Hot Stove: GM wants to see 'hunger, fire' from Paulino  —  To fully understand the Pirates' approach heading into the winter meetings tomorrow in Nashville, Tenn., this should be clear: General manager Neal Huntington is not looking for immediate upgrades to his everyday eight.  —  No, not even at catcher.

Twins Look for Yanks to Up Ante for Santana  —  The Yankees insist they have gone as far as they are willing to go in their trade offer for Johan Santana, the ace left-hander of the Minnesota Twins.  Their chances of getting him depend on whether the Twins insist on receiving another top prospect in the deal.

Winter meetings can run hot or freeze up  —  Melvin working to get best bargains during off-season  —  As newly crowned "Dancing with the Stars" champion Helio Castroneves can attest, it takes two to tango.  —  Milwaukee Brewers general manager Doug Melvin will be looking for a dance partner …

Cards will explore options for pitching  —  NASHVILLE, TENN. — The Gaylord Opryland complex is so immense that check-in includes a map and printed directions to a guest's room.  To walk from one end of the sprawling hotel takes longer than to drive here from the Nashville Airport about 10 miles away.

No surprise: No arbitration for Andruw  —  Before Frank Wren, Bobby Cox and the rest of the Braves' party of 15 or so heads off to Nashville on Sunday for the Winter Meetings, the team basically snipped the last thread of hope that even the most optimistic Andruw Jones fans had of having the center fielder back with Atlanta in 2008.

METS SHOULD SEEK OUT ARMS DEALERS  —  How much this will happen is debatable since the better pitchers are available via trades rather than free agency.  Still, the Mets have interest in Japanese righty Hiroki Kuroda and fellow right-hander Livan Hernandez.  They also have shown interest in Shawn Chacon, who could start or relieve.

Omar Minaya may throw Bartolo Colon into Met mix, rotation  —  Five years ago, when Omar Minaya was running the Expos, he traded for Bartolo Colon.  Minaya gave up some talented young players, including Grady Sizemore, but Colon delivered for an Expos team that was in contention, going 10-4 in 17 starts.

Maybe Reyes ought to be touchable  —  Of all the assets Lastings Milledge brought to the Mets, none will be missed nearly as much as his speed.  —  I refer not to his time in the 90-foot dash but to the amazing speed with which his status plummeted from Untouchable to Undesirable.

Rays Beat: Rays Working To Fill Clubhouse Leadership Void  —  ST. PETERSBURG - Measuring leadership in a baseball clubhouse is a tricky endeavor.  —  Aside from being an intangible quality, the moments that build a player's reputation as a leader tend to unfold behind closed doors …

O'Dowd isn't expected to make a splash  —  General manager planning to be smart shopper at winter meetings  —  Beginning Monday, the lobby of the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tenn., will buzz with trade rumors.  Agents will schmooze and promote their clients.

Quiet winter meetings expected for Texas Rangers  —  Recent developments have made a big move unlikely, team says  —  egrant@dallasnews.com  —  Courtesy of the Nashville visitors' bureau, here are some friendly tourism tips in case you are trying to kill time in the Music City this week: