• The Indians and Phillies reversed a trade from earlier this winter which sent Chin-lung Hu to Philadelphia.  Cleveland then released Hu soon after.  The middle infielder joined the Phillies in camp in late March but wound up failing his physical.  Hu, 28, spent his entire MLB career in the Dodgers organization before being traded to the Mets last offseason. 
• The Padres released right-hander Dennis Tankersley who signed with his former club a month ago in an attempted comeback.  The 33-year-old was ranked as San Diego's second-best prospect in 2002 (behind Sean Burroughs and ahead of Jake Peavy) but hasn't appeared in the majors since '04 and the minors since '08. 
• The Rangers cut former Rule 5 pick Mason Tobin, who appeared in a handful of games for Texas last season but spent most of the year on the disabled list.  The right-hander has been beset by arm trouble since 2008.

• The Braves have expressed interest in Nationals outfielder Xavier Nady, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com (on Twitter). The Braves have been seeking a right-handed hitting outfielder, but were said to prefer players who can handle center field.
• Cole Hamels' reaction to the sale of the Dodgers, via ESPN.com's Jayson Stark (on Twitter): "I didn't know Magic Johnson knew anything about baseball," Hamels said. "That's my reaction." The Phillies left-hander hits free agency following the 2012 season but may sign a long-term deal in the relatively near future.
  
• Chin-lung Hu had joined the Phillies in anticipation of a deal, but failed his physical, Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets.
• A National League scout doesn't think the Phillies are that scary once you get past Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. "Other than those three pitchers, they're not very good," the scout told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
• In case you missed it, I reviewed the Nationals' offseason earlier this morning.

• Athletics catcher Landon Powell has accepted his assignment to Triple-A, MLB.com's Jane Lee tweets. Powell cleared waivers about a week ago.
• The Yankees signed Preston Mattingly to a minor league deal, tweets Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus. The 24-year-old former first rounder posted a .232/.281/.354 line in the lower minors last year. He is the son of current Dodgers manager and former Yankees star Don Mattingly. 
• The Indians signed former Dodgers and Mets shortstop prospect Chin-lung Hu, Goldstein tweets. The 27-year-old has a .296/.339/.412 line in nine minor league seasons. He appeared in 22 games with the Mets last year and also has MLB experience with the Dodgers.
• The Brewers announced that they signed catcher Paul Phillips to a minor league deal that includes an invitation to MLB Spring Training. The 34-year-old has MLB experience with the White Sox, Royals and Rockies. He spent the 2011 season with the Indians' top affiliate, posting a .237./281/.305 line.
• Danny Herrera cleared waivers and will remain in the Mets’ organization as a non-roster player, ESPNNewYork.com’s Adam Rubin tweets. The 27-year-old sidearmer joined the Mets in last summer's Francisco Rodriguez trade. He pitched 9 2/3 innings in the Major Leagues in 2011 and spent most of the season at Triple-A, where he posted a 2.20 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9.
• The Angels signed outfielder Doug Deeds to a minor league deal, Matt Eddy of Baseball America tweets. Deeds posted a .249/.304/.444 line for the Rangers' top affiliate in 2011.
• The Angels also signed outfielder Drew Macias, Eddy tweets. Macias, 28, has a .249/.363/.376 line in four Triple-A seasons and picked up some MLB experience with the 2007-09 Padres.

Removing Hu from the 40-man roster drops it to 39 players, leaving a spot for Evans.  Another 40-man roster spot will be opened up when Chris Young is moved to the 60-day DL.

Hu, 27, was acquired by the Mets from the Dodgers in December for southpaw Michael Antonini.  Hu, who is known for his defense, had one hit and one walk in 23 plate appearances for the Mets this year.  He had to clear waivers before being outrighted.

• Skipper Terry Collins plans to speak with Francisco Rodriguez this weekend regarding the closer's usage in non-save situations, writes MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. K-Rod's contract has a $17.5MM option for 2012, which vests if he finishes 55 games. "I'm not going to let him go out there just to pitch an inning and jeopardize the game when I'm going to need him the next day," the manager said.
• Earlier today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said that the Mets "abused" Pedro Feliciano during his time in Queens.  Mets pitching coach Dan Warthen disagreed with that sentiment, but added, "That was part of the reason we decided not to re-sign him," tweets David Lennon of Newsday.
• DiComo also writes that recent acquisition Chin-lung Hu will serve as the club's emergency catcher should Josh Thole and Mike Nickeas go down.  Hu, whom the Mets acquired from the Dodgers this offseason, has no experience behind the plate.

