While the Mariners shuffled Corey Hart into the back of a van, the Astros increased talks with Mike Morse and Jose Veras, and displayed interest in Justin Smoak, James Loney, Matt Thornton, and J.P. Howell.

Day three of the 2013 Winter Meetings culminated without an Astros free agent signing on the day, but like day two, rumors kept churning out of the rumor mill at a regular rate, linking the Astros to several more relief pitchers and first basemen. This time, James Loney and Justin Smoak were added to the conversation at first base while left-handed relievers as Matt Thornton and J.P. Howell were mentioned as Astros interests.

Veras' Love of Astros Not Unconditional As Once Previously Thought

Yesterday started off with good news from Tags, suggesting that Jose Veras and the Astros were hashing out the final details of a contract:

#Astros continue to push hard for RHP Jose Veras and could get a deal done later today.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) December 11, 2013

While the mutual interest between both sides may have made the courting process easier, agreeing on an actual contract was stalled when Veras turned down an offer:

#Astros made an offer to RHP Jose Veras, but it was turned down. Still negotiating.

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) December 11, 2013

Say whut, gurl? As Ashitaka speculates, the conversation must have gone something like this:

Veras: I want to come back to Houston! I love Porter! I love my teammates! It's like HOME to me!
Astros: Okay, we want you too!
Veras: ...okay, when I said I want to come home desperately? I meant if you PAY ME too, guys.

I suspect Veras didn't find a 1-year, $0 M dollar contract with ∞ team option years to be very appealing. However, the Astros and Veras are still working on a deal. At this point, Veras seems a lot closer to being signed than any other relief pitchers the Astros are talking to. Perhaps Veras will be an Astro at the end of today.

Mike Morse An Astro Seems More and More Likely

Mike Morse talks picked up Wednesday as it was revealed Morse is looking for a 1-year contract to rebuild value and Bo Porter wants him on the Astros, two things that give Morse the advantage as a first base candidate over some of the other names the Astros are looking at.

Sources: #Astros in serious discussions with Morse.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 12, 2013

Manager Bo Porter pushing for Michael Morse in houston. MM said willing to do 1-year deal to re-establish value.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 11, 2013

The Morse link makes the most sense out the other first basemen the Astros have been associated with. The key to making this a good deal will be getting Morse on a low price as the Astros can't afford to blow money on a player who will only play a few games in a season. Morse is currently demanding $7-$8 Million, but as CRPerry13 points out, "He got paid over $6M last season to not play. Nobody's gonna give him a raise for that."

Beautifully worded. Thank you.

Morse probably makes more sense than James Loney, who had a really good season last year. Is he undervalued? Quite the opposite. Is he looking for a short-term deal? Does 3 years count as short-term? Probably not for the Astros.

Morse probably makes more sense than Justin Smoak too, since the Mariners are looking for prospects in return for Smoak, which is something the Astros would probably be hesitant on as Evan Drellich notes:

Source: Astros checked with M's on Justin Smoak, went nowhere. Problem Astros can face is they want to keep prospects, so whos left to deal?

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) December 12, 2013

In short, if the Astros are looking for an upgrade, Morse makes the most sense. If he can produce numbers close to his career average, he would be a clear boost over Brett Wallace.

Misc.

The Astros were tied to two more relief pitchers as well, Matt Thornton and J.P. Howell. Both being southpaws are two more intriguing names on the list of relief pitchers the Astros are interested in using to fortify the bullpen. As Evan Drellich mentions, the Astros were just "checking in" on Thornton. Not sure what "checking in" entails, but I'm just glad the Astros are targeting a wider range of players this off-season. This proactive off-season is heck of a lot funner than the couch potato, dollar store off-season we had last year.

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• Winter Meetings 2013: MLB bans home plate collisions
• Winter Meetings 2013: How do you build a better bullpen?
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Can a World Series-winning single win over "history with an exclamation point"?

The Pinstripe Alley Top Moments Tournament continues with the 2000-present bracket. Vote for the moment that deserves to move on in the poll below.

#4: Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit

When Derek Jeter began the 2011 season struggling mightily, the world had declared that he was finished. Critics wrote him off, fans were already thinking about shortstop replacements for the long term, and the New York Times published an ode to Jeter's career for his 37th birthday--seemingly in the past tense. It mourned the loss of a Yankee icon and reminded the reader that our heroes must get old and unfortunately this reminds us of our own mortality. But it seems they forgot he was still an active player, and that he was still Derek Jeter. And Derek Jeter does not and would not exit his career with a whimper. After Jeter's calf injury put him on an extended disabled list stint, he went down to Tampa to work on his swing with his former coach Gary Denbo. They made great strides and Jeter was ready for the regular season again.

On July 9, 2011, Derek Jeter sat at 2,999 hits. From what Jeter had told the media, he wanted the spotlight off of him so he could return to being a productive member of his team. That task would not be easy as the Tampa Bay Ray's ace David Price was on the mound. In the 3rd inning, Jeter made history; he whacked Price's hanging breaking ball over the left-center field wall and thus also came Michael Kay's famous home run call as Jeter made "history with an exclamation point". But he did not stop there, as is typical Jeter fashion. Jeter finished the day going five for five and had the game winning hit. He became the only Yankee to ever reach 3.000 hits, only the second player to hit a home run as his 3,000th hit (Wade Boggs), the second to have five hits on the same day as his 3,000th (Craig Biggio), and only the second to be a regular shortstop when hitting his 3,000th (Honus Wagner). That's a lot of history.

Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit was just the cherry on top of what was an unbelievable career. And yes, his career is not over yet, but I feel that it is already at the point of reminiscence. But what makes this moment all the more remarkable was how even after everyone had decided he was a has-been, Derek Jeter decided to prove us all wrong and give us one of the greatest moments of his career.

#5: Luis Sojo wins the 2000 World Series

The Yankees were on the verge of a "three-peat", as Joe Buck put it. After handily defeating (two sweeps) the San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves in 1998 and 1999, respectively, the Yankees looked for but another to cap off their dynasty. At this point in Game 5, the Yankees held a 3-1 lead, but that's a little deceiving. The Yankees had yet to win a game by more than two runs, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility that the Mets could force a Game 6 or 7. Game 5 was a classic match-up between Andy Pettitte and Al Leiter, and it was exactly the pitching duel everyone expected.

Pettitte and Leiter provided Pettitte and Leiter-esque performances. Pettitte pitched seven innings and allowed two earned runs, both in the second inning, and threw 129 pitches. Leiter matched him pitch-for-pitch as he pitched eight and two thirds innings with two earned runs...up until his last pitch. He also threw 142 pitches which is just remarkable in its own right. In the top of the ninth inning with two outs, Luis Sojo came to the plate with men on first and second. He was not exactly what one would call a dangerous hitter. With a career 71 wRC+ and a total of 2.2 fWAR, he was the definition of a stop-gap utility man. But what made the dynasty years the dynasty years was the ability of any player, regardless of his place on the team, to be able to come through when they needed to. And Sojo did just that. On the first pitch he saw, he hit a dribbler up the middle. A play at the plate was imminent, but the ball only hit Posada at the plate and bounced away, causing Brosius to score for another big insurance run. And in the next inning, Mariano Rivera came in, as he always did, and shut the door on the Mets and the Yankees won their 26th World Championship.

As I said before, what's amazing about this moment is that it came from the little guy. Between Jim Leyritz's game-typing home run and Joe Girardi's triple in 1996, Tino Martinez's grand slam in 1998, and Sojo's hit in 2000, the dynasty years were not built on the backs of super stars. The little things, like hitting a weak single up the middle, was all the Yankees needed to finish off their World Series run.

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Friars get their lefty reliever to complete the Anthony Bass trade.

Yesterday, the Padres tradedAnthony Bass along with a Player To Be Named Later (PTBNL) or cash in exchange for a Player To Be Named Later. We now know that one of the PTBNLs, the one the Padres receive, is LHP Patrick Schuster. Schuster was the #1 overall selection in today's Rule 5 draft. He was left unprotected by the Diamondbacks, and with seems like good reason. He spent last year repeating High A ball the same league where the Padres have an affiliation with the Lake Elsinore Storm. The league that usually tells us that a prospect is two to three years away from the big leagues. As a Rule 5 selection (even though he was traded) he will have to stay on the 25 man roster for the entire 2014 season or else he must be returned to the Diamonbacks.

Anthony Bass Traded To Astros For The Exciting Player To Be Named Later

Padres make a deal with Rule 5 draft in mind.

Patrick Schuster is a former thirteenth round pick in 2009, meaning that he was selected by Arizona back when Padres GM Josh Byrnes was their GM. He tallied a 1.83 ERA last year in his repeat of the hitter-friendly California League while whiffing a respectable 9.1 batters per nine. His bugaboo is his walk rate which was a less than ideal 3.7 per 9. Altogether this a bit of a head scratcher. The Padres must think they see something nobody else does in this 23 year old. I certainly don't see it yet. If he does make the roster expect to see him used in a role that you saw Joe Thatcher fill over the past few seasons. He certainly has a chance to make the roster being that there are currently no other left handed relief options and his minor league track record shows that he has some ability to get left handed hitters out. Still, being that he hasn't progressed above A ball his chances of sticking can't get that great so the likely outcome is that the Padres traded Anthony Bass away for a player the Padres will have only a couple of months to evaluate and develop and then probably send back to the Diamondbacks.

The other side of this move is that the Padres appear to have soured on the relief pitching market. Or at least the left handed relievers market This may signal their unwillingness to pay free agent prices for relievers and are not willing to give up what teams are asking in order to acquire proven bullpen depth. Perhaps that is smart, perhaps it is a case of being cheap. Or perhaps it is still early and their futures deals have just moved slowly whereas this move had to be made right now.

UPDATE: Here's a one paragraph writeup from SBNations' minorleaguerball.com on Schuster:

Patrick Schuster, LHP, Diamondbacks: Schuster was originally drafted by Arizona in the 13th round in 2009, from high school in New Port Richey, Florida. The 23 year old lefty was successful in '13, posting a 1.83 ERA with a 45/18 K/BB in 44 innings for High-A Visalia in the California League, with a notably high ground ball ratio. The Astros immediately traded him to the San Diego Padres to complete the Anthony Bass trade from earlier this week. Schuster doesn't have great velocity but he keeps the ball down, has a deceptive delivery, and was adept at fooling A-ball hitters with his breaking stuff. He could fit in the back of the bullpen.

