Rangers look to fill infield void

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Cardinals infielder Julio Lugo may be the most interesting name that arises as the Rangers assess their utility infield situation.

He is somebody they have talked about internally.

Lugo was the Cardinals utility infielder in the final two-plus months of last season after being acquired from the Red Sox. But he is expected to lose significant playing time after the Cardinals signed free agent infielder Felipe Lopez last week.

The Rangers are concerned about their utility infield situation after Khalil Greene did not report to camp because of social anxiety disorder. The Rangers voided his contract last week and are proceeding with the idea that Greene will not be in camp at all.

That has created two spots of concern on the bench: utility infielder and a right-handed-hitting corner infielder. The Rangers hoped that Greene could be an option in both areas. Now they are re-assessing the situation and early confidence that the roles could be filled from within may be eroding. The Rangers are looking around the league to see what's available among infielders and the Cardinals may likely make Lugo available at some point this spring.

"Our goal is to see if we can find the right combination of guys to give [manager Ron Washington] the most options and flexibility," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Monday. "We've still got a half-dozen guys internally we're looking at and our scouts are in town. That will be a focus as we see if there is an upgrade out there. It might be the guys in camp who are deserving of the job."

The Cardinals actually acquired Lugo last year to fill a need when Greene first experienced social anxiety order last summer while playing for them. He is being paid $9 million this season but the Red Sox are already picking up most of that as a condition to last year's trade.

Lugo is a 10-year veteran who was the Red Sox starting shortstop on their 2007 World Series championship team. Most of his career has been as a shortstop. He is 34 and there is some concern about diminished range but the Rangers are just looking for someone who can hold down the position and give Elvis Andrus a day off.

"We just need somebody who can make some defensive plays," Washington said.

The Rangers' leading candidates from within are Joaquin Arias, Ray Olmedo and Esteban German. Arias has the defensive skills for shortstop but there are questions about his throwing ability after going through three years of shoulder problems. Washington has been monitoring his throwing closely.

"I really thought the way he was throwing the ball the other day was sufficient," Washington said. "He's just got to maintain his arm strength and continue to improve. He's healthy. I don't think his arm is a problem. It is what it is. I've seen him throw from all the angles. We'll play it out and see where it goes,"

Other names could emerge from the outside. The Rangers talked to the Diamondbacks about Augie Ojeda last winter and those discussions could be renewed. The Dodgers have extra infielders and the Pirates may be willing to talk about Ramon Vazquez, who played for the Rangers in 2007-08.

But the Rangers also need a right-handed corner infielder who can spell Chris Davis at first base against left-handed pitchers. Matt Brown, who is in camp on a Minor League contract, has some impressive numbers against left-handed pitchers in the Minors and had a home run off Kasey Kiker in Monday's intrasquad game.

He hit .303 with a .495 slugging percentage against left-handers at Triple-A Salt Lake City last year and .325 with a .608 slugging percentage against them in 2008. He can play both first and third base. He was at third base in the intrasquad game and started a 5-4-3 double play on a Vladimir Guerrero grounder in the first.

"Ideally I'd love to see myself as a guy off the bench," Brown said. "I will do everything they want for me to make the team."

The Rangers are also looking at Max Ramirez for that spot. He is a catcher who is working out at first base. He was a sensation for the Rangers in 2008 when he hit .347 with 19 home runs and 57 RBIs in 337 Minor League at-bats.

But he hit just .230 with five home runs and 45 RBIs in 81 games and 337 at-bats last year while dealing with a pair of wrist injuries. He was much better in Winter Ball in Venezuela, hitting .252 with 13 home runs and 36 RBI in 59 games and 210 at-bat.

There is still a matter of learning how to play first base.

What the Rangers need is a right-handed-hitting infielder who can play first and third base. That's why they pushed hard to trade Ramirez to the Red Sox for infielder Mike Lowell. That trade fell apart when Lowell needed thumb surgery. It could be revived later this spring if he proves healthy.

Lugo and Lowell were the left side of the Red Sox infield when they won the World Series in 2007. Three years later, they might fit nicely together on the Rangers bench.

Veteran arms offer A's sensible options

PHOENIX -- It is reasonable to assume red lights and uh-oh flares went up among A's fans late Sunday when the club announced the signings of a pair of veteran right-handers.

That might have been a natural reaction among followers of a team that entered Spring Training with a trio of pitchers seeking to resume careers following a season lost to injury.

