Clement was good for the Cubs from 2002-2004, and an All-Star with the Red Sox in 2005, but his career was derailed by injuries from 2006 on. He finishes his career with an 87-86 record and a 4.47 ERA. Best of luck in life after baseball, Matt.

Meanwhile, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says lefty reliever Royce Ring accepted his Triple A assignment.

• RotoAuthority examines A's starter Trevor Cahill from a fantasy baseball perspective.
• Today's chat has been pushed to Wednesday at 2pm CST.
• The Blue Jays demoted Matt Clement, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star.  Clement is trying to decide whether to accept the assignment. He allowed 11 runs and 12 walks in 10.3 spring innings.
• WEEI's Alex Speier looks back at the shockingly low price in prospects the Red Sox paid to acquire Curt Schilling from Arizona.  The D'Backs were eyeing players such as Jon Lester, Hanley Ramirez, and Kelly Shoppach, but didn't make any of them a requirement.
• Tyler Bleszinski of Athletics Nation has part 2 of his interview with A's GM Billy Beane.  Beane notes his great relationship with Scott Boras.
• I spoke to Tyler Hissey and Doug Gray of Minor League Notebook Weekly yesterday.
• Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post says the Nationals should not draft Stephen Strasburg unless he'll sign in the $9-10MM range of David Price and Mark Prior.  ESPN's Rob Neyer explains that many can't-miss pitchers did indeed miss.
• Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle talked to Giants lefty Jack Taschner about the possibility of being traded.
• Bart Given of Inside the Majors says the Blue Jays should keep Travis Snider at Triple A until May 15th so that they'll control him for the 2015 season.

• As more teams lock up lefty relievers, Jon Paul Morosi sees the Tigers as more likely to land Joe Beimel.
• Tom Haudricourt has heard that Ben Sheets is more likely to sign with the Rangers, who have Mike Maddux campaigning for them, than the Yankees.
• Peter Schmuck hears that the Orioles have signed catcher Chad Moeller to a minor league deal.
• Ken Davidoff writes that the Yankees shouldn’t concern themselves with Andy Pettitte just yet.
• Dave Perkins of the Toronto Star doesn’t like the Yankees’ aggressive spending.
• Jack Curry of the New York Times writes that the Yankees are instant favorites for the World Series.
• Another New York Times writer, Ben Shpigel, writes that the Mets especially need Oliver Perez now that the Phillies have signed Raul Ibanez.
• RotoAuthority breaks down the re-vamped San Francisco bullpen for fantasy baseball purposes.
• Matt Clement’s optimistic about his fresh start with the Jays.
• Two players re-signed with their clubs after being non-tendered: Norris Hopper of the Reds and Scott Mathieson of the Phils.
• Hideki Okajima will run a marathon Sunday, and the Red Sox aren’t thrilled.

THURSDAY: According to WEEI’s Rob Bradford, the Blue Jays signed Matt Clement to a minor league deal.  Clement hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2006.  He had rotator cuff surgery in September of that year.

• Dejan Kovacevic describes what it’s like for a reporter at the Winter Meetings.
• The Royals do not want to trade Mark Teahen.  They’ve received inquiries on Teahen, David DeJesus, Jose Guillen, and Billy Butler.  They mainly seem willing to move Guillen, which Jayson Stark reported earlier.
• Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker passes along nuggets on Kenshin Kawakami and Koji Uehara.  He says the Angels contacted Kawakami’s agent, while the Tigers and Giants have been in touch with Uehara’s.
• Newman also says the Yokohama BayStars acquired reliever Tom Mastny from the Indians.
• Free agent infielder Nick Punto admitted to LEN3 that it’d be hard to leave the Twins.
• John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus says the Pirates are "willing to take a flyer on free-agent local boy Matt Clement."  Clement may also consider Cleveland if they’ll have him.
• Other teams are pulling ahead of the Rockies in the pursuit for free agent lefty Joe Beimel.  Nothing against Beimel, but it seems that every year one free agent lefty reliever is elevated beyond his true value.  It might be Beimel this year.
• Jon Paul Morosi discusses trading Dontrelle Willis.
• The Marlins figure to hang on to Dan Uggla.
• Roch Kubatko says Orioles exec Mike Flanagan won’t be attending the Meetings, sparking speculation about his future with the team.