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The Cubs lost the veteran right-hander, who last pitched in the majors in 2011.

Like the Winter Meetings itself, there was a lot of build-up to this year's Rule 5 draft. Also like this year's Winter Meetings, the Rule 5 draft turned out to be a pretty big dud.

After predictions that the Cubs could lose as many as three or four players in the Rule 5 draft and after the drama of the Cubs losing their pick to Philadelphia, in the end the only Cubs player selected was right-handed pitcher Marcos Mateo.

The Cubs got Marcos Mateo from Cincinnati way back in 2007 for Buck Coats. He reached the major leagues in both 2010 and 2011, racking up a lot of strikeouts and giving up a lot of hits and home runs, before missing all of 2012 and most of 2013 with an elbow injury.

Mateo, now 29, has always thrown hard and reports out of the Dominican Winter League are that his velocity is back. Despite his mid-to-high 90s fastball and a slider with some bite, Mateo has always been rather hittable throughout his major and minor league career. But the stuff was always there to be a quality reliever if he could ever put it together. He'll now get a chance to do that in Arizona. He will have to spend the whole season on the major league roster with Arizona or be offered back to the Cubs. He can spend up to 90 days on the disabled list without being offered back to Chicago.

As far as the rest of the Rule 5 draft goes, only nine players were selected, the fewest taken since 2000. The DBacks actually lost two players, including the first pick, LHP Patrick Schuster, to Houston, who immediately traded him to the Padres as the player to be named later in the Anthony Bass deal from earlier in the week.

So all the worries that the Cubs could lose as many an four players in the Rule 5 draft were overblown. And Jae-Hoon Ha, Matt Loosen and Marcus Hatley will still be with the Cubs when Spring Training starts.

The San Diego Padres heard your complaints. You thought they weren't doing enough, so GM Josh Byrnes thought he'd ratchet it up a bit by trading Anthony Bass for a Rule 5 pick. But don't worry, there's more to come. Including a possible deal for Dustin Ackley?

As we enter the final day of the Winter Meetings, the San Diego Padres seemed as if they were on the outside looking in. Like young boys standing outside the toy store window before Christmas, the club saw plenty of things they wanted, but so far, they haven't been able to get any of it. Perhaps the trade of Anthony Bass will yield some future superstar from the Rule 5 Draft. Until that future superstar produces for the Padres, San Diego will have to continue looking for help, and one such source could be Dustin Ackley.

This is a couple days old now, but it snuck under the radar, so we're covering it now. Sue us. Wait, don't. Seriously, let the delayed coverage slide.

#yankees#mets#padres have inquired on dustin ackley. #mariners

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 10, 2013

If this were a free agency pursuit, the competition would be tough. The Padres can't compete with the Yankees' or the Mets' money. However, since any acquisition of Ackley would require a trade, San Diego might have the inside track. While it seems like the club has been shedding much of its young talent and not getting much in return (this is probably perception more than reality), the Padres still have a lot to offer in a trade package.

How exactly would Ackley fit in? How much would the Seattle Mariners be asking for in return? Will the Padres actually pull the trigger? Tune in next time as the story of the Winter Meetings comes to its dramatic close - or just keep reading here. I'm not done typing yet.

Ackley is just 25 years old and under team control for what seems like an eternity. He is actually under team control through the 2017 season. He does not hit his first arbitration season until 2015. This bodes well for the Padres' style. They like players that won't cost them a ton immediately. It gives the club time to truly identify whether or not the money is worth spending. It also give the team time to flip Ackley if they decided to go that route, and based on the interest this offseason, there's no reason to think teams will simply give up on him. Ackley just finished his third Major League season. Overall, he has hit .245/.315/.354. Those numbers won't blow anyone away, but Ackley has that ever-covetted potential. He could break out, and if he could do it in a San Diego uniform, it would be a beautiful thing.

Considering the Mariners just signed Robinson Cano for eight billion years, Ackley has one less position he can play in Seattle. Up to this point, Ackley had been used as a second baseman almost as much as he was used in the outfield. With Cano in the fold, Ackley will be forced to stay in the outfield. Whether or not that reduces his playing time has yet to be determined. The Mariners are comfortable with the idea of him being a full-time outfielder, though.

#Mariners comfortable with Dustin Ackley as a full-time outfielder, given Cano will handle 2B duties for next, oh, 10 years.

— Greg Johns (@GregJohnsMLB) December 10, 2013

Perhaps Ackley would be given up for far less than he would have prior to the Cano deal. On the other hand, maybe the Mariners recognize they have a young player in which multiple teams are interested. That generally raises the return package prices.

With the Winter Meetings ending today, a lot of people think the bulk of the action is over. That's usually not the case. If San Diego does not leave Orlando with Ackley, that doesn't mean they won't get him. Price should not be a concern. The only real snag San Diego could hit if they truly want Ackley is what type of package the Mariners would ask for in return. It seems Seattle is ready to win now. If that's the case, would they want many of San Diego's young farm pieces? Maybe not.

