Winter Meetings: Day 3

8:16 PM: The Red Sox are expecting to keep Jacoby Ellsbury for 2013, but haven’t talked to Cody Ross’ reprsentation lately. Boston also met with Josh Hamilton, while the Mariners are still emerging as players.

7:10 PM: Two relievers have come off the market, as Sean Burnett signed a two-year deal with the Angels, and the Cardinals Randy Choate to a three-year contract.

6:10 PM: Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweetedMike Pelfrey is only pursuing starting jobs, and has no interest in relieving. Jon Heyman mentioned the Mariners, Indians, Twins, and “others” have shown interest in the rehabbing right-hander.

September 17, 2012; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (2) at bat against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

4:17 PM: Virtually every team is asking for Zack Wheeler in a potential trade, tweets Adam Rubin, even for catchers who would be considered platoon players.

4:01 PM: If a trade can’t be made, the Mets are rumored to have free agent Miguel Olivo on top of their list to help bolster the catching position. Kevin Burkhardt says the team’s preference is to acquire a catcher via trade.

3:19 PM: As for some smaller deals, the Diamondbacks have agreed to sign infielder Eric Chavez to a one-year/$3 year deal, and the Orioles have agreed to re-sign outfielder Nate McLouth to a one-year/$2 million contract.

3:15 PM: Andy Martino reports the Mariners and Jason Bay have agreed to a deal, pending a physical. Bay lives in Seattle during the off-season, as well as going to college at Gonzaga.

3:11 PM: Ken Rosenthal tweeted New York doesn’t want to offer Scott Hairston a two-year deal, although that’s what the free agent is seeking in his next contract. The Tigers, Yankees, Giants, and Cardinals have all shown interest in Hairston, but as more of a pinch hitting role. Since there is the option of more playing time with the Mets, he may settle for a one-year deal in Flushing.

3:06 PM: Alderson’s main priority right now is to find outfielders, as he said the organization currently doesn’t have enough to field a team. To do that, the Mets are also exploring trade that do not include Dickey, although there are still plenty of conversations going on about that. Due to the financial flexibility they gained from the Jason Bay deferment and Wright’s new contract, players can be added to bring the payroll between $105-$110 million for 2013.

The Mets tried to acquire reliever Wilton Lopez from Houston, but the pitcher eventually went to the Rockies for two minor league prospects.

If this makes any sense, Alderson said trade talks have been quiet during his stay in Nashville, as these meetings ended up being free agent-centric. However, he now has a good understanding of what teams want and need heading into the rest of the winter, which could help him formulate some deals down the road.

1:29 PM: According to Bob Nightengale, Sandy Alderson thinks the most likely scenario for the Mets with R.A. Dickey is to have the Cy Young winner enter 2013 without a contract extension, which is not the preferred situation.

1:26 PM: Jon Heyman reports Jeff Keppinger is to sign with the White Sox for three years, money is yet to be determined. Keppinger became a hot commodity for a short period of time, and was also being pursued by the Yankees.

1:21 PM: There were plenty of details regarding Wright’s contract after the official press conference. You can see all the details on MLB Trade Rumors. Some of the details include a full no-trade clause, which will cover him until he earns 10-5 rights, giving him that automatically. Also, they agreed to defer $15 million after 2020, while reducing his 2013 payroll to $8 million rather than the original figure of $16 million, giving the team more payroll flexibility for this year.

However, Alderson stated they don’t plan on taking anyone in the Rule 5 draft, and despite a lot of talks and rumors, and could leave the Winter Meetings with nothing more than finalizing the Wright extension.

12:29 PM: A market for free agent center fielder Michael Bourn is still out there, as the Phillies and Rangers continue to be linked to the former Atlanta Brave. The Mariners, in dire need of offense, are also rumored to be interested.

12:26 PM: The Mets held their press conference announcing the Wright extension. David said there was not one time when he didn’t want to play for the Amazins and bring a championship back to Queens. It was also stated he will be formally named captain if the players ask for such in Spring Training.

Jim Bowden of ESPN.com bumped into R.A. Dickey, who told him he feels the two sides are slowly getting closer to an extension, and it continues to be his hope to remain with the Mets.

11:39 AM: The press conference to officially announce David Wright‘s contract extension with the Mets is set for 12p today.

11:30 AM: The Zack Greinke contest may be down to the Dodgers and Rangers, reports MLB Trade Rumors, and the contract could be more than the $161 million CC Sabathia received from the Yankees.

11:23 AM: Jon Heyman tweetsthat both Asdrubal Cabreraand Shin Soo-Choo are both available for a trade, with a return of prospects.

11:19 AM-Andy Martino says the Mets are aware they can extend R.A. Dickey with a two-year deal worth about $13 million per season. However, the organization is not willing to offer that kind of money yet.

Other Mets officials have put the chances of Dickey remaining in Flushing next season at 55%. Joel Sherman reports that whichever happens first, whether it’s a team willing to trade, or Dickey’s representation agreeing to a contract, will be the end result. However, the Mets could table this situation until after Christmas so they can build the rest of the roster first.

11:00 AM– Jason Bay is close to signing with either the Mariners or Indians. You can read more about that here.

9:30 AM– According to Metsblog, the Mets have not received any inquiries on Johan Santana at the winter meetings.

8:20 AM– Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com is reporting rumors of a potential blockbuster at the winter meetings, involving Arizona, Tampa Bay, Cleveland, and Texas, that you can read about here.

7:58 AM- Today is the last full day of the winter meetings. According to Metsblog, the Red Sox may make Jacoby Ellsbury available due to the signing of Shane Victorino. However, the Mets may not be interested in Ellsbury, even though the Red Sox need pitching.

Consensus seems to be that Jon Niese will return quite a bit more in a trade than RA Dickey, but the Mets have had fewer negotiations around Niese.