"As far as we’re concerned, Geoff will always be a part of the organization and we look forward to welcoming him home,” Melvin said.

Jenkins is among the Brewers' all-time leaders in home runs (2nd with 212), slugging percentage (2nd with .496), RBI (4th with 704) and OBP (6th with .347).

The 1995 first rounder debuted with the Brewers in 1998 and played in Milwaukee until 2007. He signed with the Phillies before 2008 and has not played in the majors since that season. He earned $5MM with the Phillies, but the rest of his $46MM in career earnings came as a Brewer.

• Geoff Jenkins told Tom Haudricourt of The Journal Sentinel that he received several offers in Spring Training this year, but they were all jobs in Triple-A, which "wasn't in [his] heart." Earlier tonight we learned that Jenkins is close to announcing his retirement.
• Despite his team's poor start, Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail believes his team is on the right track with their rebuilding effort, says Peter Schmuck of The Baltimore Sun.
• Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News provides a follow-up to today's Bengie Molina discussion in a series of tweets. Baggarly says service time will not factor into Buster Posey's potential promotion, and doesn't think the Giants will shop Molina after Posey arrives. Baggarly adds that Molina's hamstring injury is not serious and no roster move will be needed.
• Molina told Kevin Burkhardt of SNY that he wanted to sign with the Mets and was ready to move his family to New York, but was upset that they refused to increase their offer to two guaranteed years. (hat tip to Matt Cerrone of MetsBlog.com)
• In a CMSB radio interview, Newsday's Ken Davidoff suggests that Cliff Lee and Paul Konerko will be two of the most interesting players to monitor as the trade deadline approaches.
• John Shea of The San Francisco Chronicle has some quotes from Eric Chavez, who admitted feeling pressure to perform since this is the last year of his contract. He also understands that the A's need a productive DH, which he hasn't been. Through 91 plate appearances, Chavez is hitting .220/.275/.305.
• CC Sabathia doesn't believe that Victor Martinez's impending free agency is the reason behind his former battery mate's slow start, according to WEEI.com's Alex Speier. V-Mart is hitting just .267/.330/.381 on the year, though he's picked it up of late.
• Joel Sherman of The New York Post wonders why the Yankees would do business with the injury prone Nick Johnson instead of waiting out Johnny Damon. Johnson left last night's game with a sore right wrist and appears headed for the disabled list.
• Ever wonder what happened to the six players that went to Florida in the Miguel Cabrera–Dontrelle Willis blockbuster? The Detroit Free Press has the answer. 

Jenkins, 36 in July, hasn't played since the 2008 season, when he hit .246/.301/.392 with nine homers in 322 plate appearances for the Phillies. They released him at the end of Spring Training last year. Prior to that, Jenkins spent ten seasons with the Brewers, where he's fifth on the team's all-time list with 1,221 career hits.

If he does in fact all it quits, Jenkins will retire as a .275/.344/.490 hitter with 221 home runs. Not to shabby at all. Baseball Reference says he's earned more than $46MM during his career, so it should be a happy retirement.

• Four unknown teams are in on Pirates catcher Ryan Doumit, says Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
• The Nationals have interest in free agent catcher Brad Ausmus, says MLB.com's Bill Ladson.
• The Red Sox have interest in free agent lefty Ron Mahay, says Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. The 38-year-old posted a 4.29 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 3.9 BB/9 in 50.3 innings for the Royals and Twins this year.  Two years ago he was quite a hot commodity on the free agent market.
• ESPN's Jerry Crasnick says Brett Myers is seeking a two-year deal.  The Rangers and other teams are interested at one year.  Crasnick wrote a few days ago that the Astros are also interested, while Andrew Baggarly named the Giants as a suitor today.
• Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times shoots down Danny Knobler's rumor that the Pirates have interest in Juan Pierre.  Nonetheless, MLB.com's Joe Frisaro tweets of interest from the Pirates, White Sox, and a third team.
• ESPN's Jayson Stark says the Yankees want to resolve the Andy Pettitte/Johnny Damon situations before moving on to Hideki Matsui and other starting pitcher options.
• White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune that the Sox are not in the market for a pure DH.
• The Brewers are making a "strong run" at Randy Wolf, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
• Ruben Amaro Jr.'s comment that "those are guys we will probably count on" implies relievers Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey will be tendered contracts by the Phillies (Andy Martino reporting).
• Crasnick says Geoff Jenkins wants to make a comeback in 2010 and has been working out at first base and outfield in hopes of landing a bench role.
• Crasnick says to expect the Cubs to tender a contract to Mike Fontenot on Saturday.
• Bill Shanks quoting Braves manager Bobby Cox: "clubs are knocking on the door for Kelly Johnson."  I imagine Johnson will be dealt by Saturday.
• ESPN's Gordon Edes says that while Red Sox owner John Henry is a big fan of Miguel Cabrera from their Marlins days, the Red Sox "don't have the Major League-ready position players Detroit wants in return."
• Crasnick expects Elmer Dessens to re-sign with the Mets, though the pitcher has talked to the Dodgers and Padres.
• Yahoo's Steve Henson says the Braves want to move Derek Lowe or Javier Vazquez, but not Kenshin Kawakami.
• Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer says the Phillies will meet with Chan Ho Park's agent today "and attempt to resolve their differences over Park's value."  The Phils did not offer arbitration to Park, a Type B free agent.  Park craves another shot at starting, which won't happen in Philly.
• Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says the Phillies like Brandon Lyon, but aren't "willing to pay the price for him."  Lyon is said to be seeking a multiyear deal.  He is expected to turn down the Tigers' offer of arbitration today.  The Yankees have been named as another suitor.
• Crasnick says the Astros "have very little money to spend, unless Drayton McLane suddenly has a change of heart."

