LEADING OFF: What to watch at the baseball winter meetings
A look at what's happening today at the baseball winter meetings in Oxon Hill, Maryland:
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CLOSING TIME
It was a good week for several top closers, with Aroldis Chapman and Mark Melancon getting rich deals and Wade Davis winding up with the World Series champion Cubs. As teams pack up and leave the D.C. area, star reliever Kenley Jansen is still on the free agent market. Who knows - last season, the Yankees employed Chapman, Andrew Miller and Dellin Betances in the same bullpen. Would they ever consider a trio of Chapman, Betances and Jansen?
CAPITAL GAINS
Chris Sale, Matt Holliday and Ian Desmond are among several players who switched clubs, and they could become crowd favorites in their new homes. It might be a tougher road for Adam Eaton. The Nationals paid a steep price to get the high-energy outfielder from the White Sox - three young and talented pitchers - and Washington fans are likely to keep grousing this week about whether he's worth it.
GETTING DRAFTY IN HERE
The Rule 5 draft finishes baseball's annual gathering as teams see whether they want to pluck mostly anyone left off 40-man rosters. Odubel Herrera of the Phillies and Delino DeShields of the Rangers were recent examples of players picked up that way. Before them, future home run champ Jose Bautista, MVP Josh Hamilton and Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana were Rule 5ers. Teams like the Red Sox that have deep, set rosters often lose a minor leaguer or two in this draft.
