Winter Meetings: Flurry of rumors means blizzard of deals on its way

Will Mike Piazza land in Oakland, and can he come close to filling Frank Thomas' massive shoes? Will Jason Schmidt end up in Chicago, who this fall has taken on the role of Big $$penders? Will the Sox really deal Manny, and if so, will the Pads really give up Peavy for him?

Oh, so many questions spinning around the baseball universe. But the good news is many answers will be evident this time next week, after the frenzy that has become the Winter Meetings conclude at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Orlando, FL. SI's John Heyman has an interesting piece in today's Daily Scoop, but disappointingly, ESPN has nothing up in advance of next week, which seems glaring in its absence. Somehow, the Reuters story about Bud Selig retiring in three years doesn't really cut it.

Regardless, next week should be pretty interesting, and potentially very entertaining. Right now, it seems like things are hinging on the Manny trade/no-trade, so if it happens, you can bet the dominoes will start to fall.