WINTER MEETINGS DAY THREE RECAP

With only one day left to the Winter Meetings, the General Managers ramped it up on its third day of negotiations. Deals are going down, with more to be finalized tomorrow before the Rule 5 Draft. Starting at the top, the Granderson trade was completed today, and then Yankee GM Brian Cashman went ahead and resigned Andy Pettitte to an 11.75 million dollar deal. This is more than double a raise from last year, and well worth it for the pitcher that won all three playoff clinchers. This, once again, gives the Yankees three great to very good pitchers at the top of their rotation. There's a possibility that Cashman may fill another slot with another huge name as he met with both John Lackey's agent, as well as engaging with Toronto's GM about Roy Halladay.

However, there's already another team that has actually put in a bid for Halladay. The LA Angels have offered up starting pitcher Joe Saunders, shortstop Erick Aybar, and minor league center fielder Peter Bourjos. This is a great deal for the Jays as they get two major league players that they certainly can use, and a prospect that sounds very good. This may be the best they get, so we'll see if it happens. The Angels are also seemingly really considering Hideki Matsui.

The Rangers have been very busy today. First off, they sent Kevin Millwood to the Orioles for Chris Ray and their Rule 5 pick. This is weird, but I'm guessing the O's want Millwood to help lead their young pitching staff, and teach them a thing or two. The Rangers quickly replaced Millwood by signing Rich Hardin. This could be very, very good for the Rangers. If Harden is healthy, he could really help them out. Speaking of helping them, it looks like the Rangers have just completed a deal to get Mike Lowell from the Red Sox for a much needed catching prospect. I'm guessing he gets most of his at-bats at the DH and 1B spots, and spell Michael Young sometimes as well. This deal is pending medical reviews so we'll see how it turns out tomorrow.

With Lowell likely leaving, the rumors are the Sox will move quickly and sign Adrian Beltre. This will make them younger and stronger at third in every way. So this is going to be very interesting if all goes down right.

The Astros have reworked their bullpen. They traded for Matt Lindstrom from Florida for a couple prospects and their Rule 5 draft (popular this year!), and oddly they signed Brandon Lyon to a three year deal worth 15 mil. Three years for this guy is way too much, but with these two former closers aboard, I would think Jose Valverde's time in Houston is done.

They did, however, lose LaTroy Hawkins today as he signs a two-year deal with the Brewers. Milwaukee also completed their deal with Randy Wolf, which is a great signing for this team. They may also sign Mark Mulder as he attempts to come back.

The Mets have yet to hand their two year deal to Bengie Molina, and I'm not sure what they are waiting for. They are still talking to every pitcher on Earth, but today it sounded like they may be serious players for Lackey. Jason Marquis seems to be higher on their radar than before, too, but the Nats and Phillies like him as well. The Dodgers have made Juan Pierre available for a back-of-the-rotation pitcher. Ollie Perez, anyone? Pierre is perfect for Citi Field.

Other tidbits include the Pirates signing Bobby Crosby, who will compete for the shortstop position. The White Sox appear close to signing JJ Putz. He got a bum-rap last year with the Mets, but this guy was a pretty good closer before, and if he comes back healthy he can be a force in anyone's bullpen. The Royals handed a two year deal to catcher Jason Kendall, but no progress there yet. They also inquired about the availability of the Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner. The Rockies and Yorvitt Torrealba haven't hammered down a price for their deal yet. Lastly, the Rays appear to be on cusp of getting Rafael Soriano. This could be the closer they've been looking for.

So a big day today, we'll see what gets finished before the GMs fly out tomorrow. The Rule 5 draft is always interesting, too, especially this year as a few picks have been traded. The Yankees will get the Nats' 1st pick, which means they get to tell Washington who to grab. There's talk they pick one of their own: lefty Zach Kroenke, who wasn't protected by their 40 man roster. This guy could ultimately replace Phil Coke on the team. We'll check on that, and wrap up the Meetings tomorrow.