Wednesday was a rather slow day at the winter meetings, especially if you compare it to Tuesday, so I'm going to start today's article with further updates on the Florida courts' involvement in contraction. To recap, the Florida Attorney General issued subpoenas to the Florida Marlins, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, and Major League Baseball for a variety of information pertaining to the fate of the Florida teams with regards to contraction. The three parties then filed suit to block the subpoenas.

Tuesday, a Florida judge heard the case. Judge Robert L. Hinkle did not rule to block the subpoenas. He did set a date of December 18th for a hearing regarding whether or not the state has the right to look into the contraction plans of baseball under the state's anti-trust laws or if MLB's anti-trust exemption protects them in this matter.

The current debate surrounds the question of whether or not the parties are required to hand over the information requested by the subpoenas before the hearing. Originally, the deadline was this Thursday. MLB maintains that they are under no obligation to hand over anything until after the hearing, but the Florida AG insists the deadline still stands. He has said he will try to enforce it, so there is a remote possibility that Selig and friends could be spending tomorrow evening in jail for contempt of court.

Signings

Jose Guillen signed a one-year, $500,000 deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays released Guillen a little over two weeks ago. He will most likely serve as a utility outfielder if he makes the team in the spring. However, there is some chance that Guillen could compete for the right field job if Danny Bautista does not re-sign with Arizona.

The job really should go to Erubiel Durazo, but the Diamondbacks have frequently avoided giving Durazo the playing time he deserves due to concerns over his defensive abilities. Arizona is also wary of messing with the strategy of employing the geriatric and injury prone as last season it led them to their World Series Championship.

Seattle re-signed pitcher Norm Charlton to a one year, $1.25 million contract. I think this was probably a good move. Although the lefty will be 39 when the season starts, he pitched very well last year in the months surrounding his injuries. Charlton should be able to do the same this year, and the Mariners have enough pitching depth so they can replace him when he's injured. The contract is a little large for a guy who is as big an injury risk as Norm, but Seattle also has a little bit of leeway with their payroll.

Milwaukee re-signed utility man Mark Sweeney to a one-year deal. Every organization probably has their own version of Sweeney, and as long as they didn't have to pay him much to re-sign, there's no real reason that the Brewers shouldn't hold on to the same one for a while. He's pretty much a AAAA guy but will get some playing time when other guys get hurt. There is some chance that he'll make the team as a back-up outfielder and pinch hitter.

While I'm on the Brewers, I left Raul Casanova's new contract out of yesterday's article. Casanova signed a deal worth $850,000 up-front, with an additional $200,000 available in plate appearance incentives. The switch-hitting catcher was out for the majority of last season with first a sore elbow and then a sore knee that lead to surgery. Knee injuries can be real problems for backstops, but he's expected to be healthy and back behind the plate this season. Casanova could certainly contribute to Milwaukee's lineup if he is indeed fully recovered. He would platoon with the no-hit, all defense Henry Blanco.

Trade

One deal did get completed late last night. Outfielder Carl Everett was traded from the Boston Red Sox to the Texas Rangers for LHP Darren Oliver. The Rangers already have several good outfielders and there are always Everett's past clubhouse problems (the cause of his departure from Boston) to consider. However, Texas is one of only a few teams that will not have any problems covering the last two years of his hefty contract, and GM John Hart has said that he spoke to the players before he acquired Everett and they seemed excited. After this trade, it is possible that they might deal Gabe Kapler for pitching. The team also remains heavily involved in the free agent market.

From Boston's perspective, getting rid of Everett was probably the best part of this deal for them. He's been the poster-boy for clubhouse cancer for the last few years. The problem worsened last season while he fought with both managers and his performance suffered.

Duquette is exited about the addition of Oliver as the Sox were also looking to add pitching this off-season. However, I have my concerns about the acquisition. Oliver is a soft-tossing lefty, a style description that doesn't normally mix well with the Green Monster. He should be able pitch acceptably near the bottom of the rotation, but I would make a concerted effort to pitch him in road games if at all possible, and it is never wise to add players to your team for whom you need to make a lot of special adjustments.

Thursday should be another interesting day, as we have the Rule V draft, the Yankees have scheduled a press conference where they will likely announce the signing of Jason Giambi, and there are still several players on both the trade and free agent markets that will be looking to find new homes before the meetings end.