• There's a belief that Pedro Martinez could pitch the final months of the season if, as one American League GM says, he finds "the right fit." Cafardo speculates that the Phillies could be an interesting option if they end up trading Joe Blanton.
• A National League scout says he liked the way Jeremy Bonderman was pitching toward the end of 2010. "I’m really surprised a team hasn’t jumped at him," said the scout. "But some of that is up to the player and the agent, too. If he’s asking for too much, nobody’s going to do it no matter how desperate teams are for pitching."
• There's still a chance that Jarrod Washburn, who sat out the 2010 season, could sign somewhere. However, GMs who spoke to Cafardo are under the impression that the lefty wouldn't return unless he could land a "fairly sizable" Major League contract, which seems unlikely.

• The Yankees have zero interest in Carlos Delgado. The longtime Blue Jays slugger wants to play in 2011, but hasn’t been getting much interest so far.
• The Yankees checked in on Jarrod Washburn earlier in the winter, but talks did not progress much. However, the Yankees would consider Washburn if he’s willing to accept a minor league deal like Freddy Garcia and Bartolo Colon did.
• The Yankees had interest in Carl Pavano but didn’t want to surrender a draft pick for the former Yankee, so they discussed a scenario that would have seen the Diamondbacks sign Pavano and trade him to New York for prospects. The Yankees could have kept their draft picks and worked out a deal with Arizona GM Kevin Towers, who worked for the Yankees last year and knows their farm system well. The D’Backs would have lost their second-round pick (63rd overall) to the Twins had they signed Pavano.

Two weeks ago, it appeared that the left-hander was undecided about his future. At that time, Washburn told Jon Paul Morosi that he would play if a "great opportunity" presented itself. The Brewers could be an appealing team for the Wisconsin native, who worked with manager Ron Roenicke when both were with the Angels.

Washburn, now 36, posted a 3.78 ERA with 5.1 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 in 176 innings for the Mariners and Tigers in 2009.

Morosi adds that a great opportunity translates as close to Washburn's Wisconsin home.  The Brewers or Twins might be his top choices, and both teams should be in the hunt for starting pitching.  One point in Milwaukee's favor is their hiring of Ron Roenicke, who worked with Washburn during his Angels days.

Washburn, 36, is a candidate to provide 175 innings of 4.50 ball in 2011.  His asking price is an unknown; he's represented by Scott Boras. 

• Agent Scott Boras told Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports that Jarrod Washburn has not yet decided whether to pitch in 2010.
• ESPN.com's Buster Olney hears that rival teams expect the Royals to trade Kyle Farnsworth and the Pirates to trade Octavio Dotel (Twitter links).
• The A’s agreed to sign two Venezuelan 16-year-olds, Argy Raga and Jesus Rivas, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.
• The Astros would need to be "overwhelmed" to move Brett Myers, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
• Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly definitely wants to manage in the major leagues, according to MLB.com's Evan Drellich.
• The Padres, who are interested in Miguel Tejada, believe he could potentially play some outfield once David Eckstein returns, according to Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune. 
• The Padres won't rush to acquire middle infield help until they know more about Eckstein's injury, according to MLB.com's Corey Brock. GM Jed Hoyer told Brock the club had already been looking for infield depth.
• The Reds will discuss manager Dusty Baker's future this August, according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Baker's contract expires after the season.
• At FanGraphs, Aaron Rowand and Carlos Lee make their way onto Dave Cameron's list of the MLB players with the least trade value.
• Baseball America lists the 15 biggest bonuses ever handed out to international amateurs.

• Agent Scott Boras says it's "up in the air" whether or not Jarrod Washburn still wants to pitch this season, adding that a pennant race could be appealing to the left-hander. I'm a little skeptical about Washburn's ability to contribute much to a contending team this season, given how long he's been away from the game.
• A major league executive tells Krasovic that the Phillies are "evaluating the trade market" for Jayson Werth. With Werth in the final year of his contract, and top prospect Domonic Brown waiting in the wings, it makes sense for the Phils to explore their options. As Krasvoic points out though, Philadelphia's lineup suffered a hit with injuries to Chase Utley and Placido Polanco, making a Werth trade especially unlikely.
• The Phillies may find it hard to make an impact move this month, since they'll want to hang on to Brown and their farm system doesn't have the depth it did last year at this time.

Colletti expressed confidence in his offense and suggested it will take pitching to improve upon the team’s 38-33 record.

