Breakfast Links: Adam Wainwright, Michael Bourn, Justin Upton, Pedro Feliciano

Welcome back to the grind of the work week. Hope you enjoyed the day off and the Inauguration festivities.

Here's what you may have missed yesterday:

The Big Three

1. The St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Adam Wainwright are getting ready to open discussion on a contract extension that will be "long" and "expensive," according to GM John Mozeliak. Unlike former teammate Albert Pujols, Waino has not set any timetable for talks, which probably bodes well for a deal getting done. It seems a bit risky to lock up a pitcher who's just a year removed from Tommy John, but the Cards have enough pitching coming up the system that even a mediocre on-field payoff will be enough given the years of guidance he can provide to the young'ns.

2. At this point, I don't really care where Michael Bourn and Justin Upton end up, so long as they go somewhere. Word surfaced yesterday that the Atlanta Braves have yet to rule out making a run for either outfielder, which gives every indication that they'd rather do something else. The non-committal stance of both the Braves and the Texas Rangers -- the only two clubs even feigning interest in the pair at this point -- has pitted them in a sort of battle to see who will cave in and overpay first. My guesses: Bourn goes to the Rangers, Upton stays put.

3. After two years uptown in the Bronx doing everything but throw a baseball, left-hander Pedro Feliciano is headed back to Queens on a minor-league deal with the New York Mets. Given that the 36-year-old hasn't made a big-league appearance since the last time he suited up with the Mets, it is unlikely he'll return to his role as the bullpen workhorse. If/when Feliciano does return to the Mets' roster, however, he will have the strange (and possibly unique) honor of leaving a club twice (Tigers, Yankees) since his debut but never actually taking the the mound for another team.

Other News

- The Colorado Rockies are "aggressively pursuing" veteran right-handers Carl Pavano and Derek Lowe, which is weird because I highly doubt anyone else has that much desire to sign the pair. No need to be overzealous about guys that other teams are only somewhat interested in -- you'll just end up overpaying.

- The San Francisco Giants have moved on from attempting to negotiate a deal with former closer Brian Wilson. Smart move on Sabean's part, as the club already has a much better and healthier option in Sergio Romo. No need to copy the Dodgers and sign multiple closers.

Extras

- Ever wanted to learn way too much about the great baseball sportswriters of yore? No? Well, this guy did and he compiled an incredibly thorough list for all to see.

- I never really talk about it on here but I actually live in Amman, Jordan, right in the middle of a bunch of fun, safe places. There are parliamentary elections here tomorrow. Here's a neat little summary of what to (and not to) expect. Spoiler alert: The King's going to dissolve parliament in a few months no matter what because it's his go-to move to defer blame for the country's stagnation.