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          Monday's MLB winter meetings trade and free-agency buzz

          • ESPN.com
          Dec 7, 2015, 11:06 AM ET

          The MLB winter meetings are on, and rumors are swirling across baseball. Here is what our writers are hearing today:

          Complete winter meetings coverage

          Complete hot stove coverage

          MLB Free Agent Tracker | Rumors

          Crasnick's take: Mike Leake is one starter who appears to be realizing major benefits from the overheated pitching market. Teams that entered the winter looking at him as a candidate for a four-year deal for $14 million to $15 million annually are now having to confront the possibility that he'll require another year and significantly more money to sign. (Although one club purportedly in the Leake market declared, "He's not getting that from us.")

          Leake is an athletic pitcher and a good hitter with a middling fastball, and most of the action on him appears to be centered on the National League. The Cardinals are one potential fit, and the Diamondbacks and Giants could be in the mix even though they've already spent big this winter on Zack Greinke and Jeff Samardzija, respectively. Leake has a career 64-52 record with a 3.88 ERA over parts of six seasons with Cincinnati and San Francisco. He's thrown a total of 598 innings over the past three years. He also won't require draft pick compensation, which certainly helps his marketability.

          Strang's take: First-year general manager Al Avila has not been furtive about his offseason plans. Almost immediately after the final out of the season, Avila began hammering home the importance of adding pitching this winter, and he has not strayed from that game plan.

          He said he wanted two starting pitchers, and he got them in Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Pelfrey. He said he needed a bona fide closer, and he acquired Francisco Rodriguez in a trade with the Milwaukee Brewers. He said he wanted additional bullpen help, and he appears to have further bolstered the group with a reported agreement in place with reliever Mark Lowe.

          Not once has he indicated a plan to swing for the fences for an outfielder, especially following the trade to bring former draft pick Cameron Maybin to the organization. So it was surprising when reports surfaced Monday morning that the Detroit Tigers were "looking at" outfielders Yoenis Cespedes and Alex Gordon.

          Well, that did not last long, as Avila effectively squashed such reports, telling reporters in his daily media session that he had not been in contact with either player's representatives and did not foresee doing so in the future. That ends that speculation.

          That is not to say that the Tigers might not still look for some extra help in the outfield, though Avila essentially ruled out adding a player of that caliber (and price tag). He didn't sound optimistic about the trade possibilities for that position, either, calling some of the options available "lukewarm."

          Stark's take: The Washington Nationals are working diligently to attempt to trade Drew Storen at these meetings and would love to move closer Jonathan Papelbon, though there is little interest. But one of the big questions now is: Who closes next year if both Storen and Papelbon are gone?

          The good news: A number of closers or potential closers remain on the market: Andrew Miller, Ken Giles, Mark Melancon and Tampa Bay's Brad Boxberger (or possibly Jake McGee).

          The bad news: The Phillies haven't shown much interest in dealing Giles inside their division. Melancon doesn't profile as the type of power arm Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo prefers. Boxberger's strikeout rate declined last year, while his walk rate went up. And while the Nationals have longstanding interest in Miller, the Yankees would want a rising, top-of-the-rotation talent in return. And the Nats have told other teams that their top prospect, Lucas Giolito, isn't available in any deal.

          So while the Nationals seem committed to moving on without either of the two men who closed for them this year, the solutions for next year are more muddled than ever.

          Padilla's take: Knowing they still have players like starting pitcher Chris Sale and first baseman Jose Abreu in their prime, the Chicago White Sox continue to be of the mind that they still have a chance to make the club better without going on a major spending spree.

          Both Sale and Abreu could be around through the 2019 season, with both under team-friendly contracts, so the White Sox still want to explore the possibility of adding solid talent around both players. Their solid young core also includes center fielder Adam Eaton and starter Carlos Rodon.

          The White Sox still might deal Sale and Abreu one day, but that time won't be before the start of the upcoming season unless the club gets an overwhelming positive offer they can't refuse. That scenario isn't expected.

          Pitcher Jose Quintana could be used as trade bait to upgrade at third base or shortstop, but the White Sox now might be more inclined to keep their impressive starting staff intact with the idea that the offense (and defense) improves next season. Infield options like Brett Lawrie, Asdrubal Cabrera and Ian Desmond have been rumored.

          On offense, it doesn't figure to get any worse for a team that was last in the American League in slugging percentage this past season at .380.

          Marchand's take: It is too perfect. The New York Yankees' biggest desire this winter is to acquire young, controllable starting pitching.

          Jose Fernandez fits those requirements, and he just so happens to be one of the best starters in baseball. He is available, too, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark.

          The Yankees should go get him.