When will the market for position players start to percolate?

[mdbdotcom]

Pitchers, pitchers, pitchers... pitchers have been getting all the attention among free agents. Happ, Price, and Zimmermann have signed. Greinke has been linked to monster money. Cueto has turned down $120M. Some reports say Samardzija has a $100M offer on the table, coming off a terrible season. Wei-Yin Chen could get 5/90.

On position players we hear crickets. Virtually no rumors about Davis, Heyward, Upton, or Cespedes.

If the top pitchers are grabbed before teams turn to the position players, how will that impact their strategy? If the Giants lose out on Greinke, will they spend big on a position player? The Cardinals could be shut out on a big arm. Will they turn their attention to Davis or an outfielder or both?

For the teams that do sign a pitcher to a huge contract, how much money will they have left for a pricey position player?

And when will we start to see some movement with position players? The Winter Meetings could be quite active again this year.

[weams]

Reimold got a $1.3 million salary. He's a position player.

[mdbdotcom]

Reimold got a $1.3 million salary. He's a position player.

Yup, disproves my whole premise.

[clapdiddy]

Well...here you go...

Navarro to White Sox

[mdbdotcom]

Well...here you go...

Navarro to White Sox

One year deal. Could be a lot of those this offseason. This year's free agent class is stocked, next year's is awful. Some guys might take a pillow deal now and try again next season. Given the current market for Davis, combined with the fact that Tex's contract is up this year, Chris might consider a one year deal.

[weams]

Yup, disproves my whole premise.

Actually, if you are talking about the big ticket guys that cost picks, I sure hope the Orioles don't fish in that pond. I would be ok with an over pay for any positional player that is unrestricted.

[mdbdotcom]

Actually, if you are talking about the big ticket guys that cost picks, I sure hope the Orioles don't fish in that pond. I would be ok with an over pay for any positional player that is unrestricted.

Really? I didn't know you felt that way about it.

[El Gordo]

Actually, if you are talking about the big ticket guys that cost picks, I sure hope the Orioles don't fish in that pond. I would be ok with an over pay for any positional player that is unrestricted.

take your pick and overpay, LH OF bats no QO:

Alejandro de Aza LF / RF

David DeJesus DH / LF

Kelly Johnson 1B / 2B / LF

Garrett Jones RF / 1B

Matt Joyce LF

John Mayberry LF / RF

David Murphy DH / LF / RF

Gerardo Parra LF / CF / RF

Skip Schumaker LF

Grady Sizemore LF / RF

Travis Snider LF / RF

Denard Span CF

Will Venable LF / CF

Parra? Venable? Span?

[weams]

take your pick and overpay, LH OF bats no QO:

Alejandro de Aza LF / RF

David DeJesus DH / LF

Kelly Johnson 1B / 2B / LF

Garrett Jones RF / 1B

Matt Joyce LF

John Mayberry LF / RF

David Murphy DH / LF / RF

Gerardo Parra LF / CF / RF

Skip Schumaker LF

Grady Sizemore LF / RF

Travis Snider LF / RF

Denard Span CF

Will Venable LF / CF

Parra? Venable? Span?

Cespedes. Zobrist. Right and Switch.

[El Gordo]

Cespedes. Zobrist. Right and Switch.

Cespedes is fine with me, but we really need LH bats. So is Zobrist, but too may people want him and we aren't going to give him the 4 years he wants.

[mrpennybags]

It seems like good starters always go first because that's the only type of player that would be a substantial upgrade for virtually every team so there's always a bidding war. It'd be a dream if a couple solid positional needs somehow landed in the Orioles' lap for less than expected but I suspect that market will get hot within' the next week.