"In the world of things accomplished at the winter meetings this week, Diamondbacks General Manager Kevin Towers didn't have many items on his list as he left the Hilton Anatole on Thursday morning.

They nearly completed a deal with backup first baseman Lyle Overbay -- a contract that will be worth about $249 million fewer than the one Albert Pujols is set to receive from the Los Angeles Angels -- and they selected a potential bullpen arm in the Rule 5 draft.

And, well, that was about it. But the winter meetings are usually as much about laying groundwork as for the deals themselves, and in that department, Towers felt good about the week.

"It's kind of a waiting game now," he said.

They have a two-year offer to left-hander Joe Saunders. They might also have an offer out to free-agent Hiroki Kuroda. And Towers revealed that he's waiting to hear from clubs on trade proposals that would satisfy the Diamondbacks' need for another established starter in the rotation.

"We're waiting to hear," Towers said. "The offers that we have out there with clubs, even trade offers, it's kind of, 'Don't shake the tree anymore. This is where we're at.'

"If a trade opportunity presents itself before the free-agent opportunity, we'll pull our offer on those and go that direction. If a free agent jumps at an offer, maybe the trade opportunities go away."

The Diamondbacks were linked in trade rumors to the Oakland A's, and it's believed that their focus is on sinkerballing right-hander Trevor Cahill, a talented and affordable pitcher who would slot in near the top of the rotation. Cahill is owed $29 million over the next four years in a deal that also includes two club options."