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          Wednesday's MLB winter meetings trade and free-agency buzz

          • ESPN.com
          Dec 9, 2015, 03:00 PM

          The MLB winter meetings are on, and rumors are swirling across baseball. Here is what our writers are hearing today:

          Complete winter meetings coverage

          Complete hot stove coverage

          MLB Free Agent Tracker | Rumors

          Eddie Matz's take: Washington isn't in dire need of a starter. Then again, the Nationals weren't in dire need last winter, when they shocked everyone by giving Max Scherzer $210 million to be their ace. So clearly the Nationals place a high value on starting pitching.

          The Scherzer signing left right-hander Tanner Roark, who in 2014 won 15 games in his first full season as a starter, on the outside looking in. But now, with the departure of free agents Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister, the Nats are counting on Roark -- who struggled last season when the team shuffled him back and forth between the bullpen and the rotation -- to once again be part of their starting five. But he's far from a sure thing. Ditto for Joe Ross, another projected 2016 starter: The 22-year-old former first-rounder was brilliant as a rookie, but he hit the wall hard and has never thrown more than 153 innings as a pro.

          So even though Dusty Baker's team isn't starter-starved, adding a dependable arm like Leake -- who spent his first four seasons playing for Baker in Cincy, and who's thrown more innings than all but four NL starters since debuting in 2011 -- makes lots of sense.

          Andrew Marchand's take: The Yankees are still in very active talks for one more big or relatively big move. Yankees GM Brian Cashman is still listening to offers for closer Andrew Miller, left fielder Brett Gardner and setup man Justin Wilson.

          Miller is the most intriguing trade piece Cashman could deal. The Yankees like Miller teamed with All-Star Dellin Betances, but Cashman feels he has two closers on his roster. If he can spin Miller and his reasonable three-year, $27 million contract off for high-end, young starting pitching, he very well might do it.

          Cashman wants to create depth with his starting pitching. The Yankees' staff might have six legitimate starters, but they all have question marks: Masahiro Tanaka (elbow) Nathan Eovaldi (elbow), Luis Severino (youth), Michael Pineda (head), CC Sabathia (alcohol rehab) and Ivan Nova (elbow). Behind them, the Yankees have Bryan Mitchell. Cashman wants to throw one or two more into that mix or add a potentially high-end starter for Double-A or Triple-A.

          The best way for Cashman to do that is to give up Miller and, to a lesser extent, Wilson. Cashman will have to piece together the bullpen, but he would feel very confident that Betances could handle the closer role.

          Eddie Matz's take: The fact that Baltimore Orioles owner Peter Angelos is reportedly willing to shell out $150 million to keep Chris Davis in town is borderline shocking, given the team's historical spending habits. Word is that the deal might include some deferred money, but still: It's a huge number for a franchise whose largest contract ever is the $86 million deal that Adam Jones got in 2012. This is a clear sign that general manager Dan Duquette has meant what he's said over the past few months, namely that keeping Davis in Charm City is a top priority.

          O's fans would like to believe the feeling is mutual -- that Davis loves Baltimore as much as Baltimore loves him. They'd like to believe a few million dollars more -- or even the chance to make a few million dollars more -- wouldn't be enough to take him elsewhere. But baseball is a business, and nobody knows that better than Davis' agent, Scott Boras.

          Boras is known for giving the market time to evolve. Like, lots and lots of time. But Tuesday, Duquette sounded for all the world like someone who's not interested in playing that game. He essentially said the Orioles can't afford to sit around and wait and they have a team to build; if they don't get a firm answer from Davis soon, they'll simply move on and find another left-handed power bat elsewhere. Tuesday, the O's were linked to trade rumors involving Adam Lind and Mitch Moreland, both left-handed hitting first baseman. Today, there's news that they're interested in Korean star Hyun-soo Kim, another lefty.

          Who knows? Maybe Duquette is just bluffing, trying to get to Boras to commit. But given Boras' reputation, bluffing doesn't seem like a sound strategy, and the Orioles have to know that. In other words, Duquette likely means what he said Tuesday: The offer is on the table, but it won't be for long.

          Stark's take: The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies were having ongoing conversations Wednesday about a deal that would send Phillies closer Ken Giles to Houston in exchange for 23-year-old right-hander Vincent Velasquez, plus two other prospects, sources said. It's possible the Astros could get a second prospect back, depending on the level of the players who would land in Philadelphia.

          The Astros have been talking to a number of teams in an attempt to add a power arm to the back of their bullpen. And Fangraphs ranked Giles' average fastball velocity, of 96.5 miles per hour, as the eighth highest among all big-league relievers who pitched at least 60 innings this season.

