Finally some hot-stove heat, we hope: Winter meetings predictions

Predictions for this week's winter meetings in Las Vegas:

• Somebody other than the San Francisco Giants will sign a free agent. Bob Howry? Nice move. Edgar Renteria? Ehhh...
• Scott Boras will be busy. Every front office's least favorite agent has 15 clients without a team this winter. He'll be in more hotel rooms in Vegas this week than... nah, I'll skip that joke.

So much for the easy calls. Here are a few harder ones:

• CC Sabathia will sign with... nobody. He'll keep everybody guessing, but he'll tell the Yankees that as much as he liked seeing the keys to the vault, he'd rather stay in the NL, and preferably on the West Coast. Dodgers, are you listening?
• Derek Lowe will sign with... the Yankees. GM Brian Cashman will improve his rotation this week. You can count on it.
• The Mets will land a closer... My money is on Francisco Rodriguez.
• Somebody will trade for Jake Peavy... Look for the Cubs to finally finish this off.

And a lot will happen that we don't expect, because that's what the winter meetings are all about. And what happens in Vegas won't stay in Vegas... a lot of groundwork on some future trades will be made.