Hey, there's only a few more months until spring training. We'll find out soon enough if this deal happens.

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Anthony Bass matches the profile of other Astros' starting pitchers and might fit the rotation better than the bullpen. Also, Dallas Keuchel might be the Astros' best starter next year.

Last night, the Astros traded a PTBNL, presumably tied to the Rule 5 draft on Thursday, to the Padres in exchange for pitcher Anthony Bass.

Sources: Padres trade with Astros directly related to Rule 5 draft.

— Evan Drellich (@EvanDrellich) December 11, 2013

Because 57 of Bass' 75 MLB appearances came out of the bullpen, including all 24 in 2013, the automatic reaction I read here at TCB and on Twitter is that this was a move to bolster the relief corps, which we all readily acknowledge needs a-bolsterin'.

But...

Are we sure that Bass is going to be in the bullpen? Reeeeeeeally sure? Take last year's rotation:

A Related Thought About Keuchel:

Glossary:

On July 29th, 2007, Tony Gwynn makes his Hall of Fame speech.

Yesterday, the MLB channel on YouTube uploaded quite a few Hall of Fame acceptance speeches. One of them happened to belong to Mr. Padre himself, Tony Gwynn.

I myself have never seen it. I know, how can this be possible? But, it's true. I've never seen the Hall of Fame induction speech before right now as I type this. I'm 9 minutes in and Tony was already worried about wearing brown. I'm going to like this.

Now, I really don't know what to say here. This is one of those instances that words down here can not do justice to the words above in that video. For me, it is nice to see this speech. Nice to know he is getting the honor he deserved. Yet, in a way, it is strange to truly enjoy it because there was so much of his career that I was not around for.

In 1996, I started to enjoy baseball and go to games a few times a year. Walking into Jack Murphy Stadium, I knew I was going to enjoy myself. That's when I first saw Tony Gwynn on the field. He was hitting like no one else out there and I was impressed. And he was 36. By the time I was able to enjoy the greatness that is Tony Gwynn, he was 14 years into his Hall of Fame career. 14 years of playing a game he loved that I never saw. But, during the final 6 years he walked onto the field, I enjoyed watching him play. It was nice to see him out there from 1996-2001, but watching this speech right now, I know that I missed out on a lot of things. At least now I know that I can add this speech to things I have not missed.

If you haven't seen Tony Gwynn's speech, go ahead and check it out. It's quite a treat. And if you have seen it, watch it again. It's worth it.

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That's right, I'm once again bringing up the topic.  San Diego Padres Uniforms.

The Padre uniform debate will continue to go on and on until we get this shit figured out.  So that's what I'm going to do today... figure it out.

This is the perfect time to discuss and hear your voices.  The new ownership has pretty much shaped and filled the front office as it sees fit.  I'm sure they also wouldn't mind putting their own stamp on the team.  Last year a little bearded birdie told me that MLB  is requiring the team to use the current uniforms for at least 3 seasons.  That means we could possibly see some new duds on the field come 2015.  It also take a lot of time for the team and MLB to produce uniforms from initial ideas to production; this ain't cafe press! So let's figure out now what our team should be wearing.

I'm probably in the minority here, but I for one would like to see the team maintain a predominantly blue scheme.  However I would like to see accents with shades of brown.  I like the idea of a font that represents our city and our team name "Padres", something Spanish.  So I quickly came up with the following.  It's not 100% what I want, but close.  Blue letters with Mexican flare, outlined in reddish Brown on light brown home jersey's.

Bring Back the Brown, the grassroots effort to change the Padres uniforms may be on the same page as myself.  But I can't really figure out if they are promoting just Brown with orange or yellow.  Or are they open to the idea of incorporating Blue as well?

I'm not one for throwbacks on a regular basis.  The past is the past.  I love throwback games, reliving those great years.  And because it's not an everyday occurrence is what makes it special.   Jbox however loves the 1978 look.  Insisting that the Brown and Gold is the most identifiable look the Padres have ever had.  And even today no other team wears brown.

So take the time to answer the poll.  I know there are a lot of choices, but that's what you get when a team has no lasting traditions.  Add any ideas and or images to the comments.

The Friars have emerged as a surprise suitor for the veteran reliever.

The Padres are making a "strong push" to sign free-agent reliever Joaquin Benoit, reports Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

San Diego reportedly has a two-year, $14 million-plus offer (with a third-year option) on the table for the veteran right-hander, per Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, but they're not the only ones. The Indians have also made a similar two-year offer to Benoit, though it's unknown if their proposal includes the option year.

The 36-year-old has been one of the league's more durable late-inning arms since returning from 2009 rotator cuff surgery. The right-hander owns a 2.53 ERA and a strikeout rate of better than 10 batters per nine in 259⅓ innings over the last four seasons, averaging roughly 67 appearances a year.

Benoit performed (mostly) well in the closer role for the Tigers in 2013, but he's unlikely to take on ninth-inning duties for the Padres should he strike a deal with them. With Luke Gregerson departing to Oakland and Huston Strett locked into at closer for at least 2014, Benoit would likely step into San Diego's bullpen as a setup man.

