At present, that description can be turned into an apropos observation about the lagging hot stove season. Very slow. Painfully slow. The transactional version of a baserunner with an OBR of E, like a current-day Albert Pujols trying to leg out a triple.

MLB free agency, offseason trade news and hot stove updates
The Phillies hired Matt Klentak for that rebuild at the end of 2015. Like bank robbers digging underground to reach a vault from below, the Phillies dug and dug and dug -- but when they emerged from their tunnel, they were in the Rite-Aid bathroom across the street from the bank. To date, they are the first team in what we might call baseball's tanking era to fail at it.

Instead of crowding into the lobby of the Omni Dallas Hotel and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, where the 2020 winter meetings were scheduled to be held this week, the gatherings will be held virtually. That leaves our collection of baseball reporters to recall winter meetings past, including their favorite blockbuster deals and rumors, moments they'll never forget, what they'll miss (and what they won't) with the meetings being held through computer screens and their favorite untold tales from the lobby.

Umpires are also being instructed to wear face masks at all times, except when it would make it unfeasible for them to do their jobs.Detroit Tigers Face Coverings

"Chris Young's background and experiences will be a huge asset to our baseball operations group," Daniels said. "He is a very well-regarded executive in our game. Chris' 13-year MLB career, including two seasons with the Rangers, gives him a perspective that is unique in baseball management."New York Mets Face Coverings

Allen was anything but quiet. He spent his career defiantly rejecting the role of “grateful Black player.” He demanded a higher salary to match his immense talent and didn’t bother to cozy up to sportswriters. He famously fought with a white teammate who had hurled a racial slur — and ended up being blamed for the altercation himself, enduring death threats in the aftermath.Minnesota Twins Face Coverings

Rogers: The speaker of the quote is easy; picking just one from Scott Boras is another story. There are many, but how about this one, regarding the Yankees being slow to make moves one offseason: "When the nurse comes into your room with a thermometer, the issue isn't the temperature of the patient that day. It's their health when they're ready to leave the hospital. And they're not ready to leave the hospital."Chicago White Sox Face Coverings