Barrett, 33, hit 16 homers three consecutive times for the Cubs from 2004-06, never posting an OPS below .824 in that time. He hasn't been nearly as productive since the Cubs traded him to the Padres midway through the 2007 season, but he still has a .263/.320/.422 career line. Barrett appeared in the majors briefly last year, backing up Rod Barajas for the Blue Jays. If he plays well in the minors and the Mets call on Barrett, he will once again be backing up Barajas.

The post notes that Paul Bako is likely the top remaining free agent catcher.  The 37-year-old hit .224/.308/.336 in 130 plate appearances for the Phillies last season.  Another notable catcher without a job is Michael Barrett, though he missed the majority of 2009 due to injury.

Los Angeles dealt one of the game's top catching prospects, Carlos Santana, in the Casey Blake deal in 2008.  The 23-year-old Santana will likely make his major league debut this season.

Rodriguez would have to accept a salary close to the league minimum for the Marlins to consider him as a serious option, according to Jackson.

WEDNESDAY: According to Jose de Jesus Ortiz, Astros ace Roy Oswalt is willing to restructure his contract and backload money to free up team resources to acquire another starter.  Oswalt has a guaranteed $47MM left on his contract over the next three years.

The cash-strapped Astros considered Ty Wigginton a non-tender candidate at one point, but trade interest is strong (the deadline is Friday).  Wigginton may be too pricey for the D’Backs though.  At the least, they’d have to get creative.  And while the Astros made an inquiry on Randy Johnson, Ed Wade implied the pitcher is out of his price range.  The recent Michael Barrett rumor was downplayed as well.

6:18pm: According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, free agent catcher Michael Barrett is drawing interest from the Orioles, Astros, Blue Jays, and Marlins.

8:03pm: Andy MacPhail spoke of good progress toward signing a shortstop, presumably Izturis.

4:59pm: A small Garland update from Kubatko.

2:34pm: Roch Kubatko believes the Orioles are down to Izturis for shorstop, and two years $6.5MM would get it done.

8:50am: A few stray Orioles rumors from Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun:

• The O’s had recent talks with Jon Garland’s agent.  They’ll meet with the agents for Koji Uehara and Kenshin Kawakami this week.
• Negotiations for free agent shortstop Cesar Izturis have picked up.
• The Orioles expressed interest in free agent lefty reliever Will Ohman.

During a 2008 season that saw him hit the DL twice, limiting him to only 107 plate appearances, the 31-year old had a poor .202/.274/.298 line. These numbers are a far cry from what he had done as a Cub between 2004-2006, during which he had an OPS of at least .824. While getting out of San Diego should do him some good, it’s becoming quite clear that Barrett no longer hits well enough to compensate for his defensive deficiencies.

Paul Moro writes for UmpBump.com and can be reached here: Paul *at* umpbump *dot* com.

• Rosenthal leads with some Mark Teixeira-Angels speculation, but admits the Braves aren’t considering trading him and the Angels are content with their team.  The Halos’ .706 team OPS ranks 12th in the AL; something should be done.
• All kinds of Mariners turmoil.  They could look to acquire a center fielder given the move back to right for Ichiro.  Releases of Richie Sexson and Jose Vidro could be on the agenda.  And chemistry problems abound, with Ichiro and Kenji Johjima at the center.
• The Ms might consider Chris Antonetti and David Forst for the GM job, but both could choose to wait for the position to open up on their current teams.  Antonetti seems likely to stay put, based on his comments and actions.
• Adam Dunn likes the Reds’ future and wants to stay.
• If the Twins keep Francisco Liriano in the minors a bit longer, he will lose his shot at becoming a Super Two player.
• Past reports have named the Mets, Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, White Sox, Rangers, Indians, Mariners, and Tigers as clubs interested in Freddy Garcia.  Rosenthal adds the Rays to the mix.
• On Sunday, Peter Gammons said the Red Sox "might look at a count worker like the Marlins’ Josh Willingham" if David Ortiz needs surgery.  Rosenthal agrees that the Sox "indeed might be interested" but believes the Marlins want to hang on to him (even though he reaches arbitration after this season).
• The Cardinals "made a quick inquiry" on Michael Barrett but backed off when Yadier Molina’s injury turned out to be day-to-day.

