BT'S WINTER MEETING PRIMER

The Baseball Winter Meetings are on the verge of beginning, officially going from Monday through Thursday; ending with the Rule 5 draft. For the uninitiated, the Winter Meetings are all about the General Managers and Agents gathering in one place to broker deals of the free agent or trade varieties. For those that love the Hot Stove season, this is like the World Series. Deals may or may not happen, but there will be lots of intrigue, speculation, and seeding. Usually something of significance happens in or around the Meetings, and we'll analyze what's going down as the week progresses. The week leading up to the Winter Meetings have seen a flurry of signings, which could bode well for this coming week. Let's look at those, and give you a little heads up on what may follow.

Atlanta has remade the back of their bullpen adding vets Billy Wagner and Takashi Saito. I think this a great move for them. Wagner showed very little rust coming back from Tommy John surgery this past season, showcasing good form down the stretch. He'll now return to his closing role, giving the Braves a proven 9th inning commodity. Their new set-up man has also been a closer as well, so if Wagner falters, Saito will be ready. Interestingly, both players ended the year with the Boston Red Sox, so the connection between the two teams continues. One of their two free agent closers, Rafael Soriano, may actually accept arbitration. That would give the Braves a pricey bullpen, but a rather good one. It's a shame they can't freely trade the guy till June 1st without his approval if he accepts, though, as they do need a bat, and Soriano could be enough to pry Josh Willingham away from the Nats, or be involved in a trade for the Rangers' Nelson Cruz. How about Milton Bradley? Or not... Of course if he approves a trade, he'll be very attractive.

The reigning National League Champion Phillies made a couple of maneuvers as well. The smaller one was signing a new back-up catcher in Brian Schneider to a two year deal. Maybe they saw something New York fans didn't. The other one is a slighter bigger deal, as they've locked down their new 3rd baseman, Detroit 2nd baseman Placido Polanco. I'm not sure I'm a big fan of this one either, as there were much better options out there. Sure, Polanco is a fine player, no doubt, but he doesn't provide more pop than Pedro Feliz did, although he'll probably get on base more, but the thing to look out for is if he can readjust to third base. He did start out at the position, but he hasn't played there since '02! And while he's played in Philadelphia before, I'm just not seeing this reunion being beneficial for the length of this three year contract.

Rounding out the NL East transactions, the Mets made a few small moves. First off, they've brought back utility infielder Alex Cora. He's a solid player, so you can't fault them there. They then proceeded to sign two catchers not named Bengie Molina. Chris Coste and Henry Blanco are now in the fold, and you have to wonder if there will be more catcher signings. Coste will most definitely start at Triple A, most likely taking Josh Thole under his wing. You have to figure that Blanco, though, will start in the majors. They also have Omir Santos under contract, so it'll be interesting to see what happens as the team is still linked to both Molina and Rod Barajas. If one of those sign, expect Santos or Blanco to be non-tendered.

Speaking of catchers, Greg Zaun, who appeared to be heavily sought out this off-season, has signed with the Brewers. It seems like Jason Kendall's days there are done. The Mariners need a catcher, though, and he'd fit in perfectly with their defense-first new attitude.

The biggest signing so far, fittingly belongs to the Mariners. It isn't yet completed, but word has it it's a physical away from being done. Chone Figgins is coming to Seattle. The Mariners were thought to be big players this year, and this signing will go a long way to paving the way for more. Figgins will give them a super solid third baseman, high on base percentage, and good overall hitting. You have to love a line-up that may start with Ichiro and Figgins. I can see them getting Jason Bay in the mix as well, and heck, they have to be players for John Lackey, too.

A couple of trades were made this past week as well. First, The A's traded with the Cubs, acquiring Jake Fox, Aaron Miles, and cash for three minor leaguers. Both could help Oakland's infield situation. Secondly, The Rays acquired catcher Kelly Shoppach from the Indian, which makes me wonder if they plan on keeping Dioner Navaro, who had a terrible season. If not, you can expect the two to split time evenly. The Rays may also be looking for relief help in the form of Matt Lindstrom from the Marlins. Rumors are circulating a deal may be in the works. Lindstrom and Howell could make a nice one-two punch in the late innings.

More AL East news centers on the Red Sox as they've found their new shortstop in Marco Scutaro. Obviously, this comes at no surprise. Boston needed a shortstop badly, and he was the best available on the market, coming off his best year ever. Boston is also involved in talks with Toronto about Roy Halladay, but I'm not sure they'd want to part with the right pieces.

So that has been the week heading up to tomorrow's race, but now who will finish first? Who needs the most? Is the most desperate? Who will spend the most? Make the most? Many questions may be answered, and more will likely join them. Welcome to the Winter Meetings, BeSBALL Talk style!