INDIANAPOLIS — As general managers headed out the hotel doors and into the bone-chilling air, most had much work to do.
Only the Yankees, Houston, Texas and Milwaukee accomplished a lot this week during the winter meetings. The top three free agents — John Lackey, Matt Holliday and Jason Bay — remained unsigned. Toronto ace Roy Halladay was still being shopped.
Essentially, teams are acting as if they were shoppers waiting for price drops.
“You can turn left, you can right, you can look up and down and you’ve got a DH sitting right there begging for a job,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said.
On the last day of the meetings, the Mets made offers to Bay and free-agent catcher Bengie Molina. Their bid for Bay, who could fill the team’s void in left field, was between $60 million and $65 million over four years.
The Dodgers were a major story at the meetings — for what they didn’t do. Seemingly paralyzed by owners tangled up in a divorce, the Dodgers don’t appear to be involved in any big-money moves.
As the meetings wound down, Texas and Boston were discussing a trade that would send 2007 World Series MVP Mike Lowell to the Rangers, while Atlanta was close to sending reliever Rafael Soriano to Tampa Bay for pitcher Jesse Chavez.
Moves that were made included:
• Rich Harden and the Rangers completed a one-year contract that guarantees the pitcher $7.5 million.
• The Twins traded right-hander Boof Bon-ser to the Red Sox for a player to be named or cash.
• The Astros and third baseman Pedro Feliz agreed to a $4.5 million, one-year contract, and reliever Brandon Lyon and Houston reached a preliminary agreement on a $15 million, three-year contract.
• Former AL rookie of the year Bobby Crosby and the Pirates agreed to a $1 million, one-year contract.
