Trading was heavy on day three of the Winter Meetings, and I'll try to recap as many of the big ones as I can.

Outfielder Juan Pierre became the latest member of the Florida Marlins to add the prefix "former-" to that title. He was sent to the Cubs for a trio of pitchers.

The Braves sent catcher Johnny Estrada out west to Arizona for a pair of righty relievers.

The Padres and Devil Rays got in on the action, as San Diego sent third baseman Sean Burroughs to Tampa Bay for pitcher Dewon Brazelton.

Journeyman pitcher Mark Redman is on the move again. The former Twin, Tiger, Marlin, and Athletic can now add Pirate to his list of formers, as Pittsburgh is sending Redman to the Royals for pitcher Jonah Bayliss.

This one isn't confirmed just yet, but the Pirates and Reds are said to be close to a deal that would send first baseman Sean Casey to Pittsburgh in exchange for pitcher Dave Williams.

I believe that's all the big moves for today so far, but the meetings are not yet over....

» Cubs fill big hole with speedy Pierre [mlb.com]
» Braves ship Estrada to D-Backs [mlb.com]
» Rays acquire Burroughs from Padres [mlb.com]
» Bucs acquire Bayliss for Redman [mlb.com]
» Pirates close to bringing Casey home [mlb.com]

Free agent and trade action continue to be hot-and-heavy around Major League Baseball, as three more players appear to have found new homes.

The Dodgers are yet to confirm or deny, but Rafael Furcal's agent says that the shortstop has agreed to a three-year, $39 million deal to move out west to Chavez Ravine.

Former Dodger catcher Paul Lo Duca is on his way to New York as Florida shipped off yet another veteran player. Just as he did in Los Angeles, Lo Duca will arrive in Queens to replace the departed Mike Piazza. This time around (The Mets got first baseman Carlos Delgado from Florida last week), Florida gets minor league pitcher Gaby Hernandez and a player yet to be identified.

And another Los Angeles player - recently of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - is on the move as well. Pitcher Paul Byrd agreed to a two-year, $14.25 million deal with Cleveland. The addition of Byrd to the Indians rotation could especially be important should free agent pitchers Kevin Millwood and Scott Elarton not return to the team in 2006.

» Agent confirms Furcal deal with Dodgers [mlb.com]
» Mets reel in Lo Duca from Marlins [mlb.com]
» Tribe lands free agent Byrd [mlb.com]

Gold-Glove Second baseman Luis Castillo Is Now a Twin (photo by Getty Images)

The revamp is now complete. With first baseman Carlos Delgado traded to the Mets, third baseman Mike Lowell to the Red Sox, shortstop Alex Gonzalez a free agent and possibly not returning (especially after the acquisition of Hanley Ramirez from Boston), and now second baseman Luis Castillo sent to the Twins, the Marlins have officially dismantled their entire 2005 starting infield. Wow, congratulations Florida.

On the other side of the coin, the Minnesota Twins finally found their new second baseman, and for much less than Alfonso Soriano would have cost them. The Twins sent pitchers Travis Bowyer and Scott Tyler to Florida in exchange for the 30-year-old Castillo. In acquiring the switch-hitting Castillo, the Twins get a player who has a lifetime .291 average and who has won the National League Gold Glove at second base the last three seasons. Although Castillo only hit 4 homeruns last year (he has only 20 in his career), he set a career-high with 18 sacrifices, and had an on-base percentage of .391 - his highest since 2000, when he had an OBP of .418 and stole 62 bases. He stole only 10 bases in 2005 while being slowed by hip and quadriceps injuries. Manager Ron Gardenhire says he has not decided yet whether he will use Castillo or left fielder Shannon Stewart in the Twins leadoff spot in 2006.

In sending Bowyer to Florida, Minnesota appears to be signaling that they have no intention of parting ways with closer Joe Nathan anytime soon. Bowyer had 23 saves for Triple-A Rochester in 2005 and was considered a potential replacement for Nathan should the Twins need to use him as trade bait. The trade also demonstrates that the Twins didn't feel comfortable with handing second base over to Michael Cuddyer, who is now expected to compete for the starting spot in right field with utility outfielder Lew Ford and Jason Kubel, who missed the entire 2005 season due to injury. Twins GM Terry Ryan insists that Minnesota is not done making offseason moves just yet, intending still to fill needs at third base and designated hitter.

» Twins strike deal for Castillo [twinsbaseball.com]

The temperatures may be dropping, but MLB's offseason action is just starting to heat up. Following the news announced earlier this week that the Florida Marlins would be shipping Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to the Boston Red Sox for a trio of prospects, the Fish are making headlines again with the news that Carlos Delgado is on his way to the New York Mets for Mike Jacobs and a minor league pitcher. The Mets, of course, already sent Mike Cameron to San Diego for Xavier Nady, and are said to still be interested in bringing Manny Ramirez to New York. Not to be outdone, the Phillies and White Sox are said to have reached a deal to swap Jim Thome for Aaron Rowand. Rowand will likely find his place in the middle of an outfield that already contains powerhitters Pat Burrell and Bobby Abreu. The acquisition of Thome likely means that either Frank Thomas or Paul Konerko - if not both - has played his last game in a White Sox uniform.

Especially interesting are these moves on the part of Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. Florida appears to be on a fire sale to rival the one that followed their World Series win in '97. Although offloading Lowell and Delgado will considerably reduce Florida's payroll while simultaneously making them a considerably younger team - Lowell is 31, while Delgado is 33 - sending Josh Beckett to Boston seems to make little sense. Beckett is only 25, and his salary should be considered negligible for a former World Series MVP. Should Florida choose not to re-sign A.J. Burnett, they'll be looking to Cy Young runner-up Dontrelle Willis to carry the load for a young team.

And, along with the confirmed deals, the race to sign closer Billy Wagner is still on, but the Mets look to be frontrunners in that deal. Wagner is holding out to see if any other offers come in, but the acquisitions of Delgado and Nady - along with talk of the potential acquisition of Ramirez - have to be making a move to Shea sound pretty enticing.

» Delgado and Thome headed to new teams [Yahoo! Sports]