• Crasnick talked to one American League exec who views Pedro Martinez as "strictly a National League pitcher."  Coupled with his price tag and long layoff, the market isn't big for Pedro.
• Ben Sheets is weeks away from a throwing program.  He's probably a ten-start guy this year, but interest figures to be strong.
• Jim Edmonds hopes to sign by May.  He'll need two to three weeks to get ready.  Mark Grudzielanek also wants to play, and tells friends he only needs a week.  He'll look for a contender, and the Royals will hope he signs before June so they get that supplemental draft pick.  Jacque Jones is another guy who still hopes to play.
• Geoff Jenkins is taking grounders at first base to increase his versatility.
• Jay Payton suffered a shoulder injury lifting weights last month, but once he's healthy a few months from now he still wants to play.
• Nothing appears to be cooking for Frank Thomas and Luis Gonzalez, who could be forced to retire.  Dave Roberts hasn't officially retired, but a comeback appears unlikely.
• Paul Byrd's plan remains unchanged: sign with a contender around July.
• Jon Lieber's agent says the pitcher has retired.  131 wins, including 20 in '01.  Lieber finishes with a 4.27 ERA in 2,198 innings for the Pirates, Cubs, Yankees, and Phillies.  He earned over $46MM, according to Baseball Reference.

Geoff Jenkins remains unsigned and continues to work out in Arizona, preparing for his next opportunity, says Damon Lapa, his agent. "He definitely wants to play," said Lapa. "I just [think] he's being constructively selective." Jenkins, 34, was released by the Phillies near the end of spring training. He batted .246 last season, with nine homers, doing most of his damage against right-handed pitchers. With the Yankees having just lost Xavier Nady—possibly for the year—he might possibly be a fit for New York, although General Manager Brian Cashman might prefer a right-handed hitting outfielder to replace the right-handed hitting Nady; Jenkins bats left-handed.

Jenkins will probably cost around $400K to employ, with the Phillies on the hook for the rest of his $8MM salary this year.  The Marlins and Reds were linked to him a few weeks ago, but it's been quiet lately.  Jenkins hit .256/.313/.415 against right-handed pitching last year.

8:31am: John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer has a few Reds notes.

• Jonny Gomes still hasn't decided whether to accept his Triple A demotion or become a free agent.  Walt Jocketty will call Gomes' agent today.
• The Reds are not currently in on Geoff Jenkins or Frank Catalanotto.  They prefer to add a righthanded bench bat, plus Jocketty said Catalanotto doesn't have a position.

• Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post says the Orioles have "mild interest" in Josh Fogg.  If Fogg can't find an appealing job elsewhere he'll report to Triple A Colorado Springs for the Rockies.
• Via the Twitter feed of John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer…the Reds have talked about Geoff Jenkins and Frank Catalanotto but nothing is close.
• Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker has a Sports Hochi report saying recently released pitcher Ken Kadokura is reaching out to the Cardinals and Orioles.
• Ryan Shealy cleared waivers and was sent to Triple A, clearing up the Royals' first base/DH logjam.
• The website FINalternatives.com says Rangers owner Tom Hicks defaulted on more than $500MM in loans.
• Joel Sherman of the New York Post looks at the payrolls for the Mets and Yankees.
• Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune says Hal Steinbrenner "told close friends he plans on hiring Lou Piniella as a consultant when his managerial contract with the Cubs runs out after the 2010 season."
• According to Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres GM Kevin Towers said he still might add another starting pitcher.
• Albert Chen of Sports Illustrated writes about the advanced defensive metrics that are becoming prevalent in the game.
• Dave Cameron of FanGraphs writes about the ethics of service time manipulation.
• SI.com's Jon Heyman noted yesterday that "The Giants like Xavier Nady and wouldn't mind bringing the University of California product home at some point."

"Sheffield and (manager) Dusty Baker have a history and they talked yesterday.  He has to clear waivers today, but we'll talk. We have interest because he would be a legitimate big right-handed bat to add to our lineup."

McCoy believes a meeting between Reds officials and Sheffield might take place Thursday.

7:14pm: Fay continues with the updates:  Reds GM Walt Jocketty has confirmed his club's interest in Sheffield. "He's still a threat in the lineup… If the price is right," said the Cincinnati GM.  The Reds will also look at Geoff Jenkins, who was released by the Phillies on Tuesday.

