As the officials from every MLB team get ready to wrap up the annual winter meetings, there are still some rumors making their way around the hotel in Indianapolis.
For the past few days, there had been reports that the San Diego Padres were looking into trading closer Heath Bell and third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff.
The rumors surrounding Bell died just as quickly as they started, but the rumors surrounding Kouzmanoff stuck around late into last night. But, as of this morning, a deal didn't seem imminent.
One other name, to no one's surprise, has come up this afternoon and it's that of Padres' first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports , the Seattle Mariners have approached the Padres about a possible deal that would send Gonzalez to the Pacific Northwest.
ESPN's Jayson Stark, via Twitter , seems to think that there won't be any deal for Gonzalez with any team because the Padres don't seem to be showing any motivation to trade him.
That shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, especially after new general manager Jed Hoyer came out and basically said that the team is under no obligation to trade their All-Star first baseman.
If a deal is going to be struck, the Padres will have to be overwhelmed by the players coming back. I'm not saying the team won't listen, but that's about as far as a deal will get.
As for Kouzmanoff, there's been no progress on a deal for the third baseman. There are several teams interested in his services but the Padres have not gotten the right offer to pull the trigger.
Rosenthal had mentioned the Giants' interest, but Fred Lewis and Kevin Frandsen weren't going to be enough for San Diego. The Twins also had interest, but those talks seemed to never progress.
At this point, as the meetings wind down, it looks as if the Padres will stand pat. The only move they've made is the release of pitcher Eulogio De La Cruz on Tuesday.
Other than that, Hoyer will continue to work with other teams on a possible deal for Kouzmanoff as well as taking calls about Bell and Gonzalez as well.
I wouldn't count on a deal being struck for Bell or Gonzalez, but don't be surprised if Kouzmanoff is dealt prior to the players reporting for spring training in February.
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