The Braves have traded Derek Lowe to the Indians, according to sources. Lowe was traded for left-handed pitching prospect Chris Jones, according to one of the sources. Atlanta will pay all but $5 million of the $15 million remaining on the last year of Lowe's contract.

The Yankees picked up the 2012 option on the contract of Nick Swisher, but that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be with the team next season. Swisher will make $10.25 million under the option. Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com writes that "the Yankees could look to trade him and then try to find another right fielder." Swisher was above-average offensively in the regular season -- 23 home runs, 85 RBIs and .374 on-base percentage -- but he struggled in the playoffs yet again.

James Shields is hopeful that he'll remain with the Rays next season. Tampa Bay has a $7.5 million option on the starter's contract for the 2012 season. "I believe I'm going to be back next year, and I think (executive VP Andrew) Friedman feels the same way," Shields said on 620-WDAE. "Obviously there's a lot of offseason to go. As far as my opinion, I believe I'm going to be back. But it's a business and you never know what's going to happen. As far as I'm concerned, I want to be back, I definitely want to be part of the team." The Rays can buy out his option for $2 million.

There is a possibility that the Marlins will make a run at Rays right-hander James Shields this winter. Florida is a natural trade partner for Tampa Bay because they can dangle outfielder Logan Morrison in a package for the starting pitcher.

There won't be a ton of affordable starting pitchers available on the free agent market, so the Cubs will have to bolster their rotation through trades. Matt Garza is under control for two more years and Ryan Dempster has a $14 million player option for 2012. The rest of the spots are up for grabs. Randy Wells, Andrew Cashner, Jeff Samardzija and Casey Coleman are some of the same choices the Cubs had in 2011.

White Sox general manager Kenny Williams confirmed Saturday that the club is open to trading some of its major league talent, but potential moves won't be done to replenish the farm system. Williams said that if deals go down this winter, the youngest the White Sox are willing to go is to obtain talent that is about to burst upon the scene.

The Mets expect teams to call them regarding the status of third baseman David Wright this winter. New York is expected to lose shortstop Jose Reyes to free agency, so losing Wright as well could be a risky move. "We'll explore Wright's market," a team official said. "I think considering where we are as an organization, it would be foolish not to at least look at it. However, I expect actually pulling the trigger is a long shot." Another team official said: "We have no illusions where we are as an organization and so we will not be close-minded about doing what is best for the club."

The Padres have internally discussed the possibility of trading for Red Sox right-hander John Lackey. In order for San Diego to agree to a trade, Boston would have to agree to take on a majority of Lackey's salary. The right-hander pitched for Padres manager Bud Black when he was the Angels' pitching coach. Lackey, 32, was 12-12 with a 6.41 ERA in 28 starts for the Red Sox in 2011 and recently came under criticism for his actions during games in the Boston clubhouse while between starts. He has three seasons to go plus a vesting option for 2015 on a five-year, $82.5 million contract.

The Twins have a reliable shortstop and depth in their starting rotation on their list of offseason wants and needs. Ramon Santiago and Alex Gonzalez could be on their radar at shortstop. Minnesota is going to push hard to re-sign Michael Cuddyer, but they expect him to see what's on the free agent market before making a final decision.

Dodgers manager Don Mattingly isn't afraid to say the team needs to add a hitter in order to contend next season. "Offense, no question," Mattingly said on 710 ESPN when asked what his team needs to improve in 2012. "We need a bat. We need a bat that's solid. It's a kind of a day-in, day-out bat. We need that one-two punch. To me that's the biggest need." Not that Mattingly is holding out a tremendous amount of hope of the Dodgers actually acquiring a front-line hitter, considering the team and owner Frank McCourt are in bankruptcy court. "Not really," Mattingly said when asked how confident he was in the team adding a big-time slugger. "I can't say I'm confident that we're going to be able to do it. We've talked about different things. ... You hear Prince (Fielder), you hear Albert (Pujols). Those are nice thoughts, there's a lot of teams talking about those type of guys ... but you gotta have a Plan B, a Plan C. How do we put offense together if we can't do something like that? That's the biggest thing. "And obviously, I don't know where we're going to be as far as what we're going to be able to do. Are we going to go backward with the budget, are we going to go forward? ... It's hard to know right now."