"Unless something drastic happens to an everyday player — or more than one — I think our focus will continue to be on our pitching staff," Colletti said.

It would take at least a few weeks for any unsigned pitcher to prepare for major league action, but free agents will only cost money. Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Dan Haren may be more appealing, but they would cost the Dodgers prospects and salary.

"Never say never, but I am very happy at home with my family," Washburn told Morosi.

Washburn's agent, Scott Boras, said last month that as many as five teams were interested, but it's been quiet since. The Royals and Mariners were reportedly interested in April, but Washburn turned the Mariners' offer down. The Dodgers, Brewers and Nationals could all become suitors for Washburn if he decides to pitch again this season.

• The Blue Jays' huge collection of scouts should have them well-prepared to deal at this year's trade deadline. Cafardo names a slew of players who the Jays could try to move if they're out of playoff contention, noting that the club will "likely listen to anything." The list includes Vernon Wells, Lyle Overbay, Alex Gonzalez, Scott Downs, Jose Bautista, John Buck and Jose Molina.
• Molina has thrown out eight of 11 basestealers so far this year, a statistic that could intrigue the Red Sox. However, Cafardo says the Sox "will never deal for a catcher who is all defense, no offense."
• Cafardo suggests that Adam Dunn would be a good fit at DH for the Red Sox in the post-David Ortiz era.
• Jarrod Washburn's time off this spring has given him a few extra weeks to recover from offseason knee surgery, though now teams will have to assess how long it will take Washburn to be major league ready. According to Cafardo, the Dodgers' pitching issues make them look every day like a better fit for Washburn.
• A source tells Cafardo that Elijah Dukes' rumored deal with the Tabasco Olmecas of the Mexican League fell through after Dukes failed to show up for a reporting date. Cafardo indicates that the 25-year-old could end up spending the year away from baseball.

• Richard Durrett of ESPN Dallas takes a look at what the Rangers could do with their roster once Ian Kinsler returns from the disabled list tomorrow.
• Reds' GM Walt Jocketty said that the team doesn't have a timetable for Aroldis Chapman's arrival in the Majors, says John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer.
• Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders why the Pirates didn't retain Matt Capps in hopes that he'd rebuild value.  Capps is generating attention as MLB's saves (and save opportunity) leader.  The righty told Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times it was a pretty close competition between the Cubs and Nationals for his services, once he was non-tendered.
• Yahoo's Tim Brown profiles Shin-Soo Choo, who his agent Scott Boras feels "has a chance to be the best Pacific Rim player ever over the course of his career."
• SI's Ann Killion writes about Barry Zito's apparent redemption.  Zito is rocking a 1.32 ERA, an improved groundball rate, and an unsustainable .203 batting average on balls in play through four starts.  If Zito can continue to keep the walks down, he could have his best year as a Giant.  Of course, he flashed a similar walk rate in July and August of last year.
• Matt Kemp's agent Dave Stewart discussed Ned Colletti's recent comments on ESPN's Mason & Ireland show, saying the public criticism "should never have happened."
• Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times notes that the Mariners made the right call in not signing Jarrod Washburn.
• Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein does a mock draft of the first ten picks this year.
• Mark Zuckerman talked to a high-ranking Nationals official who finds Goldstein's criticism of Bryce Harper's makeup "way overblown." Meanwhile, Byron Kerr of MASNSports.com spoke to Harper's college coach about those same makeup concerns.

• MLBTR's Luke Adams summed up the latest on the unsigned starting pitchers yesterday, looking at the latest on Jarrod Washburn, Pedro Martinez, Braden Looper, and John Smoltz.  Washburn told Morosi that neither the Dodgers nor the White Sox have shown interest so far.  The Sox have gotten ugly performances from Jake Peavy, Gavin Floyd, and Freddy Garcia, while Dan Hudson has been knocked around in Triple A his last two times out.
• Morosi talked to Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski, who said the team isn't looking to sign a free agent hitter despite Carlos Guillen's hamstring strain.
• Morosi chatted with Vernon Wells, who said, "I have no plans on going anywhere" in response to a question about his ability to opt out of his contract after the 2011 season.  I doubt Wells' agent at Legacy Sports would recommend abandoning four years and $86MM.
• Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston, in reference to Lyle Overbay, said it wouldn't be right to bury a player who's headed toward free agency.

• Jarrod Washburn: The Diamondbacks were rumored to have a passing interest in Washburn, but not at his asking price. The last we heard from agent Scott Boras was that as many as five teams were after the 35-year-old, though that was nearly three weeks ago. It seems that Boras and Washburn still have a vastly different perception of the left-hander's worth than most GMs do. Could the Dodgers be a possibility? According to Sirius XM Radio's Jim Bowden (via Twitter), GM Ned Colletti is still looking for a pitcher at the right price.
• Pedro Martinez: It's looking increasingly likely that Pedro will once again only pitch a half-season. The Mets are considered a potential landing spot for the righty, but the Phillies might be the favorites. Martinez had a successful stint with in Philadelphia in 2009, and the two sides have been keeping in touch this year. The Dodgers could be in the mix too, though the 38-year-old still harbors bad feelings toward the organization, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
• Braden Looper: Although the 35-year-old righty threw for the Cubs recently, they're not expected to sign him. Looper is probably most valuable as an innings-eater starter, while the Cubs are in need of a setup man. There hasn't been a lot of concrete news about Looper lately, but the Rockies could potentially be a fit. Tracy Ringolsby of Inside the Rockies opined three weeks ago that Looper-to-Colorado would be a logical match, and if both Jorge de la Rosa and Jason Hammel head to the disabled list, the Rockies would be missing two crucial starters.
• John Smoltz: He may be a TBS analyst for now, but Smoltz still hasn't ruled out pitching this season. The Phillies were rumored to be interested, though you'd have to think it'd be a case of either Martinez or Smoltz for Philadelphia, rather than both. Like Pedro, the 42-year-old is more likely to pitch for a National League club if he returns, so once again the Dodgers make sense as a potential suitor.

For a full rundown of all the arms still available, check out our list of remaining 2010 free agents.

Russ Ortiz was DFA'd after floundering in seven big league innings.  Haeger hasn't found much success in 15.1 IP (three starts and one relief appearance) either.  Now, the Dodgers have another hole to fill as Padilla is headed to the disabled list with a sore elbow.  There are pitchers at the ready in Triple-A Albuquerque, including the aforementioned Lindblom and once-ballyhooed James McDonald, though all have their fair share of question marks.  Padilla's injury aside, the Dodgers' starting five still looks like it could use a lift.

Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times drops the names of three notable starters still available on the open market: Jarrod Washburn, John Smoltz, and Pedro Martinez.  Washburn seems to be holding out for a deal approaching the $5MM he was offered by Minnesota this winter.  Smoltz won't completely rule out a return to baseball, though he's enjoying his television gigs.  Pedro is reportedly maintaining contact with the Phillies, though he is said to still hold a grudge against the Dodgers over things that happened back when jheri curls were still somewhat in vogue.

Should the cash-strapped Dodgers look into signing one of these vets or should they find other ways to improve?

• If the Red Sox decide to give Mike Lowell more at-bats at the expense of David Ortiz, don't be surprised if it happens soon. Just six of their next 26 games are on the road, and Lowell is a .303/.361/.513 career hitter at Fenway. Yesterday we heard that the Sox would probably release Ortiz before keeping him on the bench.
• Should the Orioles decide to part ways with manager Dave Trembley, Rosenthal calls Greg Maddux an outside the box replacement candidate. Andy MacPhail has long admired Maddux's baseball smarts, and thinks he could succeed in any role. Keep in mind that the 355 game winner is currently working for Cubs GM Jim Hendry, and his only tie to the O's is MacPhail, his former GM with Chicago.
• The Diamondbacks' rotation depth remains an issue, but they have minimal interest in Jarrod Washburn. They only have so much money to spend, and Washburn is coming off knee surgery and hasn't been through Spring Training. Arizona believes they're better off waiting until other teams fall out of the race and the trade market begins to develop.
• The concern in Atlanta is about Bobby Cox's bullpen management. The 38-year-old Billy Wagner and 40-year-old Takashi Saito have been worked hard in the early going.

If it seems a bit early for such discussions, that is largely due to the travails of John Maine, whose fastball velocity is way down, while his ERA is way up. After allowing seven earned runs in three innings last night, Maine faces a do-or-die start on Sunday night against the Cardinals, according to Newsday's David Lennon.

Another reason for New York's reluctance to reach outside the organization is a lack of attractive external options, though should the team climb into contention, a partial-season deal with Pedro Martinez could be considered.