The Winter Meetings have been an exciting time, as always. And with today being the last full day of the event at the Dallas Anatole, C.J. Wilson is probably the second-hottest topic of conversation behind that Albert guy.
Wilson had previously said he wanted to have his decision made by the time the Winter Meetings ended, so here we go...
Various reports throughout the week have said that Wilson has offers from the Los Angeles Angels, Washington Nationals, Florida Marlins, Texas Rangers and "another club".
It was speculated on Tuesday, and reported by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman that the Rangers had offered Wilson a 4-year deal for $60 million, which is a very fair offer for Wilson given the fact that the Rangers likely won't want to go beyond four years for the 31-year-old.
In a late-night meeting with Rangers GM Jon Daniels, Wilson's agent Bob Garber came away "pleasantly surprised" saying the meeting with the Rangers brass went "great".
What's that mean? To me, it means the chances of Wilson, who won 16 games and posted a 2.94 ERA last season pitching in one of the most hitter-friendly ballparks in the league but also went winless in the postseason, has a better than good chance of returning to Texas.
Wilson wanted $100 million-plus going into this free agency process, but he might have since realized that he isn't going to get it as it seems Mark Buerhle has taken his spot as the most coveted free agent starting pitcher.
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The Angels have reportedly said that the price for Wilson is too high, and they certainly aren't going to want to pay Wilson more than Jered Weaver makes after signing his extension before the 2011 season came to an end. That deal pays Weaver $85 million over the next five years.
Wilson is from Southern California and loves that lifestyle, but he's also on record saying money isn't the biggest factor for him, but winning is. You can't get much better at winning than the Rangers have done the past two years.
So what's all this tell us? To me, it says he'll be pitching either in Arlington or Anaheim next season.
