MLB Winter Meetings journal: Day One

SAN DIEGO — Hola from the epicenter of Major League Baseball for the next four days — the annual Winter Meetings.

I’m on the scene and I’ll be blogging up a storm for Big League Stew as deals get done. But I’ll start each day of the Winter Meetings with a daily journal just like this one. In it, I’ll run down five hot rumors to keep an eye on, plus I’ll offer some sights and sounds from the previous 24 hours. I’ll make it as fun as possible — and San Diego is a plenty fun place.

With Day One about to get under way, let’s get this thing started

FIVE HOTTEST RUMORS OF THE DAY
The Winter Meetings are rumor central. It makes sense, with all these baseball people in one place, that there’s more gossip than a high school. These rumors could come to fruition later in the day, later this week or they could just be a lot of empty talk. But until we know for sure, you can bet they’ll have people talking.

(USA TODAY Sports) 1. The Seattle Mariners are “serious” about landing outfielder Melky Cabrera. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports says “they want him,” which is very much direct.

2. The Toronto Blue Jays are pursuing Greg Holland, the shutdown closer of the Kansas City Royals, in a trade. Holland, along with Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera formed that much-talked about lockdown Royals bullpen. The Blue Jays want a better closer than what’s on the free-agent market and, according to the Toronto Sun, might be willing to pay Holland’s high price.

3. The Blue Jays are also causing a stir because they reportedly want to replace their president and CEO, Paul Beeston. One of rumored replacements would be Baltimore Orioles GM Dan Duquette. Duquette is reportedly interested in the job, but he said Sunday he would honor his contract with the O’s. Then a report came out later Sunday that Beeston would stay one more year.

4. A’s pitcher Jeff Samardzija might be headed back to Chicago, but with another team. The White Sox have emerged as favorites to land him in a trade, says USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. The A’s are also still working on a trade to send Brandon Moss to the Indians for a middle infielder, reports Joel Sherman of the New York Post.

5. Free-agent lefty Jon Lester remains the most talked about name here with the Red Sox, Cubs, Dodgers and Giants in pursuit. If the Giants don’t get him, they’re in play for a number of other starting pitchers, reports Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. That includes free agents Max Scherzer and Ervin Santana, plus Phillies’ ace Cole Hamels, who would have to come in a trade. Lester’s decision is expected to come any day now.

VIEW OF THE DAY
A look across the bay from Coronado Island at the San Diego marina area where the Winter Meetings are being held. Note: San Diego is not an ugly city. It also doesn’t really have a “Winter.”

WINTER MEETINGS DAILY OBSERVATION
With Day One of the meetings still ahead of us, excuse me while I talk about a more general San Diego topic I noticed this weekend. Specifically: San Diego’s lack of loyalty to its teams. The New England Patriots were in town Sunday night to the play the Chargers. For two days, the Patriots fans walking around in their team’s colors outnumbered the Chargers fans — by a lot.

While the game was going on Sunday night, I walked past a popular restaurant and bar in San Diego’s Gaslamp District and it had a Patriots flag hanging outside. Niche bars that cater to specific fan bases are one thing, but a popular bar with a big footprint on the corner of a busy intersection … ouch.

On a baseball note, the spot in question — it’s called Barleymash and it’s delicious, btw — had the San Francisco Giants’ World Series trophy on display Sunday night, and its Twitter account called for all the local Giants fans to come out and see it. This, at a place less than a mile from Petco Park. This, for a trophy that belongs to one of their division rivals.

The Padres haven’t been too impressive lately, sure, and the Chargers have given fans their fair share of frustrations in recent years, but sheesh, San Diego, show yourselves some love.

BEER OF THE DAY
San Diego is the home of the craft-beer movement, so expect plenty of MLB writers going on about which local brews they’re trying during the Winter Meetings. Count us among the samplers.

We’ll start with an easy beer. This is Stone Brewing Co.’s IPA. Stone is one of the top craft breweries in the country, big enough that it has a tap room right outside the San Diego Padres’ Petco Park. It’s not confined to San Diego, either. You can probably get Stone’s beer where you live. Their Arrogant Bastard Ale is the most memorable, for its look and name.

But Stone’s standard IPA is all over San Diego. It’s on tap at seemingly even the most mainstream restaurants. It’s available at the hotel bar. You’d think it were Blue Moon or something. Strangers in San Diego will even strike up conversations with you about it. If you don’t like your beer hoppy, stay away from this. But IPA drinkers love it. It has a 94 percent rating on Beer Advocate and it’s “great” according to Beergraphs.

WHERE’S JEFF PASSAN?
Yahoo Sports’ MLB columnist Jeff Passan is on the go during the Winter Meetings, chasing rumors, talking to important people and writing stories. He doesn’t stay in one place too long. So, in the spirit of “Where’s Waldo?” we’re playing a Winter Meetings game called “Where’s Passan?”

Here’s a shot from the hotel lobby bar Sunday night. Passan is in there. Can you spot him?