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Here are some quick notes and news bits connected to the Indians coming out of Nashville in day two of the winter meetings today. Tony and the rest of the IPI staff will have a much more thorough update on all of this and more in the Winter Meetings daily recap piece later this afternoon.

There is a lot of buzz in the winter meetings that the Indians could deal All Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera for a collection of young talent to impact the roster in other areas of need next season. Jeff Ellis thinks the Indians should capitalize on Cabrera's value while it is at its peak as his career path is eerily similar to another former All Star middle infielder for the Indians who put up good seasons but battled conditioning issues before his career fell off a cliff.

Day one of the winter meetings is almost in the books. The news and rumors will surely continue into the night, and if anything of substance regarding the Indians has legs we here at the IPI will continue to provide updates. Tony gets us all up to speed on all the Happenings out in Nashville and who the Indians are talking to, and provides lots of insight on all the rumors from the first full day at the winter meetings.

The Winter Meetings are typically when the offseason really begins to heat up, so with them scheduled to start today in Nashville, let us take a little time to get acquainted with some names Cleveland has been attached to this offseason. Any number of things could go down in Tennessee, but these are the players that Chris Antonetti has the best chance at acquiring as free agents, trade pickups, or recent non-tenders.

Well, this is it. This is the time the Indians can prove a lot of naysayers wrong this offseason by making a few well orchestrated moves this week in Nashville during the frenzy that is the baseball winter meetings. The Indians have spent a lot of time the past two months assessing their roster and how they can fill the holes they have, but will they be one of the busier teams on the rumor front this week (as expected) or will they once again stand on the sidelines and watch? Tony has thoughts on that and lots more...

Yesterday was the non-tender deadline and Cleveland had to make some difficult choices. The team chose not to tender contracts to Jack Hannahan, Rafael Perez, and Chris Seddon, letting them go into free agency. Additionally, it was announced that Corey Kluber had right knee surgery after injuring himself during the offseason.

The Cleveland Indians today announced that they have claimed first baseman Mike McDade off outright waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays. The Indians made room on the 40-man roster by designating left-handed pitcher Chris Seddon for assignment.

Indians players continue to toil away in winter ball as the various leagues enter the final month of the season. Indians catcher Carlos Santana made his winter ball debut this past week while a number of Indians players, including Hector Rondon, Jesus Aguilar and Giovanni Soto, continue to put up impressive numbers. The IPI's Steve Orbanek recaps all the action for you in this week's edition of the Winter Ball Notebook.

The Rule 5 Draft commences a week from today out in Nashville, Tennessee. What kind of players are typically drafted and what levels do they come from? What positions are the primary focus of the draft, and what positions rarely get selected? The IPI's Jeff Ellis chimes in with his yearly Rule 5 Draft review where he analyzes all that and more.

With Jim Pete getting a well-deserved break, the IPI's Steve Orbanek mans the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario this week. The hiring of Terry Francona seemed to signal a new approach for the Indians, but so far, the team has been relatively quiet this offseason. And as the Indians remain quiet, the team's competitors in the AL Central have set out to improve their clubs. Is this so-called new approach all it's cracked up to be? Steve ponders after the jump.

The Cleveland Indians today announced that they designated left-handed reliever Rafael Perez for assignment. Health issues and his contract status were the primary reason behind the decision.

On Monday the Cleveland Indians announced that they signed free agent infielder/outfielder Nate Spears to a minor league contract with a non-roster invitation to 2013 Major League spring training camp. They also outrighted right-handed pitcher Fabio Martinez to the minors.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com, he says the Indians have been checking in on several free agents, and one of those is free agent outfielder/first baseman Nick Swisher. He is a switch-hitter and his versatility to play either first base or a corner outfield position would fill a need at either position.

Tony is taking a much needed break for the Thanksgiving holidays, but the always dependable Indians Prospect Insider Express rolls on, with Jim Pete taking over Tribe Happenings this weekend. While the Indians have been quiet since acquiring Mike Aviles and Yan Gomes, the Indians' 2013 season rests in the balance of their success and failures over the next month. The path certainly won't be easy, as Jim Pete weaves his way through the pratfalls of the hot stove league...

While the AFL may have closed its doors last week, a number of winter leagues remain in action, which means that a handful of Indians players are still in action. Jesus Aguilar made his return to the Venezuelan Winter League this past week plus left-handed pitcher Nick Hagadone pitched in a game for the first time since breaking his wrist during the 2012 season. The IPI's Steve Orbanek recaps the performances of Aguilar, Hagadone as well as others in this week's Winter Ball Notebook.

The holidays are officially upon us, and you know what? There's plenty to be thankful for here in Cleveland with regards to the Cleveland Indians. No, this team will never be compared to the 1927 Yankees, or even the 2007 Cleveland Indians, but there's plenty of upside on a team that lost...a lot. Happy Thanksgiving everybody...