According to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi, the club is interested in potentially adding a righty and a lefty eighth-inning arm, so guys on the radar like Scott Downs and Oliver Perez could remain in play even if San Diego ends up outbidding Cleveland for Benoit.

If having the closer moniker is something that's important to Benoit, then Cleveland would probably be the apt choice. The Tribe has been searching for a new stopper since releasing Chris Perez at the end of the season, and they're running out of Proven Closer™ options with Joe Nathan and Brian Wilson off the market.

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Just when you thought the Padres offseason was a little boring, the team is now making a push for free agent Joaquin Benoit.

A day after the San Diego Padres traded away Anthony Bass to the Houston Astrosfor Rule 5 pickPatrick Schuster, the team is still testing the free agent and trade markets.  I wrote about their potential interest in Seattle Mariners' utility man Dustin Ackley.  Now, the Padres appear to be heavily involved in negotiations for free agent Joaquin Benoit.

Ken Rosenthal and Jon Morosi of Fox Sports have both reported the Padres and the Cleveland Indians have interest in Benoit.  Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports went a little further and broke down the potential money involved.  He says both the Indians and the Padres have made offers of two years, $14 million.  However, the Padres might have a third option year on the table.  It's not yet clear if that option would be a team, player, or mutual option.

If the details are accurate, Benoit will simply have to decide whether he wants to compete now or potentially get a third year in his deal.  San Diego could improve in 2014, but it's highly unlikely that they would compete for the division or even a play-off spot.  The Indians, on the other hand, made the postseason in 2013.  They should be able to continue their competitive streak.

If San Diego lands him, is Benoit worth the money?  An average annual value of $7 million might be a little steep for a 36-year-old reliever with a history of shoulder problems.  However, general manager Josh Byrnes specifically told reporters throughout the Winter Meetings that the team was interested in bullpen help.  Benoit would certainly provide that help - as long as he can stay healthy.

In 2013, amidst the Detroit Tigers' quest to find a suitable closer, Benoit served as both a set-up man and a closer.  Overall, he posted a 2.01 ERA in 66 appearances.  Benoit will be entering his 13th Major League season in 2014.  In his previous 12 years (he missed the entire 2009 season after shoulder surgery), Benoit is 44-35 with a 4.11 ERA.  He was a starter early in his career before being forced to the bullpen where he saw some success.  As a starter, Benoit has a career ERA of 6.06.  He has a more respectable career ERA of 3.17 as a reliever.

When the Padres won the National League West in 2005 and 2006, and when they competed in 2007 and 2010, the club had solid pitching - sometimes even dominant pitching.  Perhaps that's Byrnes' overall goal.  He has made some big acquisitions in terms of pitching during his time, but has he done so while neglecting the offense?  Potentially.  Many would agree that San Diego needs another bat, but it is looking less and less likely that such a deal will happen.

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• Tony Gwynn Enters The Baseball Hall of Fame
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The Indians continue to seek an upgrade for the bullpen.

The Indians have made an offer of at least 2 years, $14 million to relief pitcher Joaquin Benoit, who would presumably be used as the team's new closer, this according to Yahoo's Jeff Passan, who reports that the Padres have a similar offer out to Benoit.

Benoit (right-handed) has been a very good relief pitcher during his career, the last three years of which were spent with the Tigers:

Benoit spent much of 2013 as Detroit's closer, and would likely fill that role with the Indians, were he to agree to a deal. Given that he was better in 2013 than any Tribe reliever, and has a longer track record of success than any of the team's current bullpen arms, I certainly think he represents an upgrade, and in the current market, $7 million isn't a bad price for a good reliever (though the report says the offer is for "$14M+," meaning it may be for more than $7M annually), but as I've said when the Indians were talking with Grant Balfour (who would likely be more expensive) and reportedly made an offer to John Axford (who would likely be less expensive), I don't think the Indians should be signing any relief pitcher for much money.

I haven't seen any reports that the team intends to enter 2014 with something like an $95M payroll, and if there's only one more significant addition to come, I'd prefer it be a starting pitcher (though at this point the list of quality free agent starters available for under $50 millon doesn't have many names on it).

- - - - - -

UPDATE:

An official with knowledge of Benoit contract talks believes SD is the front runner over Cleveland.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 12, 2013

Fine by me.

.

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Mark it down. Be there. It'll probably be fun.

Every year, just about (if not every) Major League team holds a FanFest.  The dates for these festivals of fantitilytude (real word, look it up) are scattered throughout the offseason depending on the team.  Well, we now know the Padres' date - February 8th.

The #Padres have announced the date for their annual (and free) FanFest (Feb. 8). Hold your (Band of) Horses ... schedule coming next month.

— Corey Brock (@FollowThePadres) December 13, 2013

#Padres FanFest will be Saturday, February 8, at Petco Park. Gates open at 10 a.m. ... Free and open to the public.

— Annie Heilbrunn (@annieheilbrunn) December 13, 2013

The timing is perfect.  Spring Training will be shortly following the festivities.  The FanFest will be the perfect opportunity to get that Brown and Gold (I mean Blue?) blood pumping through your veins.  See you there...or will I?

