LAS VEGAS -- You know the Winter Meetings are quiet when even Jerry Dipoto isn't making deals.
After a frenetic past month of wheeling and dealing, the Mariners general manager has kept a low profile at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino this week, to the point where Dipoto wasn't even available Wednesday while staying in his room dealing with an illness.
After making six trades involving 24 players prior to the Meetings, the Mariners have yet to make a move during the gathering of agents and executives from all 30 Major League teams. They're far from alone, as only a handful of deals have been finalized by any teams at the annual gathering.
Mariners assistant general manager Justin Hollander met with the media in Dipoto's place and joked that his boss's absence was casting a pall over the entire Vegas scene.
"He's trying to grind the Winter Meetings to a halt by being sick," Hollander said. "It's all his fault. If we're not doing things, everybody else is waiting, wondering what's going on. Nobody can do anything. But he's just not feeling well."
The Mariners' baseball operations and analytics group continued doing business, of course, though nothing came of Wednesday's conversations with other teams and agents.
• Free-agent rumors
"It's pretty quiet overall," Hollander said. "To use a golf term, [Wednesday] is usually like moving day at the Winter Meetings. Agents start to get more serious about what's realistic. Teams start to get uncomfortable with what's realistic for players signing and trades. There's been a medium amount of activity for us, but nothing imminent, nothing crazy."
The Mariners have made some initial inroads into the pursuit of Japanese left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who will be available as a free agent for a 30-day window that ends Jan. 2. The talented 27-year-old is pushing for a multiyear deal, and his agent, Scott Boras, is setting up meetings between Kikuchi and interested clubs for later this month in Los Angeles.

"The market for Kikuchi is vast," Boras said. "Whether you're a developmental club, a club that's a playoff team or getting there, all have expressed interest in him."
Hollander wouldn't say if the Mariners planned to sit down with Kikuchi, but clearly there is interest.
"We haven't met with Kikuchi yet, but we did speak with his representatives yesterday, just sort of getting a lay of the land for parameters and how they want to handle the process, making sure we understood the best way to move forward if we want to pursue it," he said.
• Hot Stove Tracker
"That was super helpful. Now we'll go back and talk about it and figure out what we want to do. Obviously, talent is a good thing. It's something we're looking for, so it was helpful to get a timeline on how they're going to handle this."
Mariners could be active in Rule 5 Draft
The Mariners are likely to add a player in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft, where they have the 19th selection in the Major League phase of the process that starts at 9 a.m. PT.
"We met today on it and went through guys we'd be willing to make that leap for," Hollander said. "Obviously, it does tie up a roster spot for the rest of the winter and then you're landlocked with that player. But there are a couple of players at least that we'd consider doing that with. We'll see if they're ultimately available at our spot."
The Mariners have 36 players on their 40-man roster, so they do have room to make several Rule 5 selections if they choose. Dipoto said earlier in the week that the Mariners would consider trading up in the Draft if it helped land a player they've targeted.