Are Ben Sheets or Justin Duchscherer or Joey Devine giving off warning signs? Is that why Oakland general manager Billy Beane had to reach out to Jason Jennings and to Brett Tomko?

(a) Insurance, or merely (b) ingenuity?

Relax, and go with (b).

Sheets is coming along ideally, remaining on the accelerated path back from elbow surgery, penciled in to start Oakland's Cactus League home opener, Friday against the Brewers.

And it is no secret that Duchscherer and Devine are both on slower tracks, very long shots to be able to assume their roles in the rotation and bullpen, respectively, at the start of the season. Under those uncertain circumstances, adding two experienced arms only made sense.

Even with everyone in perfect health and on an unobstructed path to the season, pitching isn't like ice cream. You can't have too much of it.

Complicating Duchscherer's fight back from an elbow surgery and depression, he was sidelined by acute lower-back pains that necessitated a nerve ablation procedure, performed last Tuesday.

The doctor's immediate recommendation was that the pitcher not step back on a mound for two weeks. Even if able to resume throwing then, Duchscherer would be three weeks behind everyone else.

Devine, also making his way back from elbow surgery, is "throwing at 85 percent," according to A's manager Bob Geren, who said, "It's 50-50 he'll be ready to go at the start of the season, or shortly after."

Thus it seemed only prudent to secure a couple of guys who have been high-end pitchers, when they have been healthy.

"We didn't necessarily sign Jennings due to the situations with Duke and Devine," Geren said Monday, as the rain clouds withdrew from the Valley and only sunshine flooded the fields. "I thought he pitched very well last season, and he's a good pitcher who was available.

"And Tomko is our Bedard," Geren added, referring to the Mariners' re-signing of lefty Erik Bedard, who isn't expected to return to the mound until June off shoulder surgery last August.

Tomko's impressive late-season stint in Oakland was derailed by an irritated nerve after six starts, of which the 36-year-old had won four with a 2.95 ERA.

"He pitched well for us last year, and I talked to him on-and-off during the winter. He was on our radar all along," Geren said.

While Tomko reported to Oakland's Minor League complex and will continue to work his way back there -- a late-May return is considered the earliest -- Jennings quickly checked into the big league camp and had his first bullpen session Monday.

Jennings, 31 and eight years removed from being the National League's Rookie of the Year, chose the A's offer over several other teams which made him offers -- but not because of any overt concerns about Duchscherer or Devine, whose absences obviously would create his opening.

"They do know I can step in for a couple of starts if someone goes down," Jennings said. "And after pitching out of the bullpen for the first time last year, I can do that, too. I'm pretty much open to both."

Before going 2-14 as a starter in 2007-08 with the Astros and the Rangers -- who converted him into a crack long reliever last season -- Jennings had an admirable six-season run in the pitching Death Valley of Colorado. Rockies pitchers aren't famous for hauling in awards, but Jennings ran away with 2002 rookie honors and still ranks as that franchise's second all-time top winner with 58.

"They didn't quite say whether they're looking at me to start or stay in relief," Jennings said of the A's, "but I have an opportunity to do both. I feel healthy, like I'll be able to pitch the way I know how.

"I think I offer the type of experience any team can use."

His most important offer, however, is that of security. Ordinarily, the bullpen isn't playing musical chairs; all the seats are taken by Andrew Bailey, Brad Ziegler, Michael Wuertz, Craig Breslow, Brad Kilby, Jerry Blevins -- and Devine.

Having Jennings in camp, and Tomko in the wings, at the very least affords Geren and pitching coach Curt Young to bring Devine and Duchscherer along slowly, smartly, not rashly.

The first of two intrasquad games is Tuesday. Cactus League play begins Thursday. Although as a fresh camp arrival who has not yet been formally scheduled for an outings, Jennings will make several appearances before either Devine or Duchscherer surface. So it will be an interesting progression to monitor.

Role change for Hermida not an issue

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- You can call this a spring of change for Jeremy Hermida, and it has nothing to do with a new scruffy beard or an elaborate tattoo that now rests on his left shoulder.

For the first time in his Major League career, Hermida will be playing somewhere other then South Florida. After being considered a hotshot prospect and eventually becoming an everyday player for four consecutive seasons, he'll now be a reserve for the first time.

So, will these changes help Hermida become the premier outfielder he was once projected to be?

"I don't think it will hurt," Hermida said before Monday's workout. "It's definitely refreshing to come here, I can tell you that. Whether I need a fresh start or not, it's tough to say. But I'm just happy to be here. The excitement of this camp and just the way people go about things is something that I'm really excited to be a part of, and I'm excited to play a full season."

The Red Sox acquired Hermida -- a former first-round Draft pick who hasn't yet fully lived up to the hype -- in exchange for a couple of pitching prospects in November. At the time, general manager Theo Epstein called it a low-risk, high-reward deal.

Low risk, because Hermida will make $3.345 million this season and, after the eventual acquisition of Mike Cameron, looks to be the fourth outfielder to start the season.

High reward, because the 26-year-old lefty-hitting corner outfielder has all the tools to be a perennial All-Star in this league -- he just hasn't been able to cash that in yet.

"We're hoping that he'll be a huge asset to our team," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "On one hand, if he's playing a lot, something else went wrong somewhere. But we'd like him to play enough, because we like what he can do -- swings at strikes, works the count, got some power. Sometimes that clicks in at a different age. We'd like to be that team."

The Marlins weren't.

They made Hermida the No. 11 pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, and three years later, he was already in the big leagues. Hermida then showed some promise in '07, when a strong second half allowed him to finish the season with a .296 batting average, 18 homers and 63 RBIs in 123 games.

But over the past couple of years, Hermida's hit just .253 with a .335 on-base percentage, a .400 slugging percentage and 15 home runs per season.

"I think just a change of scenery is sometimes a good thing, and I think that's going to help him," said journeyman right-hander Joe Nelson, who played with Hermida in Miami in 2008 and was signed to a Minor League contract this offseason. "There's no preconceived notions. There's not the No. 1 prospect like he was coming up. Now, he's just an established outfielder in the big leagues.

"I think Herm is going to do just fine."

Hermida wants to show the world he can be a very productive player in the big leagues. But a sufficient number of at-bats are required to send that kind of message.

Still, though, Hermida continually talks about how happy he is to be a member of the Red Sox. And he's not concerned about being labeled as a reserve player for the rest of his career.

"I think being a reserve player in Boston is a little bit different than being a reserve player on any other team," Hermida said. "You look at the 25 guys that are going in that dugout, and you have some names in there.

"I don't think anybody strives to not be an everyday player. I think that's everyone's goal. ... As far as I'm concerned, you're definitely working to prepare yourself like that. If that's not the case, then you're ready when you're called upon."

Hermida, who has an above-average arm and has the type of gap-to-gap power that may be tailor-made for Fenway Park, finished last season with a .259 batting average and 13 home runs in 129 games. After some adjustments, he finally started to get going in August -- a month when he batted .312 -- but a rib injury limited him to just three games the rest of the way.

In the offseason, Hermida said he got "a lot of work done" on those ribs -- though it wasn't surgery, just "maintenance stuff to make sure it didn't happen again" -- and added that he's "felt fine ever since."

"It's funny how that happens. You can't get the injury when you're in a slump?" Hermida said. "I was definitely feeling good. You never know what happens, but everything happens for a reason, and I'm here now and happy to be here."

Hermida asserted that he won't be "shell-shocked" when he starts playing games at Fenway, but it's hard to discount the fact he'll be going from a team that consistently ranks among the lowest in the Major Leagues in average attendance to a club that's had 550 consecutive home sellouts.

Even though it's only Spring Training, Hermida is already digging the energy.

"I think it's awesome," Hermida said. "I love it. To walk out there and see the people that care about the organization and this team and the passion that they have, it's phenomenal. It really is, to be able to go out there and have that in Spring Training. It really makes it fun to come to the park every day. It's exciting, and it's just a pleasure to be a part of."

As for how big a part of that he'll actually be? Who knows what will play out during the course of a long season.

But Francona said Hermida is at least handling everything the right way so far.

"He's done a great job early on of accepting and being open to what we're talking about and things like that -- a real good attitude," Francona said. "Because he knows going in that it's going to be a challenge right away. But he's been really good about handling that."

Jackson at top for Tigers in spring games

LAKELAND, Fla. -- Austin Jackson's game has been picked apart, critiqued piece-by-piece and second-guessed for nearly three months since he became a Tiger. Starting Tuesday, the Tigers and their fans can actually judge him by the way he plays.

Of all the Tigers looking forward to Spring Training games -- and honestly, after more than a week of working out on the back fields, all of them are looking forward to it -- Jackson might have the best reason. He has a chance to reinforce some believers, make some new ones and change some minds among those who have prejudged him.

More important to him, he has a chance to put into practice some of what he has already learned in camp.

"You want to get in and start the games," Jackson said, "let them know early that I'm here to help the team however I can. You can practice so much, but until you get out there in game speed, it's totally different. I'm really eager, I think everybody is at this point, to get out there and start the season."

Jackson will be the first Tigers batter to step to the plate this spring when he leads off against Florida Southern College in the bottom of the first inning of their exhibition game Tuesday at 1:05 p.m. ET. He gets the first crack at the leadoff spot that opened up when Detroit traded Curtis Granderson to the Yankees in December.

Jackson came to Detroit in that trade. The Yankees' former center fielder of the future has a good opportunity to become the Tigers' center fielder of the present. Team officials believe he can play center in spacious Comerica Park, and they believe he has a chance to hit.

Starting Tuesday, Jackson can turn potential into reality. In the process, he can hammer home the point that he isn't just the guy staked with the challenge of replacing Granderson. He's his own player, with a chance to be a pretty good one at that.

Manager Jim Leyland isn't promising the leadoff spot to him, or even the starting center-field job, but he makes no secret that he wants Jackson to win it. If he isn't a prototypical leadoff hitter at this stage in his career, he's pretty close, close enough that longtime Major League leadoff man Johnny Damon will be hitting behind Jackson in the second spot in the order.

"I think it would be advantageous for us," Leyland said, "if he can handle that spot."

Jackson has no Major League at-bats to indicate whether he can. He spent a full season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last year, but batted second or third for most of the year. So Spring Training is going to play a big part in his evaluation, and the Tigers' decisions off that.

Jackson has spent much of the last two weeks working out on his own with a program designed to help him with his quickness. The program is designed to get him a better first step in the outfield when he breaks on fly balls. He also has been working with hitting coach Lloyd McClendon on his mechanics at the plate.

The main focus, Jackson said, has been on how he sets up at the plate, getting him in a better position to hit.

"I have a tendency to kind of lean over sometimes," Jackson said. "Once I go to swing, my bat angle is kind of at an angle. When I stand tall, my bat is more flat [swinging] through the zone. It's just things like that, [McClendon] kind of reminding me of the basics sometimes. I tend to get away from that sometimes, and start worrying about something else. And really, it's something at the start that's kind of messed up. I'll be worried about my hand path, but if I'm already set up wrong, my path is going to be off every time."

Jackson has had several days of live batting practice to try out the tweaks, and his latest sessions have been encouraging. Still, live BP doesn't test it nearly the same as actual pitching.

Seeing Florida Southern College pitchers is the start. Though it's an exhibition, the Mocs have been known to give the Tigers a competitive game on several occasions. They're ranked atop the NCAA Division II polls with a 13-1 record entering Monday.

Tuesday's lineup follows Jackson with Johnny Damon, Magglio Ordonez, Miguel Cabrera in the cleanup spot, then Carlos Guillen, according to Leyland. Either Don Kelly or Kory Casto will start at third base and bat sixth, followed by Scott Sizemore, Gerald Laird and Adam Everett. Many of Detroit's veteran hitters are expected to bat only once or twice before the reserves enter.

Left-hander Phil Coke is scheduled to start for the Tigers and pitch two innings, followed by two innings each from Eddie Bonine and Enrique Gonzalez. Joel Zumaya, Fu-Te Ni and Cody Satterwhite are all scheduled to pitch an inning.

Once Jackson steps to the plate Wednesday against Blue Jays left-hander Ricky Romero in Dunedin, Fla., at 1:05 p.m. ET, the Major League portion of the Tigers' Spring Training schedule will be under way. And Jackson's learning process will take another step.

It won't just be about making adjustments at the plate. It'll be about adjusting to the leadoff role and understanding what it entails.

In Jackson's case, it entails a balancing act unlike any he has encountered.

"You have to be patient," Jackson said, "but at the same time you have to be aggressive too. You're not up there to necessarily just draw a walk, but you have to patient up there. In the past, I've jumped on a lot of first pitches because I didn't want to let a cookie get away. But at the same time, hitting No. 1, you have to be able to relay messages back to your teammates, let them know the movement, the velocity, things like that."

Philly has become the place to play

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Jayson Werth remembers the questions he heard when he arrived in Philadelphia in December 2006:

Why would you sign with the Phillies?

Aren't you scared of the fans?