Probably not.  You don't know me all that well.  But go, have fun anyway!

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Just how big of a Padres fan are you?  That's the question we've all been wondering.  To find out I made a really unscientific test to give us our Padres fandom score.  It took me forever, like hours to create it.  You'd think I'd get quicker at this sort of thing.

The test itself is a list of the top 100 Padres experiences according to me and a little bit of Jonny and Dex.  Coming up with the last 60 was tough.  I was really struggling there for awhile, but I bore down and gritted my teeth and made it happen.  How many of them have you experienced or been a part of?  Me?  I got a 61.  That's not bad as far as I'm concerned, but hell I made the test.

I'll admit that the test does favor those of us that live in town.  Please don't think I believe that out-of-town Padres fans are any less of fans, far from it.  It's the test that thinks your a bad fan, not me.

How Big of a Padres Fan Are You?
Find your score on this list by clicking each item that you have completed.

I'm usually pretty good about keeping up with MLB Trade Rumors and signings but somehow I missed the "big" news that the Rangers signed former Friars Kevin Kouzmanoff and Josh Wilson to minor league deals on Thursday afternoon. I happened to be looking at Kouzmanoff's Baseball-Reference page (because that's how I party on a Friday night) and there it was under his transaction history. I looked for more information and that's when I found out that Texas also signed Wilson and Brent Lillibridge. That's the last mention I'll make of Lillibridge since he has no ties to the Padres and therefor doesn't matter one bit to me.

Can You Spot The Error On This Kevin Kouzmanoff Card?

Another Photoshop failure by Topps

Acquired by the Padres from the Indians in exchange for Josh Barfield after the 2006 season, Kouzmanoff played his first three full seasons as San Diego's starting third baseman. He hit thirty or more doubles all three years, and sandwiched a 23-homer season with two slices of 18. Kouzmanoff set a major league record in 2009 with his .990 fielding percentage; he committed only three errors in 214 attempts after making a total of 33 errors in his first two seasons. After that season he was sent with Eric Sogard to Oakland in order to allow Chase Headley to move from left field to his natural position of third base. In return, the Padres received Aaron Cunningham and the second coming of Scott Hairston.

Kouzmanoff was Oakland's starting third baseman in 2010. He set a career high with 32 doubles but posted career lows in every other department. His .247/ .283/ .396 slash line seemed like the abyss but he managed to hit even less in 46 games with the A's in 2011 and found himself back in the minors for the first time in five years. He was traded to the Rockies in August of 2011 and performed adequately in 27 games. Kouzmanoff signed with the Royals organization for the 2012 season and split the season between AA and AAA, hitting only two homers in 330 at-bats. He had a bit of a resurgence in 2013, batting .294/ .344/ .440 with 14 doubles and six homers in 218 at-bats with Miami's AAA affiliate in New Orleans.

Position Players Who Have Pitched For The Padres

Seven position players have pitched in a total of nine games for the Padres through the years.

Josh Wilson's tenure with the Padres was nowhere near as long as Kouzmanoff's, but the infielder did provide one memorable moment in his 16-game stint in San Diego. On June 7, 2009, Wilson was brought in to pitch in the eighteenth inning of a game against Arizona. What made that even stranger is that Wilson had been used as an emergency pitcher less than a month earlier as a member of the Diamondbacks.

While Wilson might not have made for a convincing pitcher on the mound, he sure hit like one. Wilson hit two singles and two doubles in his 38 at-bats with San Diego, good for a .105 batting average, slightly less than half his career mark of .225. Since being waived by the Padres a month after he was acquired, Wilson has bounced between AAA and the majors with the Seattle, Arizona, Milwaukee, and Atlanta organizations.

Best of luck to both Kevin Kouzmanoff and Josh Wilson this upcoming season. And that other guy too, I guess.

More from Gaslamp Ball

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• How big of a Padres fan are you?
• Padres FanFest will be February 8th
• Padres Rumors: San Diego and Cleveland trying to land Joaquin Benoit
• Padres Uniforms: The Definitive Survey
• Tony Gwynn Enters The Baseball Hall of Fame
• MLB Winter Meetings: Padres asked about Dustin Ackley
• Padres Acquire Top Rule 5 Draft Pick Patrick Schuster From Astros
• Padres Rule 5 Draft History: Trading Picks, 2003

He's not just some guy who you thought was going to be a different guy who is coming to the Padres after a weird trade by another guy (last guy is Josh Byrnes, keeping up?). He's a fans' player.

When the San Diego Padres dealt Anthony Bass to the Houston Astros for cash considerations or a player to be named later and agreed to also give the Astros cash considerations or a player to be named later, people quickly realized they were essentially trading Bass for one of the Astros' Rule 5 picks.  Most people thought the Padres would get Brian Moran.  Turns out they gotPatrick Schuster.  And Schuster is already endearing himself to fans.

What's up @Padres fans?! Got any questions for me? I'd love to hear em.

— Patrick Schuster (@Pat_Schuster10) December 13, 2013

Let's get a run down of some of the questions and answers, neatly organized so you don't have to do it yourself.  See, I'm a giver.

Beards are hard

@Enderdavid18 longer than you think

— Patrick Schuster (@Pat_Schuster10) December 13, 2013

Ben Stiller at his finest

@scottcolson zoolander

— Patrick Schuster (@Pat_Schuster10) December 13, 2013

Getting down to business

@mickeykoke I'd have to say it's not a whole lot different. If anything it may not be as heavy stuff during the season.

— Patrick Schuster (@Pat_Schuster10) December 13, 2013

@mickeykoke I think it's got everything to do with where I've gotten today. Without it I'd just be a normal lefty.

— Patrick Schuster (@Pat_Schuster10) December 13, 2013

This is important stuff here!

@padrefan858 dang man putting me on the spot already!? Probably around 350

— Patrick Schuster (@Pat_Schuster10) December 13, 2013

Sure hope so

@commandercacho only the authentic stuff. Got any of that in SD?

— Patrick Schuster (@Pat_Schuster10) December 13, 2013

Fatal flaw?

@Pat_Schuster10@Padres What is your opinion on the Brown uniforms? There is a big movement to bring back the retro look.

— Will DeFelice (@will61589) December 13, 2013

@will61589 oh those are rough, but I'd wear whatever they gave me to pitch out there.

— Patrick Schuster (@Pat_Schuster10) December 13, 2013

This was a pretty cool thing Schuster did here. Not many athletes will take the time to honestly answer questions.  If there is one way to find yourself embedded in the hearts of Padres fans everywhere (like a heart worm) is to actually interact.  However, you have to at least fake some love for the brown uniforms!

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• Padres Uniforms: The Definitive Survey

Jake Peavy is one of those guys I don't go out of my way to collect yet I have a few dozen cards of him that I've accrued basically by accident because there are so many of them. He's like Eric Show or Ed Whitson in that regard. This card stands apart from the crowd though, and I didn't even know I wanted it until I had it.

I received this card, along with several others, in the mail out of the blue earlier this week courtesy of my e-migo Marcus of the great Padres card blog All The Way To The Backstop. Of course my eyes were first drawn to the misspelling of Peavy's last name. I immediately wondered if they spelled it correctly on the back or if it was spelled like a guitar amp on both sides.

Sure enough, his surname is misspelled on the back as well, but that is not the extent of the inaccuracies. His height, weight, handedness, and draft information are all correct, but his birthday and place of birth are incorrect. You may have already noticed that they repeated the birth information of Phil Wilson, the player above Peav(e)y. Jake was in fact born on May 31, 1981, as opposed to April Fools' Day of that year. As you know, Peavy was not one of the five Padres born in West Virginia; he's an Alabama man through and through.

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More speculation than rumor, but don't expect the Padres to trade Cameron Maybin anytime soon.

A year after Cameron Maybin struggled through injuries and poor play, some have considered him a lost cause. This does not come long after he was signed to a 5-year, $25 million extension and considered the face of the future for the San Diego Padres. However, despite Maybin's injury history and poor play of late, the Padres are not in a position to trade him, and they probably don't want to.

During the weekly chat Bill Center of the San Diego Union Tribune holds, someone asked about the potential of a Maybin trade. Center indicated that such a trade was not likely because of Maybin's injury history and the Padres' perceived value versus what the market would pay.

Given his wrist and knee problems last year, I don't see anyone trading for Maybin at what the Padres view as his far market value. Venable only goes to center every day if Maybin is again hurt. Maybin will be a Padre.

Center went on to explain why Maybin might actually see a little bit less playing time during the 2014 season. It has more to do with acquisitions than his play last season. Of course, had Maybin played like he did in his first season in San Diego, the acquisition wouldn't have mattered.

Incidentally, I can see that -- with the arrival of Seth Smith -- you might see Venable more in center against right-handed pitchers even if Maybin is healthy. That would put Smith in right (or left for Quentin) and put two left-handed outfielders in the lineup at the same time

Maybin played in only 14 games last year. In 2012, he played in 147 games, and in 2011, Maybin played in 137 games. However, even in 2012, the Padres centerfielder of the future started to show some regression. Prior to arriving in San Diego, Maybin never hit more than .250 in a season (with the outlier being 8 games in 2008 where he hit .500). Maybin has always had potential though, and the Padres acquired him on potential.

After his impressive 2011 season, San Diego decided to lock the 26-year-old Maybin up for the next five years. The deal was widely praised, but so far it is looking like a bust. Personally, I still think Maybin can break out and have more season like 2011 than seasons like he had with Detroit and Florida. The deal was a team-friendly one, so it makes the most sense for San Diego to ride out Maybin's contract as long as they can and hope he can get healthy and productive again.

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• Padres' Rule 5 acquisition, Patrick Schuster, is pretty cool
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• Padres FanFest will be February 8th
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Miguel Tejada was busted back in August for a failed drug test. Now, he's in trouble with the Dominican Winter League.

If you blinked, you probably missed him. That's not true. If you're a San Diego Padres fan, there was nothing you missed about the 2010 season. Miguel Tejada included. His 59 games with the club culminated with a loss to the San Francisco Giants that ended San Diego's postseason hopes. While Tejeda was done in San Diego, he certainly wasn't done making headlines. Tejada was suspended in August of this past season for testing positive for amphetamines. Now, he's in trouble down south.

