10 storylines to watch this week at MLB’s Winter Meetings

SAN DIEGO — The lobby here at the Manchester Grand Hyatt is already buzzing. There are general managers attracting crowds, agents hoping to maneuver for their clients and reporters with notebooks in their hands, looking for a scoop.

The baseball world is concentrated here, in San Diego, at the annual Winter Meetings, which run Monday through Thursday. Fans everywhere await what some pundits are saying could be a wild week of moves. Or, it could be tame. The pundits have been wrong about the Winter Meetings before. Anticipating becoming anticipointment is nothing new.

Most of the big bats are already off the market — with Victor Martinez returning to the Tigers, Nelson Cruz joining the Mariners, Hanley Ramirez and Pablo Sandoval going to the Red Sox and Russell Martin going to the Blue Jays. Melky Cabrera is still out there, as are a number of top-flight starting pitchers and useful relievers. The trade market is buzzing too.

The Stew is on the scene, and we’ll give you full coverage of the Winter Meetings as deals go down. For now, though, here are 10 storylines to consider while we wait for the action to get going.

WILL MATT KEMP ACTUALLY GET TRADED?
For the second straight year, Kemp is one of the most intriguing trade chips on the market. After a solid second half, the Dodgers might be apt to keep him again, but there’s certainly interest from other teams. The Orioles, Padres and Mariners are among his most talked-about suitors. The Dodgers have to get rid of their outfield surplus one way or another, and while you have to suspect they’d rather trade Andre Ethier, Kemp would bring the more lucrative return. 

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JON LESTER’S LOOMING DECISION
Don’t know if you heard, but lefty Jon Lester is a hot commodity on the free-agent market. Naw, you probably hadn’t heard. We haven’t posted about it every day for the past week or anything. We’ll stop the sarcasm now, because the fact is that Lester’s one of the biggest stories out there and his decision could come any day now. The Red Sox, Cubs and Giants were the finalists, then the Dodgers nudged into the conversation. Lester should be the first big domino to fall in the starting-pitching market, so once he figures out his plans, we’ll start hearing more about James Shields, Brandon McCarthy and maybe even Max Scherzer. 

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WHAT’S UP WITH THE CUBS?
Remember when the Cubs were the team of the offseason? They hired Joe Maddon to be their manager and had a lot of money to spend. We were all waiting to see what would happen next. Well, they didn’t get Russell Martin. The Jon Lester market has changed so they’re not necessarily the favorites anymore (but they still have a chance, of course). What’s it going to be, Theo and Jed? Don’t let the Blue Jays and Red Sox steal your thunder. 

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THE GOLDEN ERA HALL OF FAME VOTE
Dick Allen, Gil Hodges, Jim Kaat and Minnie Minoso could be destined for Cooperstown, thanks to a vote from the Hall of Fame’s Golden Era committee, which will announce the results of its ballot Monday. The 10-person ballot also includes Luis Tiant, Maury Wills, Ken Boyer, Tony Oliva, Billy Pierce and Bob Howsam (the ex-Reds GM). The Golden Era committee — a panel of Hall of Famers, execs and media members — gives another shot to people who didn’t make the Hall of Fame based on the BBWAA vote. In November, The Stew examined each candidate. 

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JUSTIN UPTON’S FUTURE
Like Kemp, there’s a lot of trade buzz around the younger Upton brother, who will be a free agent after the 2015 season. The Atlanta Braves are making over their team, and the arrival of Nick Markakis could make Upton expendable. The teams who are chasing Kemp will chase Upton too. Additionally, the Rangers are said to be interested. Upton is the bigger-impact bat (29 homers and 102 RBIs in 2014) but Kemp is a better long-term option.

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WHAT THE YANKEES DO NEXT
The Yankees used Friday to remind us that they’re not going to sit idly by while the Blue Jays and Red Sox jockey for AL East supremacy. They swung a three-way, non-Earth shattering trade that netted them shortstop Didi “He’ll Never Be Jeter” Gregorius. Then they added to their bullpen by getting one of the top relievers on the market, Andrew Miller. The Yankees are always a threat, and while the rumor mill says they’re not handing out $100 million contracts this year, you never know for sure.

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WHAT THE RED SOX DO NEXT
The Boston Red Sox made two of the splashiest signings of the offseason so far, adding Pablo Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez. But they still have work to do, specifically within their starting rotation. The Red Sox are hopeful Lester chooses them, but that’s far from certain, so they’ll have their eye on pitchers. Don’t be surprised to hear them in trade talks either, as they have an outfield surplus, including the desirable Yoenis Cespedes.

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BILLY BEANE’S NEXT MOVE FOR THE A’S
Josh Donaldson’s gone. Jeff Samardzija or Brandon Moss is probably next. But who knows with Billy Beane in control. You can count on Beane making more moves, especially given that he’s willing to blow up the team he had in 2014. But which moves exactly? That’s the fun part — or gut-wrenching part, if you’re an A’s fan.

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THE RELIEF FLOODGATES OPENING
With Andrew Miller joining the Yankees on a four-year, $36 million deal might just open the relief-pitcher floodgates. We’ve already seen Miller and Zach Duke get paid, but there are many others waiting in tow. Miller, though, has set the market and the teams who didn’t land him — including the Astros — are set to strike. David Robertson is the next big reliever on the board. Also out there: Sergio Romo, Luke Gregorson, Pat Neshek, Jason Grilli and Francisco Rodriguez.

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WHAT’S UP WITH THE PADRES?
They’re the hometown team for these meetings, after all, so we have to wonder if the San Diego Padres will be a player. The Padres have a new GM, in A.J. Preller, who seems eager to make deals and improve his offense. They have interesting pitchers to dangle — Ian Kennedy is most likely to be moved, but many teams would love to get Tyson Ross and Andrew Cashner. The Pads have been mentioned as candidates for players such as Cespedes and Kemp. New GM on his (new) home turf. No pressure, man.

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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz