The Winter Meetings start tomorrow. Any murmur or misunderstood comment will be amplified and some press members will be used as pawns. Disinformation is going to spread like wildfire. This makes the event more alluring as a spectator sport, but keep in mind 90% of what is talked about will never come to fruition. Now, completely ignoring that, this is the day one open thread. Ideally most of the rumors and discussion will stick to this thread until a recap thread is posted (expect that in the evening) barring something actually occurring or a rumor passing the smell test with flying colors.
This thread is going up about 20 hours early because tomorrow we'll have a very special interview with James Click -- the Rays chief of quantitative analysis and former Baseball Prospectus deity - which should provide entertainment for those willing to accept anything less than rumors in the early AM.
Moving on, let's review the Rays off-season to date in a brief and concise manner which means links.
Transactions
Akinori Iwamura for Jesse Chavez
Player to be named later for Kelly Shoppach
R.J. Swindle signs minor league deal
Joe Bateman signs minor league deal
Gregg Zaun signs with Milwaukee
Ramon Ramirez is claimed on waivers...
Milton Bradley
Rumors and general interest posts
Rays interested in Ivan Rodriguez?
Pirates make Reid Brignac main target?
Why Billy Wagner made no sense for the Rays
Three rules about acquiring relievers
Interviews with Rays personnel
Remember that you can also follow the latest Rays rumors, news, and tidbits on Twitter by adding @draysbay, @trancel, @ehahmann, or @freezorilla.
One more note: please, please, post the source of the rumor. And generally speaking, the MLBTR comments section or a random message board post won't pass the smell test.