MLB Winter Meetings journal: Things are about to get busy

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Day 1 of the Winter Meetings was light on transactions and big on drama. Sure, some players signed, but the day was ultimately defined by news that Aroldis Chapman was involved in a domestic incident in October. That story was reported by our own Tim Brown and Jeff Passan.

Because of that, Chapman’s trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers is now in limbo. Considering all the possible issues involved here, it’s unclear what exactly is going to happen or how soon this will be resolved. It seems incredibly likely that any deal involving Chapman won’t happen during the Winter Meetings.

While Chapman’s situation shouldn’t be brushed aside quickly, it’s not going to prevent other players from signing deals today. Day 1 might be known for a deal that never materialized, while Day 2 is just about to begin.

With that said, let’s take a look at five significant rumors that could come through soon.

FIVE THINGS THAT MIGHT HAPPEN: DAY 2
• It appears the Chicago Cubs are willing to trade young infielder Javier Baez. There was a report that was eventually refuted early Tuesday morning that Chicago was on the verge of making a deal. That didn’t happen, but it did result in a number of rumors suggesting the Cubs have been working hard on a deal that possibly involves Baez. Both the Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta Braves have been discussed as possible destinations.

• Speaking of the Braves, pitcher Shelby Miller’s name came up once again as part of some rumors. The Braves are denying those rumors, but Jon Heyman of CBS Sports suggests a deal could get done as soon as today. It would probably take a lot, as Miller is young, talented and under team control through 2018. It wouldn’t be surprising to see his name continue to get mentioned in the coming days. Atlanta has made it clear they are going to retool, and Miller is one of their current players who could bring back a big piece.

• Japanese pitcher Kenta Maeda is expected to hit the market today, according to Jayson Stark of ESPN. The pitcher should draw plenty of interest from clubs, though there’s some question over where he would slot in a major-league rotation. The San Francisco Giants are said to be in on Maeda and it looks like he prefers to be on the West Coast, according to Stark.

• Asdrubal Cabrera may not be the biggest name on the market, but he’s one of the best shortstops available. The Chicago White Sox have been mentioned as a possible destination by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Chicago is currently set to open next season with Tyler Saladino at short, and that’s less than optimal. 

• Joe Nathan, who pitched just 1/3 of an inning last season, is at the Winter Meetings hoping to make a come back. Nathan tore his UCL early last season, and is likely in the process of recovering. A couple teams have already shown interest in Nathan, according to Stark.

PICTURE OF THE DAY

New Dodgers manager Dave Roberts proved to be a popular man Monday. The skipper drew the biggest crowd during his interview session. There are a number of reasons for that. The Dodgers are a popular team that play in a huge market, the club (at the time) was expected to trade for Chapman and people love to talk about Yasiel Puig. Roberts has been thrust into a tough situation with Los Angeles, but he’s handled things well thus far.

On a side note, if you want to keep up with the Yahoo! Sports guys at the Winter Meetings, you can follow Jeff Passan, Tim Brown, Mike Oz and me on Twitter. Feel free to do that to stay on top of the latest rumors and notes.

WINTER MEETINGS DAILY OBSERVATION
Manager media sessions began Monday, and they provided a unique opportunity to see how different each manager operates. Rays skipper Kevin Cash, for example, appeared to be far more formal with the media. John Gibbons of the Toronto Blue Jays seemed more laid back, and was holding court as if he was just part of the group.

There’s also something to be said about the difference between the younger managers and the baseball-lifers. Gibbons laughed at a question that referenced BABIP, saying “I know my limitations,” while Cash dissected why the Rays are willing to pull their starters much earlier than other clubs. Each came off as well-spoken and intelligent, but it was clear they handled the job in very different ways. 

PEOPLE AT THE WINTER MEETINGS
Taking some inspiration from Humans of New York, I’m highlighting a person, or a group of people at the Winter Meetings each day. Tuesday’s group includes two fathers who decided to bring their sons to the Winter Meetings to meet players and coaches. I didn’t expect to see many fans here, so I figured they might have an interesting story. I‘ll also be sharing these pictures on the BLS Tumblr page and on Twitter.

“When you speak to either myself, my boys, Brent or his boys, baseball is in our blood. So it doesn’t matter if it’s a player, it doesn’t matter if it’s a coach or manager. If it’s anything baseball-related, especially MLB-related, and we have the opportunity to actually be a part of just seeing TV crews and ESPN and MLB Network … and we just met Craig Counsell … it’s pretty awesome. The fact that we don’t see other fans here just shows us how dedicated we are.”

— Evan (left) with his sons William and Jack with Brent and his sons Colin, Caiden and Nathan

Day 2 is officially underway. Based on how little actually went down Monday, I expect the activity to pick up quite a bit. Can’t wait.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik