Ken Rosenthal has some notes from the g.m. meetings...
Several items that could impact the Rangers...there's a specific mention of the Rangers as a potential trade partner of the ChiSox, with Rosenthal saying that the ChiSox would probably want one of the Rangers' pitching prospects and another young player for a starter. The problem is, Gerald Laird and Ian Kinsler probably aren't going anywhere, and after that, the list of valuable young positional players starts to run out. With Konerko and Thome, the ChiSox aren't going to be interested in Jason Botts. I guess Nelson Cruz or Freddy Guzman might pique their interest, but I have a hard time seeing, say, an Edinson Volquez + Cruz or Guzman package getting much back from the ChiSox.
Rosenthal suggests that Pittsburgh would like to find a lefty bat, and would be tempted to part with one of their young starting pitchers if they could land one. Again, doesn't seem to be a match (if only Adrian Gonzalez were still here), unless the Pirates have an interest in Botts, who could go to first base for them.
There's a mention of Doug Melvin going hard after Dave Roberts, a guy that has been listed as a potential f.a. target for the Rangers. On the one hand, I figure that the Rangers shouldn't have a problem out-bidding the Brewers for Dave Roberts...but on the other hand, Roberts is the type of player that a mid-market team like the Brewers will oftentimes significantly overpay for (think Jeffrey Hammonds or Kevin Young).
Finally, Rosenthal mentions that the Tigers are in the market for a veteran lefty reliever. Something to keep an eye on there, since the Rangers could make a play for either Marcus Thames or Craig Monroe with Ron Mahay as part of the offer, or see what sort of prospect the Tigers might part with for someone like John rheinecker or John Koronka.
The idea of a team giving up something of value for Ron Mahay may seem strange, but veteran lefty relievers often end up fetching more than you would expect, and Mahay's cheap 2007 deal makes him affordable.