• Mike Axisa of River Ave. Blues (via Twitter) wonders if the recently released Eric Byrnes could be the Yankees' short-term replacement for the injured Curtis Granderson.
• Triple-A shortstop Chin-lung Hu may be promoted if Rafael Furcal lands on the DL, writes Evan Drellich of MLB.com.  The Dodgers were reportedly shopping Hu in late March and one has to imagine that they're happy to still have him aboard.
• The Giants' patchwork job on offense may be enough for the club to make a serious run at the NL West title, says Tracy Ringolsby of FOX Sports.
• Two players in Boston's farm system who played together for quite a while will be reunited at the Triple-A level, writes Daniel Barbarisi of The Providence Journal.

Here are some links from around the baseball blogosphere…

• Josh's Thoughts acknowledges the possibility that it may not have been the best move for the Twins to sign Joe Mauer to such a huge deal since it will eat up a large chunk of their payroll.
• Pittsburgh Lumber Co. compares a theoretical Andrew McCutchen extension to Justin Upton's deal.
• The Daily Something calls Cristian Guzman and Adam Kennedy the two most redundant players in baseball. 
• Camden Crazies wonders if Chin-Lung Hu makes sense for the Orioles.
• Gear Up For Sports asks if you could only keep one, who would it be: Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp?
• Mets Paradise tries to figure out the Mets' Opening Day roster. 

If you have a suggestion for this feature, Mike can be reached here.

TUESDAY, 5:25pm: The Dodgers are looking to move pitcher Eric Stults and shortstop Chin-lung Hu, baseball officials from the NL and AL tell Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).

Los Angeles may feel that Stults is now expendable as they have multiple candidates for the final spot in their rotation.  Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse tweets that Ramon Ortiz is the top candidate, even though some within the organization feel that Josh Lindblom should be the fifth starter.  Yesterday, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com wrote that the aforementioned Ramon Ortiz, Rule 5 selection Carlos Monasterios, Charlie Haeger, Russ Ortiz, and Josh Towers were all in the mix for the job.  Mike Axisa recently summed up this proverbial game of musical chairs in one handy post.

Meanwhile, if the Dodgers are unable to find a taker in the majors for Stults, they could find a suitor overseas.  The 30-year-old hurler has previously been linked to the Chiba Lotta Marines and earlier this week, he was named as a possible target of the Hanshin Tigers.

Hu, who recently turned 26, made a few appearances for Los Angeles in 2009 as a September call-up.  For the team's Triple-A affiliate, he turned in .294/.332/.393 with 6 HRs in 544 plate appearances.

• The White Sox are still trying to figure out their center field situation, but they are not involved on pricey veterans such as Juan Pierre and Gary Matthews Jr.
• Fantasy alert: Rosenthal names David Aardsma as the likely leader for the Mariners closer job, with Chad Cordero and Brandon Morrow lingering.
• The Dodgers "continue to balk at Pedro Martinez's $5MM asking price."
• Rockies utility man Jeff Baker, who is out of options, is drawing interest from the Phillies, Astros, and Pirates.  Rosenthal suggests recently-demoted Kyle Kendrick as a possible target for Colorado, assuming the Phils can move Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs to clear a spot.  Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Yankees are unlikely to acquire Baker.
• The Blue Jays have been scouting shortstops Chin-Lung Hu, Juan Castro, and others in hopes of finding someone they can stash at Triple A for insurance.
• Was Willy Taveras a bad move for the Reds?  Rosenthal says rival executives think so.

• The Eddie Kranepool Society is not worried about Derek Lowe, feeling the deal will get done once the Mets add a fourth option year and sweeten the pot just a tad. They are also putting the Mets front office on notice about the possibility of letting Manny Ramirez slip through their fingers.
• Mets Geek feels the Mets still need to add one more piece to their revamped bullpen and suggest Wil Ohman or Joe Beimel are better options as a lefty specialist than what is already in-house.
• The Southpaw takes a look at some young players the Jays should try to target in the trade market, with Chin-Lung Hu at the top of the list.
• My Baseball Bias is not satisfied with just Mark Teixeira and wants to see the Yankees sign Manny Ramirez.
• Fire Brand of the American League makes a case for three players to be the Red Sox fourth outfielder, including Rocco Baldelli, Brad Wilkerson and Eric Byrnes.
• MLB Notebook takes a look at how the Nationals could spend the $20MM that would have gone to Mark Teixeira.
• River Ave. Blues says this offseason is proving to be a test of just how good Scott Boras can be.
• Sully Baseball is running a series of posts breaking down each team’s all-time home grown versus all-time acquired teams. Here he looks at the Astros.

Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.

The 34 year-old hit .277/.374/.379 in 334 plate appearances while playing an above average first base.  He earned $1.075MM.  The Pirates want him back, but in a utility/clubhouse leader type role.  Pirates president Frank Coonelly said today, "We are working hard to convince Doug that returning to the Pirates is an outstanding opportunity for him."  Out of gratitude to GM Neal Huntington for giving him a shot this year, Mientkiewicz will give the Pirates a call before he signs anywhere else. 

