MLB just had its greatest offseason day ever: All the trades, signings, and rumors in one place

By Justin Bopp@justinbopp Dec 4, 2013, 1:14am EST

December 3rd, 2013 is a day that will forever go down as one of the greatest -- if not THE greatest -- offseason day in MLB history. The wheels, the deals, the near-signings, the rumors, the tweets and reactions and everything all reached a crescendo seldom seen in any sport, much less baseball.

Needless to say, unless you're a loser in your mom's basement or you're playing on twitter while you should be working (naughty naughty!), you might've missed something that happened. Or everything. That's why we're here, folks! For you.

Here's a quick overview of mostly everything that happened with links and key passages from each story:

Signings

Yankees sign Jacoby Ellsbury to seven-year deal - Ellsbury, who won his second World Series with the rival Red Sox just over a month ago, heads to the Yankees in a move that triggers memories of Johnny Damon's signing after the 2005 season. The Red Sox were interested in bringing back their star center fielder, but will now look to fill the void his absence leaves by shifting Shane Victorino to center field and signing a free agent right fielder.
Red Sox sign A.J. Pierzynski - The addition of Pierzynski signals the end of Jarrod Saltalamacchia's tenure with the Red Sox. The team has shown consistent interest in retaining Saltalamacchia all offseason, but did not seem willing to offer him a two-year deal. Pierzynski will provide the Sox with a veteran leader behind the plate to share time with David Ross.
Tigers sign closer Joe Nathan - Detroit GM David Dombrowski has been aggressive this off-season, dealing away Prince Fielder and Doug Fister in high-profile deals already this winter. From the start, he has made upgrading the closer's role a priority and now he appears to have found his solution to that hole in Nathan.
Dodgers close to a deal with Brian Wilson - Wilson is most likely to return to the setup role with Los Angeles since the team has 26-year-old Kenley Jansen installed at closer. However, the younger pitcher might be better suited for a more flexible role, putting the 31-year-old Wilson in line to close again. Regardless of his role, the return of Wilson strengthens a Dodgers bullpen that struggled at times last season.
Rockies sign Justin Morneau - Morneau is coming off of a decent two year stretch in which he batted .263/.328/.424 for the Twins after missing significant time to injury in 2010 and 2011. His numbers could end up looking a lot better than that playing half of his games at Coors, and he's still just 32 years-old, so it's not like he can't continue to return to his former level of productivity.
Marlins sign Jarrod Saltalamacchia to 3-year, $21 million contract - In addition to the Red Sox and Marlins, Saltalamacchia drew significant interest from the Twins and Rangers this offseason. Both teams remain in search of a catcher, and will look to the trade market in the upcoming weeks in case players become available.

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Trades

Astros acquire Dexter Fowler from Rockies - Fowler, who turns 28 in March, is the first significant addition for the Astros so far this winter. He has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the offseason, being linked to the Mariners and Royals before being dealt to Houston. He will become the Astros' starting center fielder, joining Jason Castro and Jose Altuve as the notable veterans on a roster filled with young, developing players.
Athletics, Padres swap Seth Smith for Luke Gregerson - The Oakland Athletics have traded outfielder Seth Smith to the San Diego Padres in exchange for reliever Luke Gregerson.
Athletics acquire Craig Gentry - Gentry has been one of the best defensive players in baseball over the last few seasons, putting up 28 DRS (defensive runs saved) and a career UZR/150 of 29.3 in the outfield. He has also been outstanding in the batter's box for the Rangers over that time with wRC+ marks of 106 and 108 in 2012 and 2013. The only real knock on Gentry is his age -- he turned 30 years old on Friday.
Athletics acquire Jim Johnson - The Oakland A's have acquired closer Jim Johnson from the Baltimore Orioles for second baseman Jemile Weeks and a player to be named later or cash considerations.
Rays acquire, extend Ryan Hanigan - The Cincinnati Reds recently signed Brayan Pena to a two-year deal and they appear committed to prospect Devin Mesoraco for the future, so Ryan Hanigan became expendable. So, they traded him to the Tampa Bay Rays in a three-team deal that also includes the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Blue Jays trade Brad Lincoln to Phillies for Erik Kratz and Rob Rasmussen - Bluebird Banter
"Lincoln came to Toronto in the Travis Snider deal and became a solid pitcher out of the bullpen. The 28-year-old split time between AAA Buffalo and the big squad this year ending 2013 with a 3.98 ERA in Toronto. The righty still has four more years of team control, although he is out of options."

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Rumors

Robinson Cano-Mariners deal could happen - The slugger has recently been rumored to be seeking a contract in the neighborhood of $260M, a slightly less mind-boggling notion than the $310M figure that was floated by his agents earlier in the offseason. And the Mariners are now said to be "major players" in a potential deal.
Dodgers talking Matt Kemp trade with Red Sox, Mariners and Rangers - The Dodgers have "remained in contact" with a number teams concerning a possible Matt Kemp trade, with interest coming from the Red Sox, Mariners, and Rangers.
Yankees offer contract to Hiroki Kuroda - The Yankees have made a one-year contract offer to free-agent starter Hiroki Kuroda, according to Andrew Marchand of ESPNNewYork.com. While the specifics of the offer are not reported, Marchand believes the deal is in the $15-$16 million range.
Carlos Beltran has 3-year, $48 million offer from mystery team - Free agent outfielder Carlos Beltran has about 48 million things to think about right now, as a mystery team has reportedly offered him a three-year, $48 million contract according to ESPN's Buster Olney. While Olney says he's unclear if it's from the Mariners, who have been "aggressive" about Beltran, let's be real: it's probably from the Mariners.
Tigers targeting Shin-Soo Choo, per report - Choo is a talented all-around player who would fit in nicely with the Tigers' lineup. He hit .285/.423/.462 as a member of the Reds in 2013. He also hit 21 home runs and stole 20 bases while also playing solid defense in center field. He has been seeking a similar deal to Jayson Werth, who received seven years and $126 million from the Nationals prior to the 2011 season.