MLB Winter Meetings: A Checklist of Things We’ve Learned

The MLB Winter Meetings always bring out the inner soul of the 30 teams that gather each year for a few days to lock horns and do battle. They bluff, brag, and cajole each other in the hope that the deal they make today is the seed for a championship tomorrow.

They make far-reaching decisions on the fly, determining if the price is too high and whether it would be better to wait to deal another day. A few teams are there only as observers, having no needs, players, or the money to spend as a participant in the trade and signing sweepstakes. So what have we learned from these meetings?

Brian Cashman Is an Expert in Psychology

By labeling the Red Sox as the Golden State Warriors of MLB, Cashman has put the pressure on Boston to do some extraordinary things this summer. At the same time, he’s also relieved the pressure on his young players by making the David and Goliath analogy between the two teams. Pure genius.

The Nationals Are Too Late and a Penny Short

When the Red Sox took Chris Sale off the table, there must have been a big whoosh in the Nationals’ hotel room as all the air was sucked out. They wanted Sale big time. But what are you going to do when another team decides to sell the farm to grab him? So now they do the only thing they can do, which is pick up the pieces and move on. And that means swinging a deal for Adam Eaton with the prospects they didn’t spend on Chris Sale.

The Dodgers Are Sniffing Around for Money They Don’t Have

In 2017 payroll dollars, the Dodgers have already spent the most of any major league team: $188.2 million, distributed among 12 players, according to Spotrac.com. This should come as no surprise to the Dodgers as they try to squeeze the genie out of the bottle and make the moves they need to have any hope of competing with the Giants this season. They’re already under the gun held by MLB for their previous money-splurging sins, and any further extravagances will only aggravate the situation. Watching them squirm in trying to figure out new angles is fast becoming a new winter sport.

The Indians and Mike Napoli Really Want the Marriage to Last

More from Call to the Pen

• Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
• Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
• Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
• Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
• 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals

It’s no secret that

played a key role in what the Indians accomplished last season, especially regarding his off-the-field contributions in keeping the team loose and easy. But it’s also no secret that he’s 35 and tired down the stretch. So it comes as no surprise that the haggling point is

over a one- or two-year deal

. The talks are amiable and it would be a shock if something can’t be worked out. It’s also telling that there’s no other news coming from the Cleveland camp and apparently they feel set with the team that got them there last season.

The Blue Jays Really Blew It

Did the Blue Jays really believe they could let that much run production walk out the door and they could still be competitive? Because now, at pretty much the eleventh hour, they are back into talks with Jose Bautista, who they could have made an offer to months ago and saved everyone a lot of time and aggravation. Bautista has not garnered the interest that it was thought he might, and this could end up being a desperation move on both sides. Not good.

The Recycle Bin Is Always Open for Closers

Apparently, there is still someone out who thinks that 39-year-old Fernando Rodney can still pitch effectively, even though he stumbled noticeably at the end of last season. Good luck with that one, D-Backs. Same with the Giants and their deal with Mark Melancon. Don’t think for a minute that the Giants didn’t take a gamble on that one.

Next: Dodgers' Bullpen Backup Plan

Come On, People, Somebody Has to Want Brett Gardner

Brian Cashman continues to put a spin on his year-long effort to trade Brett Gardner saying that nothing has moved the needle in discussions with other teams. But moving a player like Gardner is critical in solidifying the Yankees’ youth movement and Cashman must be frustrated as hell by his inability to find a suitor. Trouble is, everyone knows that.