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com says Tejada has been suspended for the remainder of the Winter League season for purchasing ownership shares in a rival club. Tejada had been playing for Aguilas Cibaenas, but three years ago, he purchased a 72% stake in the company that owns the Gigantes del Cibao. Here's more from Dioniso Soldevila of MLB.com Spanish Language site*:

Tejada played for Cibao Aguilas in the Dominican Winter League and admitted earlier this month that three years ago bought the 72 % stake of the company that ran the franchise for the city of San Francisco de Macoris.

*Big thanks to Google Translate for that one!

The official reasoning behind Tejada's suspension is simple: He violated the written rules of the Dominican Baseball League. While we have at times grown used to what may seem to be arbitrary suspensions and punishments in Major League Baseball, the Dominican Baseball League apparently has clearly-written rules.

The resolution states that Tejada may be reinstated next season "only after making repeated public admission of his mistake and have asked the national fans around the country and also publicly through mass media, excuses for misconduct."

Get to work on that social media and television interview tour, Miguel! You need the DBL if you are going to continue playing, it seems.

In Tejada's 59 games with the Padres, he hit .268/.317/.413. It's hard to be too mad at Tejada because that season was a special one. It was the last time we fans had a chance to really get emotionally invested to the point of vomiting. It was the last time we got to rip the caps from our heads and throw them at our televisions in disgust, because the games meant that much. It was the last time San Diego finished above .500 in a season. It was also the first time the club has won 90 games since 1998.

The Yankees have been fairly inactive since their giant spending spree, are they done?

Is it just me, or does it seem like the Yankees are running out of time to sign people? You might think it's early into the offseason, but this offseason has moved quickly. The Yankees still need someone to play third base, someone to play second base, I suppose someone who can play first base a few times a year, at least one starting pitcher, and that doesn't even include the bullpen.

Now the Dodgers have re-signedJuan Uribe and the Yankees are just one more option away from having to sign Michael Young. It's becoming very probable that they will ultimately sign Mark Reynolds, but will he really be any good? After the first month of the season he was terrible this year and then he was decent for the Yankees. If Alex Rodriguez is suspended, he will then be the starting third baseman. They didn't retain David Adams, so if Reynolds gets hurt, their depth is... Eduardo Nunez.

Second base is a problem the Yankees have to figure out, and it doesn't look like they are interested in any of the solutions. They passed on Omar Infante, refusing to offer him four years, and have shown no interest in Mark Ellis, the best second baseman currently on the market. It's extremely possible that Kelly Johnson ends up as the Opening Day starter, though he could end up being at least decent.

The Yankees said that they would only sign a closer if Robinson Cano signed elsewhere. Well, he has, but are they still sticking to that plan? Joaquin Benoit and Grant Balfour could represent the best options on the market, but the Orioles seem to be the favorites to land Balfour and Benoit has received at least $7 million per year offers from the Padres and Indians. Both are currently waiting out for a third year, which would represent a very expensive piece for a questionable upgrade.

With no desire (ability?) to start signing the remaining free agents on the market, Brian Cashman has said he wants to make a trade. Unfortunately, they really don't have any assets, and the one they do have, Brett Gardner, doesn't seem likely to be moved. The Yankees discussed trading Gardner for Homer Bailey, but it looks like he's no longer available. They could bid on Masahiro Tanaka, however there's still no indication as to when, or if, he will be posted. The new posting system makes it even more questionable as to whether or not the Yankees can even win the bidding.

Are the Yankees letting opportunity slip from their fingers, or are they patiently waiting the market, hoping to strike on a good deal, or, and this is scary, are they now suddenly out of money? I guess we'll find out.

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There are some high-profile relievers available this offseason such as Joaquin Benoit, Grant Balfour, and Fernando Rodney. The Padres appear to be linked to Benoit, but what if they weren't?

As I wrote late last week, the San Diego Padres are interested in signing free-agent reliever Joaquin Benoit. In fact, the team is so interested, there are reportedly numbers attached to the potential deal already. It seems San Diego is willing to give Benoit two years for $14 million, and they will throw on an option year. Nothing is set in stone, but there have been no conflicting reports, no reports of the deal falling through. It may just be a matter of time before Benoit signs. But what if San Diego landed someone else?

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports sees the high-profile free-agent relievers pool shaking out like this:

Joaquin Benoit - San Diego Padres

Grant Balfour - Baltimore Orioles

John Axford - Cleveland Indians (if they don't land Benoit, because they were bidding against the Padres for him)*

Fernando Rodney - Seattle Mariners...maybe.

*Looks like the Indians signed Axford late last night. That's more indication that the Padres will land Benoit, but we'll just whittle down our list a bit.

Signing Benoit would certainly not be the worst move the Padres could make. After all, he has a proven track record. He's edging more toward the end of his career, though. Based on the GLB community response, it seems the verdict is still out on Benoit as a whole if the team were to sign him. So, let's play GM for a day.

Assuming San Diego could make a play for any of the relievers on the above list, who should they go after? For the sake of simplicity, let's assume each player is going to get a two-year deal with an option for a third. Of course, the money figures will be different, but hey, you're the GM, you can figure that out.