Meetings Are Stuck in Neutral

Baseball’s winter meetings became stuck Sunday between frantic and idle, so much commotion leading to little more than redundancy.

Tim Hudson remains in Oakland, Matt Clement is not yet an Angel, Odalis Perez is close to becoming a Met, Richie Sexson is almost a Seattle Mariner, hotel doors swung open and slammed shut, and the Yankees did not spend a nickel that anyone knew of.

Fittingly, then, the day’s ovation was saved for Peter Gammons, the well-regarded journalist and television analyst who was honored by the Baseball Writers’ Assn. of America with the J.G. Taylor Spink Award for outstanding baseball writing.

In lieu of major announcements, baseball’s general managers kindly gave the rest of the writers a day off, their seclusion leaving hordes to aimlessly circle the Anaheim Marriott’s lobby, a giant Christmas tree left gasping for all of the lingering carbon dioxide.

True to the trend of free agency’s early December, the subjects of starting pitching -- particularly Oakland’s Tenuous Three -- and Scott Boras’ general whereabouts were wrung and re-wrung.

In the game’s signature off-season event, not counting the release of federal grand-jury testimony, baseball moved about an inch.

The Dodgers and Angels did not reinforce their pitching staffs, as they so desperately require, Billy Beane did not do a solid for old pal Paul DePodesta, Randy Johnson did not leave the desert, Carlos Beltran did not forward his mail to the Bronx and, well, just so you know, the stuffed chair by the concierge desk is about the most comfortable in the whole hotel.

About that inch covered over 24 hours....

Beane, who appeared so near to parting with Hudson, continued to float the resumes of Hudson and left-handers Mark Mulder and Barry Zito.

In one of many schemes, he gave Toronto its pick of the three in exchange for low-cost, high-yield outfielder Vernon Wells, according to one baseball official, and was turned down.

It was not immediately clear what transpired to slow the Dodger progress toward Hudson, but the recent curiosity expressed by the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, along with interest from the rest of baseball, almost certainly were factors.

Many organizations will clear out of Anaheim this afternoon after the Rule 5 draft, and Beane said he expected to pack the same roster he arrived with.

“More than likely,” he said, “I’d say not a real big deal is going to happen.”

That went for most of baseball, though the Blue Jays were expected to announce they had signed countryman Corey Koskie to a three-year contract worth about $17 million. It meant one less option at third base for the Dodgers, who met again Sunday with Boras, Adrian Beltre’s agent. The ante on Beltre is a seven-year deal, according to teams who’d spoken to Boras, though none has thrown in yet.

Digging out from a 99-loss season, the Mariners are inches from a deal with free-agent first baseman Sexson, who sat out most of the season because of a shoulder injury. Sexson must first pass a physical before signing a deal believed to be worth about $44 million over four years.

On the other hand, as of Sunday night the Baltimore Orioles still believed they had a shot at Sexson.

Seattle, Boston, St. Louis and Detroit are nosing around on shortstops Edgar Renteria and Orlando Cabrera. The Dodgers, Seattle and Detroit are expected to bid for Beltre, and San Francisco and St. Louis are closest on catcher Mike Matheny. General Manager Omar Minaya continues to press for broad changes on the bloated New York Mets.

He has offered shortstop Kaz Matsui in a handful of potential trades, according to a baseball official, including one for Texas second baseman Alfonso Soriano. The Rangers are more interested in pitching, though a midsummer trade that would have sent Cliff Floyd to Texas had potential before collapsing.

Matsui also has been packaged with Mike Piazza and perhaps others in an offer to the Red Sox for Manny Ramirez. Minaya has not ruled out a trade for Sammy Sosa or signing Moises Alou.

The Red Sox appear more intent on replacing Cabrera with Renteria. Although not intent on trading Ramirez, who has four years and about $80 million remaining on his contract, neither, apparently, is General Manager Theo Epstein unwilling to listen. Then again, Ramirez went untouched through waivers last winter, and it is unlikely opinions of his contract have radically changed.

The Florida Marlins are willing to deal right-hander A.J. Burnett, drawing interest from Arizona, Detroit, St. Louis, Boston and the Yankees, among others.

The Dodgers are shopping Alex Cora, a sign DePodesta is serious about a Jeff Kent-Hee-Seop Choi right side.

Pittsburgh is expected to acquire Benito Santiago from the Kansas City Royals to replace catcher Jason Kendall, traded last month to the A’s. Cleveland appears close to signing former Dodger Jose Hernandez.