The madness that is the annual Winter Meetings officially start tomorrow.  This event could be considered the Black Friday of the baseball rumors industry.

Like last offseason, we’re going to keep a close watch on the rumors and make sure you’re exposed to any interesting nuggets we come across.  Rob, Dustin and I will have our eyes peeled, and at least one of us should be “on duty” at almost all hours of the work day for much of the week.  Make BBT your Seattle Mariners trade and free agent rumor headquarters!

Depending on how many Mariner rumors are shooting around, I think we’ll keep the focus on providing mainly blurbs and links for most of the day, and then as things start winding down we’ll sum everything up with our own thoughts, analysis and additional speculation based on the happenings of the day.  We encourage you to join the conversation and let your yays and nays be heard.

A disclaimer for anyone new to the rumor scene:  The Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines rumor as

1: talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source
2: a statement or report current without known authority for its truth
3archaic : talk or report of a notable person or event

These “reports” can be flimsy.  Some will be completely factual.  Some will be vaguely based on fact and blown out of proportion or taken out of context.  Some will be completely fabricated by someone trying to get their way (see: Billy Beane).  Don’t get upset if a “too good to be true” rumor falls apart, because it probably will.  Following trade and free agent rumors are just a fun way to get through the offseason, as they often open up hot stove possibilities you’ve yet to consider and help spark your imagination.  Try to enjoy it!

Note: If you read our RSS feed, you may want to check into the actual site from time to time.  A lot of time we’ll be updating previously posted information, and that doesn’t always show up on the feed.  We may also utelize the sidebars to post a few scraps, so don’t be afraid to check in every once in a while.