Kovacevic also has an update on the Jack Wilson trade talks.  He says the Bucs are focused on the Dodgers, seeking Chin-Lung Hu and Delwyn Young.  Ken Rosenthal wrote earlier today that the Dodgers’ talks for Wilson "remain stalled," while John Perrotto said L.A. "backed off."

• Jake Peavy to the Cubs is still being explored despite complications: The Cubs are being sold. Ryan Dempster was re-signed for 4 years, $52MM. The Padres are trying to include a third party to net the package GM Kevin Towers is seeking. If this happened then the Cubs would need to move Jason Marquis. Rosenthal suggests the Padres could take him if the Cubs ate around $3MM of his $9MM owed next season, or the Cubs could deal him and cash to another team (Rosenthal suggests the Rockies, Reds, or Giants). Rosenthal also backs the rumors of the Orioles involvement as the third team and having interest in Felix Pie.
• As an update to this post, the Dodgers stopped pursuing Jack Wilson when the Pirates asked for a third player in the package of Chin-Lung Hu and Delwyn Young as compensation for the Dodgers request for cash to reduce Wilson’s contract. Wilson is set to make $7.25MM next season with an $8.4 club option or $600,000 buyout, and the Dodgers don’t believe Wilson offers enough offensive production to justify those figures. The Pirates agreed to include cash and would offer more cash for a better prospect; however, the Dodgers did not want any part of that.

• Jack Wilson: The Tigers and Dodgers are said to be the main suitors.  The problem is that neither team wants to send the Pirates top prospects while paying all of the $7.85MM Wilson has coming.  Additionally, the Pirates do not view Dodgers shortstop prospect Chin-Lung Hu as a possible trade centerpiece.  The Bucs have spoken to at least two other clubs about Wilson, but Kovacevic rejects the previously reported three-team scenario.  It seems that some of the top free agent shortstops will need to sign to create a better market for Wilson.
• Freddy Sanchez, Adam LaRoche:  The Pirates have received "mere inquiries" on these two.
• John Grabow, Ronny Paulino: Grabow is a free agent after ’09, so his trade value may never be higher.  The Pirates are apparently pushing Paulino, but don’t want to sell low on him.
• Ryan Doumit, Nate McLouth, Paul Maholm, Matt Capps: These four are described as "as close to untouchable as it gets" for the Pirates.
• On the free agent front, the Pirates have made contact with Paul Byrd.  However, GM Neal Huntington implied he’s not finding the starting pitching bargains he expected.  The Pirates haven’t made offers to Doug Mientkiewicz or Jason Michaels; those players are considering proposals from other teams.
• Kovacevic adds: "The Pirates also had discussed acquiring a right-handed power bat for the outfield through free agency, but there has been no known movement on that front."  Just looking at who’s out there, I imagine this could be referring to Pat Burrell.  Still, that’s entirely speculative and he’s probably out of their price range.

TUESDAY, 6:34pm: Rosenthal says the Pirates wanted Hu and two other young players, and the Dodgers balked at the price.

6:06pm: According to Ken Rosenthal, the Dodgers are again considering trading for Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.  The Bucs would like to receive Chin-Lung Hu in return to replace Wilson at short.  The Tigers are known to have interest in Wilson as well.  He’s set to earn $7.25MM in ’09 and has a $8.4MM option for ’10 with a $600K buyout.  Wilson is known for his defense; he made sixteen more plays than the average shortstop in this year despite playing fewer than 700 innings.

Rosenthal says the Dodgers aren’t likely to sign Rafael Furcal and aren’t pursuing Orlando Cabrera or Edgar Renteria.  He notes that four teams are in on Cabrera.

TUESDAY, 8:53am: Dejan Kovacevic puts the brakes on the Jack Wilson-to-L.A. rumor.  He says that while Wilson is not untouchable, the Pirates are not likely to trade him.  They consider him affordable and do not have a capable replacement.

Kovacevic says talks with the Dodgers "seem dormant," and the Dodgers never offered a player from their Major League roster.  Additional unknown teams have also called about Wilson.

MONDAY: John Perrotto of the Beaver County Times wrote an article Sunday concerning the Dodgers’ pursuit of Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.  Wilson, 30, is hitting .306/.348/.361 in 160 plate appearances this year.  He’s under contract next year for $7.25MM with an $8.4MM club option for ’10.  Wilson can block trades to six teams.

Perrotto wrote that Wilson is the Dodgers’ primary trade target.  He says "a Dodgers source indicated that Los Angeles might be willing to deal center fielder Matt Kemp."  A Kemp acquisition would create a logjam until the Pirates are able to move Jason Bay or Xavier Nady.  Failing that, Perrotto’s sources indicate the Bucs have interest in pitcher James McDonald and shortstop Chin-lung Hu. 

Ken Rosenthal wrote this morning that the Dodgers’ bid for Wilson is on hold as they restructure their offer.  If the Dodgers get him, that should eliminate any chance of re-signing Rafael Furcal.