Trade talk surrounds Marlins star

~ Florida is listening to offers for third baseman Miguel Cabrera.

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Miguel Cabrera was the big name being bandied about Tuesday as baseball general managers waited to hear what the Florida Marlins would want for their young slugger.

Third basemen, in general, were a hot topic.

Chicago White Sox general manager Ken Williams acknowledged he was listening to offers for Joe Crede. The New York Yankees, who lost Alex Rodriguez when he opted out of his contract and became a free agent, could get involved in talks for both Cabrera and Crede.

Cabrera, a four-time All-Star, made $7.4 million this year after winning in salary arbitration and is likely to make more than $10 million next year, more than the budget-conscious Marlins want to pay. Two years ago, Florida traded many of its top players and got several top prospects. Teams were waiting to find out which prospects the Marlins would want for Cabrera, their 24-year-old third baseman.

Cabrera batted .320 with 34 homers and 119 RBIs, but he has put on weight, a cause of concern to the Marlins and teams that might want to acquire him.

Florida appears less eager to trade Dontrelle Willis, the 2003 NL Cy Young Award winner. He went 10-15 with a 5.17 ERA last season, diminishing his value. He made $6.5 million.

"Good players are always in need, that's for sure. I'm not talking specifically about Cabrera or Willis or Dan Uggla or [Hanley] Ramirez," Florida president of baseball operations Larry Beinfest said, mentioning many top Marlins. "When you trade really good players, you want really good players in return."

While the Marlins explore the market for Cabrera, the Minnesota Twins want to hold onto pitcher Johan Santana, who is eligible for free agency after next season.

"We'll certainly talk. We're going to do the best we can to re-sign him," new GM Bill Smith said. "If we can't, then we'll move on. He's still one of the best pitchers in the game."

Schilling stays in Boston

Curt Schilling stayed with the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, finalizing an $8 million, one-year contract that allows him to earn $3 million in performance bonuses and $2 million for passing weight tests. That would match his $13 million salary this year.

Schilling, who turns 41 on Nov. 14, was 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA and then went 3-0 with a 3.00 ERA in the postseason, improving to -11-2 with a 2.23 ERA in his postseason career.

"We got exactly what we wanted, and then some," Schilling wrote on his Web site. "This is where we want our career to come to a close. This city, this team. This is where we want to retire, raise our kids, and walk away. We got it, all of it, and more."