• Yahoo’s Tim Brown runs through plans for all of the American and National League teams.
• Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post says the Rockies are all about left-handed relief help.  They’ve got several trade chips to work with.
• Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the Phillies covered.  You know the plan: starting pitcher, outfielder.
• Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminds us of the Cardinals’ wish list: starter, closer, lefthanded reliever.  Arthur Rhodes would fit, but he’s leaning toward the Reds.  Strauss wonders if John Mozeliak can match up with the Blue Jays to find relief help.
• The Twins still want to add a shortstop or third baseman according to La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, though several options have already been eliminated.  Neal summarizes the players on the radar.  The Twins are also looking for bullpen help.
• Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune discusses the Padres.  Kevin Towers will keep the Jake Peavy talks going with the Cubs while also searching for a shortstop and veteran catcher.
• Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune reminds us that Peavy and a left-handed hitting outfielder are on the Cubs’ wish list.  The bat comes first, says Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times.
• Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star says Dayton Moore has already accomplished his main goals, and now looks to replenish his right-handed relief.  The Royals would also like to add a proven middle infielder and seem to have a glut of corner/DH types.
• Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic and Jack Magruder of the East Valley Tribune analyze the Diamondbacks.  Josh Byrnes seeks a second baseman, left-handed reliever, and pitching in general.  Miguel Montero is the top trade chip.  They have about $10MM to spend, less if Brandon Lyon accepts arbitration.
• Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News says the Rangers could trade Gerald Laird, Hank Blalock, Kevin Millwood, or Vicente Padilla.
• Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel talked to Doug Melvin about C.C. Sabathia, who still hasn’t reacted to their offer.  If Sabathia and Ben Sheets leave, Melvin could add two starters.  Melvin also said it’d be too risky to trade J.J. Hardy and start Alcides Escobar at short.  Rickie Weeks has drawn interest, but Melvin would require "a pretty good hitter" in return.  Mike Cameron is a more likely trade chip.  As for the team’s closer search, Melvin doesn’t expect to be in on the big names.
• Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post says the Marlins probably won’t steal headlines at these Winter Meetings as they did in ’07.  Still, Jorge Cantu, Matt Treanor, and Jeremy Hermida may be dealt.  The Fish have been "actively shopping" Treanor and Hermida.  The Marlins have mild interest in free agents Ivan Rodriguez and Carl Pavano.
• Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune says Ken Williams has asked the Reds about Homer Bailey.  Could the Reds match up for Jermaine Dye?  The White Sox hope to add more MLB-ready starting pitching and maybe a backup catcher.
• The Orioles need starting pitching, with a slew of names under consideration according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun: A.J. Burnett, Paul Byrd, Jon Garland, Mark Hendrickson, Braden Looper, Randy Wolf, Kenshin Kawakami, Koji Uehara, Bartolo Colon, and Matt Clement.  The O’s also hope to extend Brian Roberts, trade Ramon Hernandez, and find a shortstop.  They have interest in Adam Everett.
• Roch Kubatko of MASN Online explains what it’s like for a reporter at the Meetings.

• Mets Geek takes a look at three recent rumored deals that may be sitting on Omar Minaya’s desk and ponders whether or not the Mets should make each trade.
• The Detroit Tigers Weblog breaks down what a Jack Wilson trade would mean for the Tigers.
• Fire Brand of the American League feels that with the recent additions to the bullpen, the Red Sox may be better suited to insert Justin Masterson into the rotation, rather than sign a high-priced free agent.
• Ump Bump suggests that the Angels could get more bang for the buck if they sign Adam Dunn over Mark Teixeira.
• The ’Burgh Blues picks through the scraps and identifies eight players they would like to see the Pirates invite to Spring Training, including Richie Sexson, Sidney Ponson, Mark Prior and Matt Clement.
• MLB Notebook takes a look at the big guns in the free agent market and feels that the Yankees are no longer in a position to set the pace. Rather, they argue that the Angels now control the market.
• East Windup Chronicle feels that some are underestimating the amount of potential Major League talent playing in Japan, noting the number is "at least 30" and considerably more if they had the opportunity to start in the minors out of high school.
• Bernies Crew likes the Jorge Julio signing by the Brewers, noting the move gives the team much needed flexibility and depth in the bullpen.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com. If you have a suggestion for this feature, Cork can be reached here.