6:54pm: John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that Reds manager Dusty Baker is meeting with Sheffield.  It sounds like they're one of the "three interested teams" that Leyland alluded to this morning.

5:53pm: ESPN's Buster Olney has more from Sheffield's agent, Rufus Williams.  Williams says Sheffield will be able to play this season and "a couple more seasons, at least."  Olney adds that "some in baseball are speculating whether Sheffield would be a good fit with the Braves, where he had a good experience in 2002-03 and was liked by manager Bobby Cox."

Talking to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. again confirmed his interest in Sheffield.

1:30pm: David Murphy of the Philadelphia Inquirer says Tigers manager Jim Leyland told Detroit reporters today that three teams are interested in Gary Sheffield.  The Phillies are presumed to be one; some reports have suggested a slim chance despite Sheff's agent calling the talks "productive."

1:10pm: According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, the Phillies released outfielder Geoff Jenkins.  They'll assume the $8MM left on his contract.  The Tigers started a trend with Gary Sheffield!

Jenkins, 34, hit .246/.301/.392 in 322 plate appearances last year.

• The Angels attempted to sell the Reds on Gary Matthews Jr., but it was a one-sided discussion. The Reds have no desire to trade Bronson Arroyo or Aaron Harang for Matthews.  Angels GM Tony Reagins told Rosenthal, "We haven't had much discussions with respect to trades and trade possibilities."   UPDATE: Reds GM Walt Jocketty told John Fay he hasn't talked to the Angels since the Winter Meetings.
• Free agent DH Frank Thomas is still waiting for an offer.  He intends to delay a decision about retirement until at least the All-Star break.  My thought – his situation just got a bit tougher with Gary Sheffield becoming available.
• Rosenthal says the Rays could keep both Jason Hammel and Jeff Niemann and cut Lance Cormier, if trade offers for the first two aren't acceptable.  Rosenthal adds the Rangers, Nationals, and Indians to the already known suitors (Padres, Pirates, and Rockies).  He names the Brewers as "yet another possibility."  Rosenthal says the Angels attempted to acquire Niemann a year ago but learned from Reagins that they're not actively looking for pitching.
• The Phillies ate Adam Eaton's contract, but team president David Montgomery is unwilling to do the same to make Geoff Jenkins go away. 
• Rosenthal says the offers received for Rockies infielder Jeff Baker "have not been enticing."  They may elect to keep him.

• 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.

9:19am: ESPN's Peter Gammons had a new blog post yesterday discussing available players.

• Gammons names Geoff Jenkins ($8MM remaining, limited no-trade), Brian Giles ($9MM remaining, full no-trade), Gary Matthews Jr. ($33.5MM remaining, full no-trade), Marcus Thames ($2.275MM salary), Nick Johnson ($5.5MM salary), Jason Repko, and Jeff Baker as players being dangled.  Gammons links Matthews to the Yankees but admits his contract will be an issue.
• Mark Teahen has drawn interest from the Astros, Red Sox, and Yankees.
• Gammons says the Reds "have let teams know that they will wait and see whether they need to move Aaron Harang during the season."  It'd be a shame to see the Reds break up that rotation.  Harang has about $36MM coming to him over the next three seasons if his 2011 option is exercised.
• Brewers third baseman Bill Hall expects his team to pursue Padres ace Jake Peavy if available this summer.  Unlike C.C. Sabathia, Peavy is more than a rental.

• Rosenthal wonders if the eventual emergence of Yankees shortstop prospects Ramiro Pena and Eduardo Nunez will prompt the team to ask Derek Jeter to change positions in the future.  Neither player ranked among the Yankees' top 30 prospects in the Baseball America 2009 Handbook, however.  Jeter's current contract runs through 2010.
• Rosenthal says Boston's talks for catchers Miguel Montero and Jarrod Saltalamacchia "remain stalled because of those clubs' respective asking prices."
• Rosenthal believes the Phillies are unlikely to trade Geoff Jenkins or Matt Stairs.
• The Reds are considering trading infielder Jeff Keppinger, and Rosenthal wonders if the Astros would be a fit.  He also speculates on Juan Uribe for Houston. John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer talked about the Keppinger possibility on Friday.

• The Astros plan to give Chris Johnson a chance to win the third base job, but Stark says Juan Uribe, Jose Bautista, and Jeff Baker "could still show up on their shopping list in the next two weeks."
• Stark heard "rumblings the Yankees are poking around again on Mike Cameron's availability." Back in December, the Yanks and Brewers were pretty close on a deal.
• Eric Milton is looking decent and appears to be the frontrunner for the Dodgers' fifth starter job (given Pedro Martinez's asking price).
• Will Ohman seeks a one-year, $1.75MM deal with easily-reachable incentives for another million.  He also prefers the West Coast, and Stark believes the Padres and Giants are more likely than the Dodgers.  Like the Dodgers, the Phillies and Marlins have interest at a lesser price.  Stark has also heard the Phils connected to Giants lefty Jack Taschner.
• Shawn Camp, Geoff Geary, John Buck, and Geoff Jenkins are currently available.  The Phillies would eat almost all of the $8MM owed to Jenkins.