Winter Meetings Indians Rumors: Recapping Day Four

After a whirlwind beginning to the weke, Thursday was a bit of an anticlimactic finish to the Winter Meetings in terms of news and rumors about the Indians. Here are the highlights from Nashville:

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The Rule 5 Draft. Cleveland made some personnel changes via the Rule 5 draft Thursday, taking first baseman Chris McGuiness from Texas with the fifth overall pick. McGuiness, who OPSed .840 for the Rangers’ Double-A affiliate in 2012, must stay on the Indians’ roster for the entire 2013 season or be offered back to Texas. Meanwhile, the Cubs took Hector Rondon from the Tribe with the second pick in the draft while the Orioles grabbed T.J. McFarland with pick No. 23.

The Arizona blockbuster. An Asdrubal Cabrera deal never materialized in Nashville, and it might not happen at all—ESPN’s Jim Bowden reports that Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers would prefer a shortstop with more years of team control remaining, and Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal has the Indians potentially being left out of a Justin Upton blockbuster.

Nick Swisher. Not much news on this front Friday, but CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman reported that the Indians are still “in.”

Seddon to Japan. Chris Seddon, who was non-tendered by the Tribe last month, has signed with the SK Wyverns in South Korea.

Hannahan in demand. Another recent Indians non-tender, Jack Hannahan, is getting a lot of interest as a free agent. CBS Sports’ Danny Knobler says the third base market os “crazy enough” that Hannahan is reportedly seeking a multiyear deal.

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