As the Hot Stove League has brought the departure of one Carlos' (Delgado's) palo de beisbol grande and brief rumours of it being replaced by another Carlos' big bat (Lee, now of the Brewers), and the past season saw the dismissal of still another Carlos from Toronto's own managerial hot seat, it brings to mind the possibilities of an All-Carlos team. Here's one very quick take; can you do better?

The Rule 5 Draft should be getting underway anytime now, and this thread will be the keeper of rumours and results. To tide you over till the draft reports start coming in, check out:

Plenty of arms available in Rule 5 draft (MLB.com)

Rule 5 Draft Preview (Baseball America)

Pinch-hit Rule 5 preview (Batter's Bauxite Marc)

It's Rule 5 draft day, and so today's question concerns prospects. Which minor league player that you saw (or studied for fantasy league purposes) surprised you the most, positively or negatively, when he arrived in the Show?

Mine are Pete Incaviglia and Rusty Greer.

There's a picture opposite me of my primitive ancestry
Who stood on rocky shores and kept the beaches shipwreck-free
Though I respect that a lot, I'd be fired if that were my job
After killing Jason off and countless screaming Argonauts

Pending the physical, it appears we can say welcome to Toronto, Corey Koskie.

Amidst all the excitement over the newest Blue Jay, pitcher Chad Gaudin, we oughtn't forget the pleasures brought to us by the man traded for him, Kevin Cash.

Good friend of the Box Spencer Fordin has reported that Tom Cheek was one of three broadcasters added to the 10-person Frick Award ballot, along with Dave Niehaus and Ron Santo. Make sure to check out the article!

There's a rumor going around, and like all rumors this time of year, there's a 98% chance it's false. But it's a fun rumor, so we'll play around with it.

The rumor is that there will be a 3-way trade between Oakland, Toronto, and some contender. The contender will get Tim Hudson, and who knows what the Jays and A's will get.

Here's your challenge:

So you're probably waiting for the punchline ... we've certainly taken our fair share of shots at the Archbishop of Boston Baseball here at Batter's Box, occasionally pointing out his, *ahem*, spotty record of prognosticating trades and transactions.

But in case you hadn't heard, Peter Gammons is headed to the Hall of Fame ... sort of, anyway, as the 2004 recipient of the J.G. Taylor Spink Award.

What better way to salute him than with song lyrics?

According to a report on ESPN.com the Jays have sent Kevin Cash to the Devil Rays in exchange for 21 year old pitcher Chad Gaudin.

Your daily dose of the rumor mill:

Some rumors floating around today:

The prevailing wisdom says that the staggeringly irrational $45 million contract forked out by the Diamondbacks to Troy Glaus has ratcheted up the free-agent marketplace (aside: you don't think Jeff Moorad is getting champagne gift baskets from his former player-agent colleagues right now?), and that Carlos Delgado will be one of the biggest beneficiaries. So today's question is:

Q: Where will Carlos Delgado end up, for how many years, and for what total amount?

Well, you play that Tarantella
And the hounds begin to roar
The boys all go to hell
And then the Cubans hit the floor

The Winter Meetings start today, though there's been no shortage of action beforehand. Check out Peter Gammons' latest for a nice summary of the buzz, including the increasingly insane Arizona Diamondbacks preparing to ink Russ Ortiz to a 4-year, $34 million contract. I don't ever want to hear Ortiz or Troy Glaus complain to anyone that they want to "play for a winner" after signing rich long-term deals with a 111-loss club.

And then there's the Jays, and their reliable and open-minded local press coverage.

If you're here and reading this, well, good, and welcome (or welcome back) to Batter's Box. Now, there are several ways currently open to you to contribute to several ongoing Batter's Box projects.

Miguel Negron borrows a chapter out of Jayce Tingler's book in Puerto Rico, sporting a .250/.378/.368 line. Guillermo Quiroz hit his 5th homer for Zulia in the Venezuelan League, and is hitting .250 but with power and reasonable plate discipline.