscape.
Until the Jones deal, Day 3 of the winter meetings was all about "dialogue." There's more talking and less action here than at a hair salon.
"We're still exchanging names," said a source within the Twins' organization of the Johan Santana talks, which continue to plod along with Boston, while the New York Mets keep checking back often.
"There's ongoing dialogue, but that's all right now," said Mets GM Omar Minaya, who has been involved in talks for Santana, Bedard, Toronto's A.J. Burnett and Oakland's Dan Haren as well as free agent starter Livan Hernandez. "I don't know if anything will happen."
