Winter meetings update: Marlins sign Reyes, Sanchez to begin throwing Monday

Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings began Sunday night with a splash. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the sound of a Rawlings baseball landing in McCovey Cove.

The Florida…scratch that…Miami Marlins have hauled in the first big catch from a sea of attractive free agents, reportedly agreeing to a six-year, $106 million contract with shortstop Jose Reyes.

The Marlins also agreed to terms with Hanley Ramirez (arbitration-eligible), meaning the Fish will field one of the more premier young infields in the league (Hanley will slide over to third). They signed free agent closer Heath Bell last week. And get this: Now they’re moving in on Albert Pujols.

Many Giants fans were salivating over the thought of the speedy Reyes coming to San Francisco, but his price tag was deemed way too expensive for management’s taste.

With Pujols, Prince Fielder and Carlos Beltran all on the market right now (oh, and Manny Ramirez saying he wants to come back to baseball and serve his latest 50-game suspension), things could get very interesting over the next few days.

San Francisco Chronicle writer John Shea is in Dallas covering the Winter Meetings and tweeted tonight that Giants second baseman Freddy Sanchez will begin throwing tomorrow for the first time since he dislocated his shoulder diving for a ground ball back in June. Sanchez missed the rest of the season, and in August, had surgery to repair his right labrum.

The 33-year old Sanchez will throw three times a week to start, and begin hitting by the end of the month.

Shea also reported that Giants head trainer Dave Groeschner will fly to Georgia tomorrow to check on Buster Posey, who is rehabbing at home.