Mariners figure to be busy at Winter Meetings

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The stage is set for the Winter Meetings at the Gaylord Opryland Resort. Now, the question is which free agents and teams will land where they want -- and who will be left standing after baseball's game of musical chairs plays out over the next four days in the Music City.

Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik figures to be in the middle of much of the conversation, as Seattle's baseball brass explores potential trades and free-agent acquisitions to upgrade a young roster looking to compete in the tough American League West.

Officials from all 30 MLB teams will convene from Monday through Thursday in the sprawling Nashville resort, and I'll be there as well for constant coverage of the Mariners' camp.

You can get all the news on Mariners.com, as well as my Mariners Musings blog. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow me on Twitter at @GregJohnsMLB.

I'll keep tabs on all rumblings, with daily updates from Zduriencik, a Wednesday afternoon session with manager Eric Wedge and breaking news coverage and analysis on any moves the Mariners make -- culminating with the Rule 5 Draft on Thursday.

This is the place for Mariners conversation, as well, as we welcome reader participation in the comments section below each story. Let us know who you think the Mariners should target in free agency or trade, which position is most important to beef up or whether you'd be in favor of giving up some of the club's top young prospects in exchange for more-proven veterans.

Those are the same questions Zduriencik and his staff are pondering, though admittedly they have better access to agent Scott Boras and Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and the rest of the baseball community that has set up shop in the 2,881-room resort on the bank of the Cumberland River.

So stay tuned. It should be an interesting week.