Winter Meetings: Day 1

The first day of the Winter Meetings in Orlando was fairly anticlimactic. In the morning, ESPN’s Jayson Stark wrote that a rumor was spreading that the Cubs were about to sign Ted Lilly. The imminent signing proved to be false, but officials did confirm that Jim Hendry was scheduled to meet with Lilly’s agent, Larry O’Brien tonight.

It was also reported that Hendry spoke to Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd about a Jacques Jones for Jason Jennings swap. Several other teams were also interested in Jennings, including the Astros and Cardinals, but Hendry’s big pitch was that with both players having the same initials, the Rockies would not have to incur additional expenses buying a new set of monogrammed towels for Jones. There was no immediate word from O’Dowd on whether the Rockies were interested in the Cubs offer.

My hope for a quick trade for Dontrelle Willis did not happen, but the meetings are just beginning. Maybe it’s a deal Hendry and Beinfest can put together after a few cocktails tonight at the bar.

Former Cub Greg Maddux is rumored to be going to either San Diego or back to the Dodgers. Considering what the pitching market looks like, the Cubs would be well advised to giveMaddux a look. His price is high (rumored to be between $10.5 and $12.5 million per year), but unlike other high priced pitchers, Maddux is only looking for a two-year deal. Bringing Maddux back for a third stint with the Cubs may make more sense than signing one of the several second tier pitchers available for four years.