DALLAS - Welcome to the second day of baseball's Winter Meetings, which may or may not be the day someone besides the Marlins and Dodgers decides to join the fray with a significant free agent acquisition. Maybe even a trade. I'm not sure what to make of this year's edition of the meetings, which have been threadbare on actual news - unless you reside in the lands of art deco and Hollywood dreams - and chocked full of lobby walking. And I do mean walking. From the media room to the main...

DALLAS - If you're anticipating that the Orioles will make a move today, look for it to be a trade. And expect it to involve a starter or reliever. Could Mount St. Joseph grad Gavin Floyd be in the mix? The White Sox apparently are willing to move him, and the Orioles have coveted him for years. Well, former president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail was a big admirer. I doubt that executive vice president Dan Duquette has any issues with Floyd. Pure speculation. I'm just saying that...

DALLAS - Less than 24 hours ago, it appeared that the Nationals were done with their pursuit of free agent lefty C.J. Wilson, whose asking price of $120 million spread over six seasons seemed a little too rich for even the Nats' deep wallets. Now, according to a report by MLB Network Radio's Jim Duquette - a former Orioles executive who still has strong contacts in the game and hosts a daily late-morning talk show on Siriux/XM - the Nationals have increased their contract offer to Wilson by...

DALLAS - Rick Peterson reportedly is no longer a candidate to become Boston's pitching coach. I mention it because Peterson interviewed last week for the Orioles' minor league pitching coordinator job. Here are some comments from executive vice president Dan Duquette: "There were mostly trade discussions today, and some free agent discussions. But primarily trade discussions," he said. "There seems to be more relievers in the market. I haven't found anybody to make a deal yet, so I...

DALLAS - Orioles executive vice president Dan Duquette feels that some players will be traded during the next 36 hours here at the Winter Meetings. The question is, will the Orioles be involved in any of those deals? "We've had a lot of discussions," Duquette said. "Probably met face to face with eight clubs (today) and then we also had discussions with another eight or 10 other clubs that we hope to bring to fruition here before the end of the week." Duquette joined me for a one-on-one...

DALLAS - Back in October, when he was overcome with emotion at the unveiling of a nine-foot bronze statue of himself on a plaza between Russell Street and Washington Boulevard that now bears his name, Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson told reporters that he planned to sneak back and take a look at his likeness when all the hubbub died down. Fat chance, right? Like Robinson could quietly walk around the slab of concrete outside Pickles Pub and not be noticed? He's a Baltimore deity,...

DALLAS - Nationals skipper Davey Johnson spoke to media members at the Winter Meetings on Monday afternoon, tackling a number of topics, from whether he thinks the team will find the center fielder it's seeking to whether he could go into the 2012 season with his present starting rotation. * Johnson said he would be fine with Jayson Werth, who played right field last year in his first season on D.C., starting in center field should the Nationals come up empty in their search for someone to...

DALLAS - I'll post quotes later, but I wanted to pass along the highlights from today's media session with executive vice president Dan Duquette. Duquette said he met with about 12 teams today and spoke to six or seven others. He has a few more meetings scheduled for tonight. Duquette said most of the activity today centered on trade discussions, and 65 percent of it involved pitching. The Orioles are in the market for a veteran starter who can provide stability to the rotation, but they...

DALLAS - Like general manager Mike Rizzo, Nationals skipper Davey Johnson wants to give Bryce Harper a chance to compete for a spot on the team's 25-man roster out of spring training. But there are obstacles stacked against the organization's future centerpiece, not the least of which are the facts that he's only 19 and has never played above Double-A. So in speaking to reporters at the Winter Meetings on Monday afternoon, Johnson had this message for his GM: Please keep an open...

DALLAS - Prince Fielder at first base with a curly W on his cap? Don't expect the Nationals to make a move on the biggest - literally and in terms of potential impact - free agent on the market. In an exclusive interview with MASNsports.com at the Winter Meetings, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said Fielder isn't on the team's radar right now and that he's content to go into spring training with Adam LaRoche as the club's starting first baseman. "Right now, we feel very set at...