          The 25-year-old Giles has had back-to-back seasons with ERAs under 2.00, has struck out 151 hitters in 115.2 major league innings and became the Phillies' closer late in the season after the trade of Jonathan Papelbon. But the Phillies see themselves as being several years away from contention. So they've been looking to add depth and as many young arms to their system as they can collect.

          Asked what the Phillies have been looking for in return for Giles, an executive of one club that's been speaking with them replied: "Pitching. And more pitching."

          The teams initially talked about a package led by right-hander Lance McCullers, sources said. But Houston has been firm about not wanting to trade him. So talk has turned toward Velasquez, who made 19 big-league appearances for the Astros this year and projects as a No. 3 starter, scouts say.

          Velasquez was the Astros' second-round pick in the 2010 draft. He went 4-0, with a 1.91 ERA, in nine appearances in Double-A this year. Keith Law ranked him as Houston's No. 2 pitching prospect, and No. 3 prospect overall, coming into this season.

          Andrew Marchand's take: The next move for New York Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is to further assess the market for Brett Gardner and Andrew Miller. The Yankees are willing to trade either of those players, but it isn't mandatory. They love both players and realize their value, as evidenced by Cashman's refusal to give up Gardner for Starlin Castro.

          Cashman showed patience for Castro, which led to a good trade for the Yankees. Cubs president Theo Epstein looked at Tuesday's deals as Ben Zobrist and Adam Warren for Castro, which is fine from the Chicago point of view. For the Yankees, it was fantastic because Zobrist, a free agent, wasn't the Yankees' to trade. Cashman read the market perfectly to execute the team's plan to become younger and more athletic.

          With Gardner and Miller, he is doing the same thing. The duo very well could be in Yankees uniforms on Opening Day, though their ability and reasonable contracts make them attractive trade pieces. If Cashman doesn't trade either for starting pitching this winter, they could be two prime candidates at the trade deadline if the Yankees aren't in contention.

          The Yankees are trying to rebuild while remaining competitive. They will trade Gardner and Miller if they can receive young, talented starting pitching. If not, Cashman will just wait and see when the market opens up again for the right moves to continue the franchise's transition to the next generation.

          UPDATE: They're nearing a deal.

          Rubin's take: The New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates are involved in trade talks that potentially could bring switch-hitting second baseman Neil Walker to Queens for left-hander Jonathon Niese, according to multiple reports.

          Walker, 30, hit .269 with 16 homers and 71 RBIs in 543 at-bats last season. He earned $8 million last season and again is eligible for arbitration. Walker is not eligible for free agency until after the 2017 season.

          The Mets appear to have pivoted to Walker after striking out in their attempt to land Ben Zobrist. He agreed Tuesday to a four-year, $56 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.

          The Los Angeles Angels reportedly also are pursuing Walker.

          Crasnick's take: Ian Desmond is the most accomplished shortstop on the market, even though he's coming off a disappointing walk year (.233/.290/.384 with 19 home runs, the first time since 2011 he failed to hit 20). But the list of teams in the market for shortstops is relatively limited, with San Diego, the New York Mets and Arizona Diamondbacks among those that come to mind.

          Desmond is an athletic player, and several clubs have kicked the tires on him at second base, third base and even the outfield. The Angels, Indians, Brewers, White Sox, Padres and Astros are all looking for upgrades at one, and in some cases multiple infield spots. Desmond's versatility might enhance his marketability as the Hot Stove game of musical chairs continues to play out.

          Stark's take: The Atlanta Braves have already signed two free-agent catchers, A.J. Pierzynski and Tyler Flowers. So there's no spot on their big-league team for Christian Bethancourt, who fell out of favor this year. But because he can't be sent to the minor leagues without being passed through waivers, the Braves are letting teams know he's available.

          Although he was a big disappointment in the big leagues, Bethancourt is only 24, has an exceptional arm and did hit .327/.359/.480 in the minor leagues this year. So the Braves are telling teams if they don't get an offer they think makes it worthwhile to move him, they'll take him to spring training and revisit these discussions then.

          Padilla's take: The Chicago White Sox say that if they can acquire enough offense this offseason, they would be comfortable with Tyler Saladino playing shortstop.

          Is a reported deal for third baseman Brett Lawrie enough offense to make that happen?

          The San Francisco Chronicle reported late Tuesday that the Oakland Athletics are closing in on a deal to send Lawrie to the White Sox for two undetermined minor leaguers. The White Sox have been mum on any forthcoming deal.

          Read more here.