Manager Media Availability began today at the Winter Meetings. Here are a few key notes:

|STAR| As Bernie Pleskoff (@BerniePleskoff) tweeted:

"I've said that Harper will be playing major league ball at some point when he's 19. He's 19." - Nationals manager Davey Johnson

The timetable based on what Johnson said Monday has Harper in a Nats uniform in June or July. Expectations for the 2010 No. 1 pick were already high enough, but the impressive performance of prospects called up in 2011 and the idea of getting three or four months from him will likely drive prices upward in the coming months.

|STAR| Brewers manager Ron Roenicke sees Casey McGehee as an everyday player. As the roster stands now, it's unclear if McGehee will see time at both corner-infield spots (in a potential platoon with Mat Gamel at first, starting most days at third) or if he will play third base exclusively. The bottom line: he's still a part of the 2012 plan even if the team were to acquire a third baseman.

|STAR| Roenicke suggested that Shaun Marcum's struggles in September and October may have been the byproduct of reaching the 200-inning mark. He also cited a slump (mental struggles) akin to what hitters go through as a potential cause. While there was plenty of speculation in October that Marcum may have been pitching through an injury, there's been nothing in the way of confirmation from the Brewers to that end.

|STAR| Jonathan Lucroy told Roenicke after the season that he was disappointed in a lot of the things he did both defensively and offensively in 2011. Roenicke said that he expects Lucroy's game-calling to improve, but he didn't seem disappointing in his catcher's output at the plate this season. Lucroy specifically mentioned a desire to improve his plate discipline by cutting back on strikeouts and taking more walks.

|STAR| Re-signing Yuniesky Betancourt hasn't been completely ruled out. Sorry Brewers fans.

|STAR| When asked about lineup protection for Ryan Braun with the expected departure of Fielder, Roenicke didn't express much concern and noted Prince Fielder's 2011 season with McGehee struggling behind him. He also pointed out the importance of first two hitters setting the table to keep teams from pitching around Braun.

Here's a piece from Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel from today's session with Roenicke.

Adam McCalvy of MLB.com has the full transcript of the interview, and updates in his blog here.

|STAR| Reds manager Dusty Baker said that Scott Rolen is doing "good" in his recovery and suggested that the third baseman has a lot of miles left in him. Perhaps more interestingly...

|STAR| Baker did not reveal the team's plans for Aroldis Chapman. You may recall that he was going to try and stretch out as a starter this winter, but arm trouble has kept that from happening. Admittedly, it's just a gut feeling, but nothing about that situation sounds good right now. Something about "back to the drawing board" seems very ominous to me.

|STAR| Juan Francisco is going to play a lot. He was positioned to be Rolen's backup last season and would have seen more at-bats in 2011 while Rolen was hurt if he hadn't suffered an injury of his own. Look for Francisco to serve as the No. 2 option at third base while the combination of Rolen's need for regular rest and Francisco's raw power make him a nice sleeper.

|STAR| When asked about the possibility of Edinson Volquez being used as a closer, Baker didn't completely rule it out. He noted that Volquez would have still have to throw more strikes to be effective out of the bullpen and that his release point and location were the issue in 2011.

|STAR| Yonder Alonso lost 18-20 pounds, had minor knee surgery, and is trying to put himself in position to play in the outfield. Baker said that Alonso did prove he was ready to hit big league pitching in September, but sometimes it takes longer. He also mentioned that Alonso hits well to the opposite field, controls and the strike zone and subsequently, is a tough out at the plate. As you would expect, there was nothing in terms of a commitment to play him regularly. He's still a candidate to be traded this winter.

|STAR| The distribution of playing time behind the plate wasn't revealed, but Baker said that part of the plan will be to: "keep Devin [Mesoraco] on a learning curve". Given Baker's historical lean toward veteran players, this should not come as much of a surprise. With Mesoraco's hype garnering most of the attention and the potential for extra at-bats, Ryan Hanigan could prove to be a nice value in deeper mixed and NL-only leagues.

Check out Mark Sheldon's blog (MLB.com), as he interviewed general manager Walt Jockett on Monday.

|STAR| True to form, Kirk Gibson didn't reveal much during his session. He described rookie first baseman Paul Goldschmidt as very humble and studious and mentioned that Goldschmidt has told him that he wants to win a Gold Glove some day. Gibson also said that Lyle Overbay was an exceptional mentor to the young first baseman after he was acquired for the stretch run. Makeup isn't one of the five tools, but that attitude and work ethic certainly won't hurt Goldschmidt's case for playing time in the event of an early-season slump.

|STAR| A's manager Bob Melvin said that third base is set right now with Scott Sizemore. Jemile Weeks is now entrenched at second base, so it should not come as a huge surprise. Rather quietly, Sizemore hit .249/.345/.433 with 11 homers over 355 plate appearances with Oakland after being acquired from Detroit last season.

|STAR| When asked about Trevor Cahill's 2011 struggles, Melvin said that the young right-hander had mechanical issues at times, but the raw stuff was still there. It's very easy to forget that he has already made 96 major league starts before his 24th birthday. If Cahill had come up through the Rays' farm system, he'd be lucky to have six starts at his age.

|STAR| Melvin said that he would not be surprised if Dallas Braden is ready for the start of the season, but he might be a little behind the team's other pitchers when spring training begins. It's not a lock, and recall that the A's open the year overseas in late March. Don't expect him to join the rotation until the rest of the regular season action gets underway in April.

|STAR| The first base situation is very far from resolved, but Melvin did not want to label Chris Carter exclusively as a DH. Regarding the position, he cited the importance of defense in the job battle between Carter, Brandon Allen and Daric Barton. Melvin said that Carter looked more comfortable defensively as the season progressed, and that he liked what he saw overall from Allen.

|STAR||STAR||STAR|Jeff Stotts had the best call of the Winter Meetings -- that is, assuming you like delicious burgers. Definitely check out the Twisted Root for lunch if you're in Dallas.

Follow Bernie and I (@DerekVanRiper) on Twitter for updates through Thursday, in addition to tracking the hashtag #WinterMeetings.