Jenifer Langosch/MLB.com

It’s an annual event at the Winter Meetings — super-agent Scott Boras meanders over toward the writers’ workroom (his impending appearance having already been announced) and then holds courts in front of dozens of media members. The session is always entertaining, often informative, too.

Boras’ appearance this year came on Wednesday, and he answered several questions about Kyle Lohse, one of Boras’ premier free-agent clients this winter. The expectation has been that a market for Lohse will expand after Zack Greinke signs his contract. Greinke has yet to do so and actually may still be in play after the Winter Meetings ends.

The Cardinals, though they offered a qualifying one-year offer of $13.3 million, are not in on the bidding for Lohse. Still, for those who are interested in following Lohse’s offseason decision, here is what Boras had to say about the former Cardinals right-hander:

• On whether Lohse is having to wait on other free-agent starters to sign before interest in him increases: “I think that when you represent a player that’s in his 30s, and there are players in the market that are in their late 20s, you understand that some teams at inception prefer the younger player. But they let you know that if they can’t get into that market, they’ll certainly look to a player that’s in his early 30s. So to have the market complete, you certainly want to hear from everybody that you know is a candidate. So patience often proves a wise path to get an understanding of what the market is.”
• On whether Greinke’s decision is impacting Lohse: “We’re not holding up on Greinke. I just think the evaluation for Kyle is that what cities are available to him may increase once the player signs. But I don’t think it’s anything where Kyle’s directed me to say that I’m not going to make a decision in advance of that. It’s just that we haven’t reached that point yet.”
• On whether Lohse has any geographical or league preferences: “No, he’s been in both. He just really wants to look at the competitiveness of the team and really wants to have the opportunity to compete.”
• On whether Lohse is particularly driven by an opportunity for a championship: “Kyle’s won a ring, which is a big part of what you hope to have in a player’s career. But he still is, his scaling on this is to reach out to clubs that he thinks are going to be… and the types of clubs that are looking at him are frankly teams that are going to be competitive and certainly have world championship intentions.”

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The Cardinals’ search for left-handed relief help has brought them to Randy Choate, who, as first reported by Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, reached terms on an agreement with St. Louis on Wednesday. MLB.com confirmed the deal which is worth $7.5 million over three years. An official announcement will come after Choate completes a physical in St. Louis on Friday.

When it’s all in ink, it will mark the first dip for the organization into the free-agent pool this offseason.

It has been no secret that St. Louis has been looking to add a second southpaw to join Marc Rzepczynski in the bullpen. The market was thin in that area, forcing the Cardinals to carefully consider how much of a financial commitment the club wanted to make to a lefty reliever. Sean Burnett, considered the top remaining free-agent lefty reliever, was going to command a strong multi-year commitment. He also wasn’t the left-on-left specialist that the Cardinals were specifically eyeing.

Choate, 37, fits that need much better. He made 80 appearances in 2012, which he split between the Marlins and Dodgers. Choate posted a 3.03 ERA in 38 2/3 innings and was used primarily as a lefty specialist. He held left-handed batters to a .158 batting average. Right-handed hitters batted .325 against him.

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The Cardinals are encouraging fans to participate in a holiday gift drive for families of those deployed overseas in the military. The drive will take place at Busch Stadium (on Clark Street, in front of the administrative offices) from 6 a.m. until 1 p.m on Dec. 12. All gifts the organization receives will then be donated to Scott Air Force Base for its Breakfast with Santa event, which is hosted by the American Red Cross on Dec. 15.

The Cardinals are seeking unwrapped toys for children 12 and under and gift cards for older children. The first 250 people to arrive with a donation will receive free hot chocolate and a coupon for a free Papa John’s pizza.

To learn more about the outreach opportunity and others the organization sponsors, go here to the Cardinals’ community page.

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The first Cardinals — Marco Scutaro connection came Monday night, when national reporter Danny Knobler tweeted this. Now, within the past hour, multiple media outlets are reporting that Scutaro has been offered a three-year deal by the Giants. If accurate, that would certainly force the Cardinals to step up (in terms of dollars and years) any competing offer… if, of course, they want to make one.

Scutaro would give the Cardinals the flexibility to use him at either middle infield position, which is exactly the type of versatility the club is eyeing this winter. If signed by St. Louis, Scutaro would likely be strongly considered to receive the majority of at-bats at second base in 2012. In the long-term, though, the Cardinals believe they have their second base answer in Kolten Wong, a former first-round pick likely to begin the year in Triple-A.

That means that if the Cardinals were to make a substantial multi-year committment to a middle infielder, it would be with the intention of having that player slide in as an everyday shortstop after Rafael Furcal becomes a free agent. Furcal is under contract for only one more year.

Scutaro could be a fit for such a scenario. Of his 1108 career starts, 641 have come at short. He’s made another 365 as a second baseman. He’s, therefore, comfortable at both. The question the Cardinals have to answer is whether or not he is worth the committment and fits the team’s need best as they consider other available players.

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Arthur Rhodes, the 43-year-old left-hander who won a World Series ring with the Cardinals in 2011, has told folks close to him that he has not given up hope of pitching in the Majors again. He is seeking to latch on — it would be via a Minor League deal — with a club this offseason in order to have a chance to win a roster spot out of Spring Training.

Rhodes’ last appearance came during the ’11 World Series. He was not signed last winter despite drawing some interest and therefore didn’t pitch in 2012. Now, he is making one more go at a chance to return to the mound.

The Cardinals have not shown interest in a reunion with Rhodes, and any interest in the lefty (if some does develop) likely won’t come until late in the offseason, when the left-handed relief market is much more barren. Rhodes, a 20-year veteran, holds the Major League record with 215 holds.

