A rundown of key free agents … DANA POINT, Calif. — With a trio of megastars who are free agents (and several more very good ones), plus at least two more huge stars on the trading block, the Major League Baseball GM meetings begin Sunday and Monday with a lot of discussion about millionaires …

Nationals targeting slugger to clean up  —  After struggling at plate in '08, Washington looking for punch  —  WASHINGTON — Baseball's annual General Managers Meetings commence Monday in Dana Point, Calif., and Nationals GM Jim Bowden will try his best to improve an offense that finished near …

In Peavy trade offers, quality is number one criteria for Towers  —  In return for ace Jake Peavy, the Padres want compelling talent more than an offer built on bulk.  —  “To me, it's quality, not quantity,” General Manager Kevin Towers said.  “To me, any deal is going to be quality more than quantity.

Brewers bring back Cameron for '09  —  Team picks up center fielder's $10M option for next season  —  MILWAUKEE — Mike Cameron will be back in center field at Miller Park in 2009.  —  Facing a Monday deadline for their decision, the Brewers exercised a $10 million option to bring Cameron back for a second season in Milwaukee.

Amaro Jr. takes over reins for Phillies  —  Longtime assistant GM, former player replaces mentor Gillick  —  PHILADELPHIA — Ruben Amaro Jr. has been named the Phillies' new general manager.  —  The announcement was made at a 10 a.m. ET news conference on Monday in which team president …

Source: Maddux is pitching coach  —  The Rangers will name Mike Maddux pitching coach perhaps as early as Monday, a source with knowledge of the process said Sunday night.  —  GM Jon Daniels confirmed only that the Rangers had been in touch with Maddux this weekend.  He did not confirm or deny the report.

Fix the World Series?  Why bother with America's Afterthought?  —  Tell Gregg your opinion!  —  The truth of the matter is ... baseball just isn't that important anymore.  —  Baseball purists and constipated gripers — same thing, if you ask me — want to blame the 2008 World Series …

Cubs will take different path to improve  —  Jim Hendry came away from the general managers' meetings two years ago with the framework of a $136 million deal for free-agent left fielder Alfonso Soriano.  —  But as he heads into the GM meetings Monday in Dana Point, Calif. …

St. Louis Cardinals make offseason plans  —  DANA POINT, CALif. — Major League Baseball's free-agent market doesn't open for another 11 days.  Winter meetings are more than a month away.  Less than a week removed from the World Series' goofball ending, this technically represents a slow period for movement.

Enough  —  I was content to roll my eyes as every second rate hack from every second rate newspaper auto-piloted his way through his “we must fix the World Series” column last week, but now that a serious, and respected guy like Buster Olney is peddling this garbage [Insider only], something must be said.