WEDNESDAY, 11:43am: The Padres aren’t quite sure how long Michael Barrett’s elbow injury will knock him out.  He won’t need Tommy John surgery, but he could miss anywhere from the minimum to two months.  Kevin Towers contacted free agent Damian Miller as a possible backup to be used later this month.  Miller wasn’t able to find a job this winter.  For now, the Padres will use the light-hitting Colt Morton behind Josh Bard.

One reader suggested Humberto Quintero, who was designated for assignment on March 31st.  The Quintero situation should be resolved soon, but the Giants might claim him.

• Susan Slusser believes Rich Harden and Joe Blanton will both be traded this season.  She sees the Yankees and Mets as suitors for Harden, though he’s already having a start pushed back.
• Jim Caple recently made his case for the Mariners to sign Barry Bonds; his logic is sound.
• Our Brian Bannister Q&A got a mention in the KC Star.  Nice!
• RotoAuthority has the fantasy take on K-Rod’s ailing ankles.
• Pure speculation, but Ken Rosenthal thinks Ramon Hernandez would be a good fit for the Reds.  Not sure if the Reds were looking at Michael Barrett, but that option’s off the table now.
• Who said you can’t go home again?  Craig Wilson is back with the Bucs.
• We’ll be doing our third MLBTR chat here at 2pm CST; don’t miss it!

The idea of the Padres and Mariners being interested in Stewart was misconstrued a bit.  Jerry Crasnick said Towers "might be tempted to look at a free agent" and that the Mariners "seem like a potential fit." My summary of his article said the Mariners and Padres were possibilities.  I should’ve been more clear that Crasnick was speculating on those two clubs rather than reporting specific interest – sorry about that.  As for Stewart, only the Blue Jays have made an offer.  He came up in the Toronto organization and had some nice seasons for them.

Back to the Padres.  Brock adds that Michael Barrett is not likely to be traded – Towers likes having two starting-caliber catchers on the roster.  Not an ideal situation for Barrett, but it was his choice to accept the Padres’ offer of arbitration.

• Olney chatted with Kevin Towers recently.  One learning: the Padres plan on keeping Michael Barrett.  Never hurts to have a little catching depth.
• The Padres might’ve given Mike Cameron a two-year deal worth at least $17MM, more than he received from the Brewers.  Did Cameron want out of San Diego, or did his agent make a miscalculation of the market?
• Olney talked to a talent evaluator who wondered whether the Twins might be concerned about Johan Santana’s health.  Reduced late-season velocity and less use of his slider could be signs.

• Michael Barrett and the Padres avoided arbitration, arriving at a $3.5MM deal.  A little less than I expected given his $4.6MM salary in ’07.  If some team acquires Barrett on the cheap he could bounce back if he’s comfortable.  Wasn’t long ago he was one of the better-hitting catchers in the game.  Is there even a slight chance he wouldn’t embarrass himself back at the hot corner?
• Great ShysterBall post in reference to Curt Schilling’s attempt to call out Roger Clemens.
• Sandy Koufax did not do steroids.
• Derrick Goold looks at how David Eckstein ended up leaving the Cardinals despite his desire to stay.
• LENIII says it’s possible nothing has happened on the Johan Santana front since the Meetings ended.  Neal also names Kris Benson as a pitcher on the Twins’ radar.  They were one of many teams watching his recent session.  Plus they were eyeing Glendon Rusch before he signed with the Padres.

That is exactly what the Pirates are planning, however.  The names on the radar:

• Johnny Estrada – free agent with few remaining skills, will cost between $3.5-4MM
• Miguel Olivo – free agent hits for pop and guns runners down, will cost around $3MM
• Damian Miller – aging backup with little left, will cost around $2MM
• Michael Barrett – intriguing buy low trade possibility, but could cost $4.5-5MM

I don’t really support any of these moves, but I can at least see the logic in acquiring Barrett on the cheap and hoping to cash in on a rebound year.  But bringing in a vet to split time with Paulino doesn’t seem good for his development.