Last month we heard that Beimel was sitting on several offers, but obviously nothing has materialized. The Marlins were said to have interest, but that was before they signed Randy Choate. Beimel, 34 in April, has held left-handed batters to a .254/.305/.394 batting line with 5.3 K/9 over the last three seasons. He didn't sign until mid-March in each of the last two offseasons, so the wait is nothing new for him.

Renck also notes that Jay Payton wants to still play, but he isn't interested in spending time in the minors. The 38-year-old outfielder hit .343/.361/.514 in 36 plate appearances with Colorado last year, his first big league action since 2008.

• Brewers manager Ken Macha will have to wait to learn about his future, GM Doug Melvin told MLB.com's Adam McCalvy.
• Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com writes that even a turnaround in playoff fortunes wouldn't have changed Dodgers skipper Joe Torre's mind about retiring.
• Mark Kotsay told Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that he does not anticipate returning to the White Sox next season.
• MLB.com's Adam McCalvy writes that Prince Fielder may have played his last home game in a Brewers uniform today.
• Whether or not manager Ozzie Guillen returns to the White Sox will be one of the many factors that play into Paul Konerko's decision, writes MLB.com's Scott Merkin.
• Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets that Trevor Hoffman earned an extra $250K today when he closed out the Brewers' home finale.
• Reliever Takashi Saito's career could be in jeopardy as he is hampered by shoulder tendinitis, writes Carroll Rogers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
• Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson will have a say in whether soon-to-be free agent Brandon Webb returns to action this year, writes MLB.com's Andrew Pentis.
• Thomas Harding and Joey Nowak of MLB.com spoke to Rockies outfielder Jay Payton, who is happy to still be playing baseball at the age of 37.
• Cubs owner Tom Ricketts says the future looks bright in Chicago, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

• After Tulowitzki got hurt, we heard that the Rockies might pursue infield depth. Renck writes that the club is "monitoring" the infield market, specifically naming Dan Uggla and Ty Wigginton as two players they'll watch. FOX Sports' Tracy Ringolsby also mentioned Wigginton as a possibility for Colorado earlier today.
• The Red Sox and Rangers could have interest in Chris Iannetta, with the Rangers focusing on him for this season and the Sox looking ahead to next year. Boston's current catcher, Victor Martinez, faces free agency at season's end, while Iannetta's contract runs through 2012.
• Prior to the trading deadline, the Rockies may also make minor deals involving players like Omar Quintanilla and Jay Payton. The Astros have been interested in Quintanilla before.

• There's skepticism within the Astros' organization that owner Drayton McLane would want to trade Roy Oswalt to the Rangers, baseball's other Texas team.
• The return the Royals are requesting in exchange for David DeJesus is higher than any team is willing to pay for now.
• Mariners closer David Aardsma is "already drawing a lot of interest."
• Pedro Feliz, Willie Bloomquist, and Jay Payton could be small-scale trade bait.
• Adam LaRoche on his brief time as a Red Sox: "The ballpark was perfectly suited for the way I swing, and it would have been nice to have stayed there and see what would have happened over a full year."

Payton played with the Rockies from the '02 trade deadline through the '03 season.  His .309/.359/.532 line contained drastic home/road splits, and the Rockies non-tendered him due to limited financial flexibility.

• 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.

• The Cubs’ ownership situation is not close to the finish line, which is one reason the team won’t be acquiring Jake Peavy anytime soon.
• One source of Stark’s suggested Zack Greinke nearly left his current agent John Courtright of SFX for Scott Boras, a whisper I’d heard as well.  But now Greinke is happy with his contract and agent.
• Free agents such as Manny Ramirez and Ivan Rodriguez could reasonably wait until March to sign.  Not a bad thing for this website!
• Adam Dunn would like Manny to sign earlier, as he’s waiting to see what the Dodgers (his preferred team) do.  The Nationals have been Dunn’s most aggressive suitor, the Orioles have mild interest, and the Braves have backed off.
• Stark questions the idea of talks for Manny heating up lately, since the Mets, Yankees, and Angels are out and the Giants are only conditionally interested.
• When Alex Rodriguez was a free agent last winter, Joe Torre advised the Dodgers against signing him.
• The Phillies would like to move Geoff Jenkins for a right-handed hitting outfielder, but Jenkins is paid too much.  Jay Payton and Emil Brown are not on the Phillies’ radar; they still like Nomar Garciaparra.
• The Yankees are apparently "softening to the idea of trading Nick Swisher," with the Braves the top suitor.

• The Sox are not interested in Jay Payton or any Craig Landis client (he also reps Jon Garland).  They’re also not in on So Taguchi.
• Josh Bard could be a Plan B or C at catcher.  Ronny Paulino has also been discussed.

WEDNESDAY: Let’s dig into the latest column from John Perrotto of Baseball Prospectus.

• Perrotto speaks of whispers of a possible White Sox-Mets blockbuster.  The Mets would receive Jermaine Dye and Bobby Jenks and the White Sox would receive Fernando Martinez among others.
• Regarding the Orioles’ possible involvement in a trade that would send Jake Peavy to the Cubs, Perrotto says Baltimore seeks Ronny Cedeno and Felix Pie from Chicago.
• Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has spoken to outfielder Jayson Werth and setup man Ryan Madson about contract extensions.  Madson might be a tough one as he’s represented by Scott Boras (who recently compared him to Mariano Rivera).  Both players are under team control for one more season.
• The Red Sox are considering free agents Willie Bloomquist, Jay Payton, and Mark Loretta as possible bench additions.  A return to Boston seems to be Payton’s preference.
• Perrotto believes the only player seriously considering accepting arbitration is Darren Oliver.  Oliver’s already seen the Reds drop out of the mix due to the draft pick price.
• Perrotto says the Tigers and Orioles are showing interest in Jack Wilson, while the Dodgers have backed off.

I had guessed that Huff would not clear waivers, on account of his .910 OPS (10th in the AL).  However, the $10.1MM owed to Huff through ’09 proved too much for the other 29 teams.  His limited defensive abilities probably also played a role.

The Sun also mentioned that George Sherrill was claimed by an AL team and pulled back, which was expected.

• Apparently the Braves tried to get involved in the Jason Bay sweepstakes in the last hour before the deadline.
• Andy MacPhail feels that the Orioles will actually be more active in August than in July. Jeff Zrebiec and Dan Connolly suggest that several players, including Kevin Millar, Jay Payton and Ramon Hernandez could be had in August. MacPhail also noted that while there "was a pretty high bar set" for teams asking about Brian Roberts, MacPhail made it clear that Roberts was not off-limits and suggested that a deal this winter is not out of the question.
• Jim Bowden does not appear eager to trade Tim Redding, who according to Bill Ladson, is the Nat’s only player of value that could be traded in August.
• Walt Jocketty would not commit to an attempt to sign Adam Dunn to an extension.
• Terry Ryan, the Twins former GM, penned a piece for SI.com in which he details what a GM goes through in the weeks and days leading up to the trade deadline. Very interesting read.

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

• SI.com’s Jon Heyman names Coco Crisp, Jay Payton, Marlon Byrd, and Brandon Inge as possible targets.  Inge makes the least sense given his salary and the Tigers’ need for him while Curtis Granderson is out.
• ESPN’s Jayson Stark confirms Ken Rosenthal’s assertion that the Cubs are leading the pack for Reed Johnson.  Stark speculates that such an acquisition could prompt the Cubs to trade Matt Murton. 
• ESPN’s Peter Gammons says Red Sox scout Allard Baird is currently observing the Cubs.  Other scouts in ’zona are speculating about a Sean Gallagher for Crisp scenario.  Gammons notes that the Red Sox wouldn’t mind getting Murton back, either.  He thinks the Sox are wary of trading Crisp right now though, echoing a sentiment from Buster Olney. 
• Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Rangers want Murton plus one of Jose Ceda, Gallagher, or Donald Veal for Byrd.  Jim Hendry did recently re-engage the Rangers, according to Grant.

• Coco Crisp probably won’t get dealt until he proves he’s healthy.  Even then, as I’ve said, $11MM over two years is a lot for a fourth outfielder.  The Cubs may have competition from the Rays and A’s for Crisp.
• Jay Payton would be a salary dump given the $5MM owed to him this year.  The Cubs could take him while passing off the $16.25MM owed to Jason Marquis.  The Cubs would love to move Marquis, though Jon Lieber’s willingness to pitch out of the pen reduces the urgency.  The Cubs are growing frustrated in their attempt to get Brian Roberts from the Orioles.
• Then there’s Marlon Byrd; T.R. Sullivan said on Friday that talks weren’t dead.  Today, Evan Grant wrote that the Cubs will do Byrd straight up for Matt Murton and that’s a "take it or leave it" offer.

• The Cubs are getting frustrated with the Brian Roberts situation, wondering if they’ll ever complete this trade.  The Orioles are scouting players but still haven’t given the Cubs the names they crave.  I got the exact same vibe from the source who told me Jose Ceda’s inclusion was never proposed by the Cubs.
• The Tigers and Phillies are both hunting for bullpen help; Detroit’s sights are set higher than Philadelphia’s.  Unwanted players such as Wes Helms and Brandon Inge aren’t in demand.  And while Marcus Thames is desirable, he’s not enough to get Aaron Heilman from the Mets.  Brian Fuentes, also a Yankees target, may be the best available reliever.  But Stark says the Rox want a "high-upside young arm" for the southpaw.
• My own guess at some useful relievers who may be available: Damaso Marte, Joe Nathan, Jamie Walker, Chad Bradford, Huston Street, Alan Embree, Kevin Gregg, Jon Rauch, and Chad Cordero.
• Stark names the Cubs, Rays, and Mets as the teams looking for an extra outfielder.  No deals appear imminent, though the Rays made an unsuccessful offer to Kenny Lofton.  The Mets and Cubs are considering the same names we’ve heard for a few weeks now.  The Cubs are in a holding pattern since they may get Jay Payton in a Roberts deal with Baltimore. 

Zrebiec was able to confirm from two sources that the Cubs offered Ronny Cedeno, Sean Gallagher, Donald Veal, and another unknown player for Roberts.  The teams can’t agree on the fourth player, and the O’s may want a fifth too.  The Orioles are said to like top Cubs’ prospects like Jose Ceda, Felix Pie, and Tyler Colvin.  Andy MacPhail is clearly demanding a high price for two years of his second baseman.  Zrebiec also confirms that the Cubs and Orioles have talked about a scenario where outspoken veterans Jason Marquis and Jay Payton are in the deal. 

For now, it appears that the Cubs will open the season without Roberts. I’m of the opinion the Cubs would be better off going with Mark DeRosa and Cedeno as their doubleplay combo over Roberts and Ryan Theriot.