Why, man? Why?

"It was Philly this and Philly that," Werth said. "It was more about the city than the team. But here we are four years later, and Philly is the No. 1 place to play. Everybody wants to come here because of the atmosphere, the crowds, the fans, the sellouts. That's not the way it was a short time ago."

A short time ago, players happily pressed the ejection button to leave Philadelphia. But it seems every few weeks, there is a comment from a former Phillies player who seems genuinely saddened or upset to be in a different uniform.

The latest is right-hander Chan Ho Park, who signed a one-year, $1.2 million contract with the Yankees. The Phils offered Park a one-year contract worth slightly more than $3 million, plus a club option for 2011. Park initially balked, but by the time he came around, Philadelphia had signed Danys Baez and Jose Contreras to take his place.

Park said at a news conference Sunday that Philadelphia was his No. 1 choice.

Park followed Cliff Lee, who by all accounts was stunned to be traded to Seattle. Brett Myers wanted to remain in Philadelphia, but Phils general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. wanted to move on. Pat Burrell has missed the Phillies since he signed a two-year, $16 million contract with the Rays. Aaron Rowand signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the Giants, but he has not been in the postseason since he left the Phils in 2007.

On the flip side, Roy Halladay left millions on the table to join the Phillies. The right-hander signed a three-year, $60 million extension to leave Toronto, but he would have received much more had he reached the open market.

"I was on the other side of it," Jimmy Rollins said. "I was always playing on this team and guys were like, 'What would it be like to play for the Braves or the Mets?' You'd sit there and watch them and they were smiling and bouncing around, because they knew they were going to the playoffs.

"And you're here, like, 'Do people even care about the Phillies? Are we the laughingstock?' And that's kind of how you felt, because you had basically no foundation to stand on. No foundation of winning. No precedence of this is a good organization to go to, because they're going to do what it takes to win. It just wasn't there."

That has changed.

The Phillies won the National League East in 2007, the World Series in '08 and the NL championship in '09.

They are NL favorites again in 2010.

Of course, what player wouldn't want to be on a winning team? But Rollins and Werth said it is runs deeper than just wins and losses.

"It started with a good group of guys before the winning," Rollins said. "It started with a belief. It doesn't happen overnight. It's been building. But the word is out, and that's a good thing. I always said, 'What would it be like to have a player say I want to go here? Why can't we have that in Philadelphia?' Well, good guys, a belief in winning and then showing it on the field, it's happened."

"Atmosphere in the workplace," Werth said. "You could pick a company, it wouldn't be as much fun or as rewarding as coming to play for the Phillies."

Players then have a fine line to walk. Do they stay for potentially less money to remain in an organization they like? Or do they take the better (and maybe fairer) offer to play elsewhere?

The Phillies made Lee an offer believed to be slightly less than the three-year, $60 million they offered Halladay. Amaro has said that he received strong indications from Lee's representative that Lee would be difficult to sign to an extension, which prompted him to move forward on Halladay and trade Lee to Seattle.

Lee has said they made a counteroffer the day he was traded, but at that point, the Phils had a deal with Halladay in place (or close to it).

"You don't want to leave this situation," Chad Durbin said. "It's kind of an incubator to get better. I think a lot of guys feed off that, especially guys that have been around a little while. They know that if they go to a team that's rebuilding they might get paid, but they're not going to win. This situation is unique. It's a core group that gets along really well and they all want to continue to win. What you hear is not lip service. Definitely not. You hear lip service a lot, but you don't want to leave this place."

Players like Durbin and Werth will be free agents after the season, and they might have tough decisions to make. The Phillies already have at least $130.35 million committed in 2011 to Halladay ($20 million), Ryan Howard ($20 million), Chase Utley ($15 million), Brad Lidge ($11.5 million), Raul Ibanez ($11.5 million), Cole Hamels ($9.5 million), Rollins ($8.5 million), Joe Blanton ($8.5 million), Shane Victorino ($7.5 million), Placido Polanco ($5.25 million), Ryan Madson ($4.5 million), Carlos Ruiz ($2.75 million), Baez ($2.75 million), Ross Gload ($1.6 million) and Brian Schneider ($1.5 million).

It seems a certainty that if Werth has another good season, at least one team would be in better position to offer him more money than the Phils.

"That's a long way away," Werth said. "I haven't really thought about that. But I will tell you that playing for other teams, being in other places, seeing how other places do it, right here is the best place."