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To be honest, you probably could take an extended nap (like the one Carl Pavano took from 2005 through 2008) from now until the start of spring training, and you wouldn’t miss a great deal in the baseball world. Shoot, you might not even miss a Hall of Fame induction, with “No one” a distinct possibility for Wednesday’s announcement.
The Yankees probably won’t make any moves that will upstage the boatload of aging All-Stars they already have retained or imported, and the Mets pushed their biggest chip to the center of the table when they dealt chatty knuckleballer R.A. Dickey to Toronto for a haul of prospects. Big-name free agents like Zack Greinke, Josh Hamilton and B.J. Upton have found new homes.
But if you are a hard-core fan who appreciates that a low-key January deal can mature into a stroke of genius come October, then you should stick around and pay attention. Plenty of story lines remain unresolved here in what is traditionally baseball’s slowest month. For instance:
1. The Mets’ search for arms and outfielders. The former seems more likely than the latter to produce a name you know, which speaks to supply and demand. The list of available outfielders appears small, whereas a handful of starting pitchers still need jobs, and a couple of teams even have excess.
Pavano, the above cheap shot aside, actually might be a decent fit for low dollars to fill the void left by the Dickey trade. He throws strikes and groundballs, and a return to the National League only would help. The sensible questions concern his health (it’s said to be fine, after he made just 11 starts last year due to an injury to his pitching arm) and his willingness to return to New York (the dynamics surely would be different than his ill-fated Yankees run). Shaun Marcum would be even better if he falls into the Mets’ price range — they have about $10 million left to spend.
Free-agent Chris Young, mediocre for last year’s Mets, resides on the club’s radar once again. And perhaps most intriguing, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang rank sixth and seventh on the Dodgers’ depth chart. Either would fit quite well in the back end of the Mets’ rotation. Some patience by the Mets here could pay off.
The useful Scott Hairston is now the most desired outfield option out there and likely will get a two-year deal, with the Yankees also in play. Trading for Justin Upton doesn’t align with the Mets’ current state — they’re not in a position to give up major prospects for someone whose arrival alone wouldn’t vault them into the playoffs.
2. The Yankees’ search for extra pieces. They have completed their heavy lifting, although they could use some more bats — hence their interest in Lance Berkman, before he committed to the Rangers yesterday — and maybe another reliever. Once again, all of their moves this winter will be viewed through the prism of their intention to get their 2014 payroll under $189 million.
Brian Cashman has excelled with low-risk, close-to-spring-training pickups the past few years. Think of Raul Ibanez and Eric Chavez last year and Chavez, Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia in 2011. The problem this year, though, is that the pickings already are slim.
3. The remaining big-name free agents. It’s not at all unusual that Scott Boras has the most work left of any player representative. Boras historically has no qualms with bringing his free agents into January or even February without guaranteed employment. Far more often than not, Boras winds up looking savvy.
This year’s challenges are Rafael Soriano, Michael Bourn and Kyle Lohse. It’s Soriano’s second turn in Boras/January limbo, and two years ago, the mopey closer struck gold when the Yankees gave him a sweetheart deal to set up — and serve as injury protection — for Mariano Rivera. His success in the latter role prompted him to opt out of his 2013 commitment, and Rivera’s return from knee surgery gave the Yankees a closer.
The most logical bets for Soriano benefactors are two teams particularly tight with Boras: the Tigers, whose closer, Jose Valverde, imploded in October and now is a free agent, and the Nationals, who have Drew Storen but… you never know. And the Yankees shouldn’t be counted out, at least on a lucrative, one-year deal, until Soriano signs somewhere.
Bourn is the last center fielder standing, with free agents Hamilton (Angels), Upton (Atlanta), Shane Victorino (Boston) and Angel Pagan (San Francisco) having found homes and Philadelphia (Ben Revere) and Washington (Denard Span) locating help on the trade market. Seattle, another team that works well with Boras, looks like the best fit. The Mariners have spent the winter looking for offensive help, and the acquisitions of Ibanez and Kendry Morales wouldn’t preclude a spot for Bourn.
The Cardinals already have a full starting rotation, hence their lack of interest in retaining Lohse. St. Louis did make Lohse a qualifying offer, however, and his rejection of that means a new team would have to give up a draft pick. That seems to have cooled Lohse’s market.
Another remaining free agent who rejected his team’s qualifying offers — as did Soriano and Bourn — is first baseman Adam LaRoche, who could re-sign with Washington. The Nationals then could turn around and trade Michael Morse for pitching.
4. Justin Upton. The industry belief is that, after much flirting and withdrawing, the Diamondbacks finally are ready to trade their star right fielder. They have newly signed free agent Cody Ross to take his place, and they no longer require a shortstop in the return after getting Didi Gregorius in a trade from Cincinnati. They will just try to bring back as much talent as possible.
Bet on an Upton deal getting completed by the Super Bowl. The top suitors are Seattle and Texas, with Atlanta a possibility to make the Upton brothers teammates. Upton can block a trade to the Mariners.
5. The Rangers. They are the top team to watch because they possess the resources — money and prospects — to accomplish whatever they want. And because they still have moves to make, after missing out on Greinke (who signed with the Dodgers) and seeing Hamilton leave for the rival Angels.
They could trade for Upton. They could sign Bourn, or LaRoche. Or they could pocket all of those resources, start the season with something resembling their current roster then be in position to strike come July.
kdavidoff@nypost.com