The 2011 Rule V draft is held to close out this year’s Winter Meetings in Dallas, TX. Houston selects right-handed reliever Rhiner Cruz from the Mets with the top pick, one of 8 pitchers taken in the major league phase of the draft. Among the few well-known names selected is former top pitching prospect Aaron Poreda, drafted by the Pirates from the Padres in the minor league portion of the draft.

25-year-old Yu Darvish, star pitcher of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, requests that his name be placed on the posting system. He is likely to attract the largest bid through the process since the Boston Red Sox landed Daisuke Matsuzaka in 2006. Indeed, new Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine immediately calls Darvish “one of the four best pitchers in baseball”.

The Cubs send OF Tyler Colvin and IF D.J. LeMahieu to Colorado in return for 3B Ian Stewart and P Casey Weathers. Stewart batted only .156 last year, but is counted on to take over the hot corner from free agent Aramis Ramirez.

The Brewers sign SS Alex Gonzalez as a free agent, to replace Yunieski Betancourt who is still unsigned. Also signing today is reliever Octavio Dotel, who agrees to terms with Detroit, his 13th major league team.

Tim McCarver is named the recipient of the Hall of Fame’s Ford Frick Award for 2012 in recognition of his three decades as a national broadcaster following his playing career.

At the Winter Meetings, Jose Reyes is introduced as the Marlins’ new shortstop. The 28 year-old switch-hitting infielder, the NL’s batting champ, signed a six-year, $106 million contract to play with Miami after the cash-strapped Mets showed little interest in retaining their homegrown All-Star.

The Yankees win the posting for SS Hiroyuki Nakajima from the Seibu Lions, and now have 30 days to reach a contract agreement. Nakajima is being considered as a back-up infielder in New York but the two sides will fail to come to an agreement on contract terms.

The Marlins continue their free agent signing binge, adding P Mark Buehrle with a four-year, $48 million deal days after signing two other top players, closer Heath Bell and SS Jose Reyes. Buehrle will rejoin manager Ozzie Guillen, who was his manager with the Chicago White Sox since 2004. Meanwhile, the Padres acquire closer Huston Street from the Rockies to take over for Bell.

The Houston Astros hire Jeff Luhnow to be their new General Manager, one week after Ed Wade was fired. Luhnow was a Vice-President with the St. Louis Cardinals, responsible for overseing their drafting and for player development in Latin America.

The Twins trade SP Kevin Slowey to Colorado for a player to be named. Slowey was 0-8, 6.67 in 2011 and did not figure in the Twins’ plans for next season.