Rhodes is represented by the same agency that is looking for landing spots for another couple of lefty relievers — Will Ohman and Justin Hampson. Both are expected to command no better than a Minor League deal. Again, the Cards are looking for much more proven left-handed relievers in their current search to add this offseason.

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St. Louis All-Stars Carlos Beltran and Yadier Molina are among a group of Major League players who have committed to participate in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, which will be played at various sites throughout March. Both will play for Puerto Rico, which is one of 16 countries taking part in the international competition.

Also slated to participate is left-hander Jaime Garcia, who is of Mexican descent. While Garcia is on Mexico’s roster, he will, of course, have to be past all of his left shoulder issues before the Cardinals OK his participation. Garcia’s 2012 season was interrupted and then prematurely ended by left shoulder injuries. The Cardinals have said they are optimistic that Garcia will be fully healthy by the start of Spring Training even though he did not address the injury with any sort of surgical procedure.

Cardinals players who participate in the WBC event will leave the team’s Jupiter, Fla., complex for the tournament, which will be played over a three-week period in March. Because of that interruption, Spring Training is extended next year. The Cards have 32 games on their Grapefruit League schedule and have required pitchers and catchers to report by Feb. 12.

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One of the first announcements of the 2012 Winter Meetings came at 10 a.m. CT on Monday, when it was revealed that former umpire Hank O’Day, former Yankees owner Jacob Ruppert and catcher/third baseman Deacon White had been elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The selection of these three was made by a Pre-Integration Era Committee of 16 voters that included, among others, Cardinals owner Bill DeWitt Jr.

A total of 10 people – including players, owners and umpires — were considered by the committee. Three of them – shortstop Marty Marion, owner Samuel Breadon and pitcher Tony Mullane — had St. Louis ties, but none of those three received more than three votes. A minimum of 12 votes were required for induction.

To read more about the Hall of Fame credentials of Breadon, Marion and Mullane, you can reference this blog entry from last month.

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As you should know by now, baseball’s annual Winter Meetings will commence Monday in the spacious Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center. This is the one time each year when baseball executives and employees from all 30 clubs ascend upon the same location. Agents and media members come, too, which all leads to accelerated offseason activity and plenty of rumors.

The Cardinals will arrive with an abbreviated wish list, which you can read more about here in this story on cardinals.com.

The week isn’t all about rumors and transactions, however. There will be several special announcements made, as well as media availability with managers and general managers. For those curious about the coverage you can expect, here’s a look at some of the highlights of the schedule. And yes, MLB.com will be on site to cover it all, as well as any breaking news.

Monday, Dec. 3:

• Hall of Fame Pre-Integration Era results to be announced (10 a.m. CT)
• Special announcement regarding baseball’s Stand Up 2 Cancer initiative (2 p.m.)

Tuesday, Dec. 4:

• J.G. Taylor Spink (excellence in writing) winner announced (TBD)
• MLB.com’s GIBBY (Greatness in Baseball Yearly) award winners announced (1 p.m.)
• Manager Mike Matheny’s media availability (4 p.m.)

Wednesday, Dec. 5:

• Ford C. Frick Award (excellence in broadcasting) winner announced (TBD)

Thursday, Dec. 6:

• Rule 5 Draft (9 a.m.)

* GM John Mozeliak will meet with local media each afternoon, and MLB.com will have a story after each availability session.

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On the same day that Baseball America named the Cardinals’ Double-A affiliate its Minor League Team of the Year, the Cardinals announced that two key contributors on that Springfield (Mo.) club had earned organizational honors.

Outfielder Oscar Taveras and right-hander Seth Maness have been named the Cardinals’ Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, following their standout seasons. Both players will be recognized at the Jan. 20 St. Louis Baseball Writers’ Dinner during the club’s Winter Warm-Up weekend.

Taveras, who was already honored as the Texas League’s top player, hit .321 with 37 doubles, 23 homers and 94 RBIs while helping lead Springfield to a Texas League championship. He led all Cardinal minor leaguers in hits, extra-base hits, RBIs, slugging percentage and OPS.

Maness began the season with high-A Palm Beach before joining Springfield’s rotation in mid-May. He finished with 11 wins and a 3.27 ERA in the Texas League. Including his numbers with Palm Beach, Maness went 14-4 with a 2.97 ERA in 169 2/3 innings in 2012.

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The Cardinals have until 10:59 p.m. CT today to tender* contracts to their arbitration-eligible players, a group that includes the following five: reliever Edward Mujica, closer Jason Motte, reliever Marc Rzepczynski, third baseman David Freese and reliever Mitchell Boggs.

(*On an aside, I often get questions about the meaning of the word tender. It’s essentially a fancy baseball term for offer. That simple. But in baseball lingo, it is the appropriate word to use when describing team’s making contract decisions for arbitration-eligible players.)

General manager John Mozeliak said a while ago that he anticipates tendering contracts to all five, so it will only be newsworthy if the team changes course for whatever reason. That’s not anticipated. Once the formality of tendering contracts is passed, then comes the chore of negotiating. If you missed it last week, here is a link to a cardinals.com story that addresses the specific salary considerations for each.

As the team did last winter with Skip Schumaker, it could consider making a multi-year offer to increase the number of years of control of a player and avoid potential future arbitration situations. Giving multi-year contracts to relievers has long been proven to be the most risky, and that’s certainly going to come into play as the Cardinals decide what to do with Motte, who will have another year of arbitration eligibility after this one. His salary is escalating rapidly.

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