Winter Meetings Journal, Day 3: Time to wrap up that unfinished business

Mike Oz
Don Mattingly's presser at the Winter Meetings on Wednesday. (AP)
Don Mattingly's presser at the Winter Meetings on Wednesday. (AP)

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — A lot has happened since the last Winter Meetings Journal. Chris Sale was traded, finally. Ian Desmond got a $70 million deal from the Colorado Rockies. Wade Davis is going to the Cubs. The Orioles said they won’t sign Jose Bautista because their fans don’t like him. Good times, right?

Now that we’re in the last full day of the Winter Meetings — Thursday is mostly the Rule 5 Draft then getting to the airport on time — it’s time to see what unfinished business teams are trying to wrap up before we all depart the Gaylord National Resort & Conference Center.

For this installment of the Winter Meetings Journal, we’re starting with five rumors like always, then a trip around the trade show, news on a long-overdue Hall of Fame nod and my favorite moment of the 2016 meetings.

FIVE HOT RUMORS FOR TODAY
1. It could be time for us to get some decisions out of the top two closers on the market. Our own Jeff Passan says there’s a belief that it could get sorted out soon. Aroldis Chapman and Kenley Jansen are the two men in line for big paydays, as the Dodgers, Nats, Cubs and Marlins are looking for top-flight closers.

2. With the Chris Sale trade out of the way, the Houston Astros are now reportedly trying to pry Jose Quintana away from the Chicago White Sox, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. His price will be high too, as Quintana is an underrated arm who is on a team-friendly contract until 2021.

3. Speaking of the White Sox: The Dodgers are reportedly interested in getting Todd Frazier if they can’t re-sign free-agent Justin Turner.

4. The market on free-agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion has slowed down some, as his reps wait and see how the market is going to play out, according to Passan.

5. Another place to look in the pitching trade market is the Arizona Diamondbacks, who have a number of young pitchers who might be appealing to other teams. The Arizona Republic’s Nick Piecoro looks into things, but says the prices could be high.

LOOK AT THIS STUFF FROM THE TRADE SHOW
The Winter Meetings Trade Show isn’t exactly the main event here, but it’s definitely worth a lap if you ever find yourself at the meetings. It’s mostly aimed at baseball teams, a place to scout out items like popcorn makers, stadium seats and various types of merchandise and promo items.

Some of this makes it to the consumer level. Some is just an idea trying to take off. Here’s what caught my eye.

Winter Meetings 2016 – Curated tweets by bigleaguestew

A NEW KING IN THE HALL OF FAME
Bill King is finally headed for the Hall of Fame, a well-deserved honor for long-time Oakland Athletics announcer, the winner of the 2016 Ford C. Frick Award. King, who died in 2005 at 78, worked 25 years as the A’s radio play-by-play voice.

King’s sterling career wasn’t limited to baseball. He also called NFL and NBA games, a three-sport renaissance man known for his “Holy Toledo!” catchphrase. For more on King’s legacy and his road to the Hall of Fame, read this piece by Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.

THE GREATEST THINGS I’VE EVER SEEN AT THE WINTER MEETINGS
We’ll end this entry of the Winter Meetings Journal with a moment I watched over and over and over Tuesday. It answers the question of how the huge Washington Nationals’ Racing Presidents move around when the ceilings are normal height.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!