• Couple of notes about the Red Sox: Perrotto expects Theo Epstein to re-sign Jason Varitek to a two-year deal in the $16MM range. This seems like drastically overpaying for what Varitek has become, in my opinion, but as Perrotto points out, there’s very little on the free agent market. Epstein will then look to trade for a young catcher who can become the starter in 2010 or 2011. Additionally, he’ll try to move Mike Lowell to open up a spot for either Mark Teixeira or Garrett Atkins, but that won’t be an easy task most likely. On a Manny-related note, Terry Francona said the last couple months of 2008 were the "most fun he’s ever had" in Boston, calling them "tremendous." He didn’t mention Manny specifically, but does he really have to?
• Perrotto says the Mets have decided to pass on Francisco Rodriguez, and will instead pursue Brian Fuentes, as well as Derek Lowe. The Red Sox may also make a strong pitch for Lowe.
• The Padres will likely take some gambles on rehabbing pitchers for 2009. Perrotto lists Mark Mulder, Matt Clement, and Mark Prior as candidates.
• Toronto’s interim president Paul Beeston is making A.J. Burnett the organization’s top priority, and Perrotto feels that Burnett wants to stay. Personally, I’m in the other camp and see Burnett opting out and cashing in on a big payday.
• The Rangers will almost certainly pick up Hank Blalock’s $6.2MM option for 2009.

A few more names from the injury bargain bin: Kris Benson, Bartolo Colon, Freddy Garcia, Mike Hampton, Jason Jennings, Pedro Martinez, Sergio Mitre, Carl Pavano, and Brad Penny.

• There is speculation that Andruw Jones could be sent back to the minors.
• Joel Sherman wonders if MLB should’ve gotten involved when Manny Ramirez decided to orchestrate his own exit.  Kind of reminds me of Gary Sheffield intentionally botching plays to force a trade out of Milwaukee in ’92.
• Gordon Edes stands by his report that Manny pledged to give full effort if the Red Sox dropped his options.  That phone call between Scott Boras and Theo Epstein occurred within an hour of his trade to the Dodgers.
• Jon Heyman takes us inside the Manny trade.  He says Ramirez signed an agreement in advance that he’d accept a trade to any team if his options were dropped.  Heyman believes Omar Minaya fibbed in saying he had failed trade discussions with Boston.
• The Red Sox are still waiting to hear whether Joe Borowski will accept their offer of a minor league deal.
• Dejan Kovacevic gives as inside look at the Jason Bay trade talks here and here.  Did the Rays offer Reid Brignac and Jeff Niemann?  Reports are conflicting.
• The Cardinals released Matt Clement on Saturday.  Let this serve as another reminder of how hard it is to come back from shoulder surgery.
• The Cardinals weren’t willing to trade catching prospect Bryan Anderson plus a pitching prospect for Brian Fuentes.  Also, GM John Mozeliak confirmed failed talks for Bay.
• RotoAuthority takes a look at young pitchers who may face innings caps this year.
• Another failed deal: Orlando Cabrera to the Orioles in a Brian Roberts deal.
• Geoff Baker believes that when inside information related to the Blue Jays leaks out, GM J.P. Ricciardi is likely responsible.
• Please continue to email me if you see a pop-up or full-page ad on MLB Trade Rumors.

• Astros president Tal Smith arguing other teams’ arbitration cases.   Rosenthal finds it a bit awkward, while Keith Law finds it to be a hilarious conflict of interest.
• Possible trades of Matt Murton to the Padres or Rangers seem to have fizzled.  The Padres may turn to the Brewers’ Gabe Gross, a player who previously caught the eye of the A’s, Indians, and Braves.  Our good friend PECOTA sees a .267/.366/.467 line from Gross this year.  With Gross and various veteran starters, the Brewers have some surpluses to work with.
• Rosenthal believes the Cardinals’ interest in Jeff Weaver to be not especially serious.  They’ve got in-house candidates to start, and Matt Clement needing some time is not a revelation.
• We’ve read about extension possibilities for Matt Capps and Alex Rios.  To that mix, Rosenthal adds Edwin Encarnacion.  The Reds might want to do it now; he seems primed for a big year.

Weaver seems the smarter option for a team looking for healthy innings.  If nothing else, Weaver can provide that.  Something tells me he’s not getting $8MM this time around.  His most recent success was in St. Louis, so maybe Dave Duncan can guide him to a league average season.

Colon is a wild card.  Even if his stuff isn’t there, if he can take the ball he has value.  He’ll obviously find the NL more to his liking.

Another possibility for the Cards is David Wells, according to Peter Gammons.  Gammons says Boomer "would like to come back for 20-something starts."