Former Brewers outfielder Jenkins agrees with Phils … The Philadelphia Phillies and free agent outfielder Geoff Jenkins have reached preliminary agreement on a two-year deal believed to be worth about $13 million, a baseball source told ESPN.com.  —  The agreement includes …

Padres to retain Barrett  —  DaVanon, Fick also agree to minor league contracts  —  The Padres yesterday reached agreement with backup catcher Michael Barrett on a one-year contract and agreed to terms on minor league contracts with two players with San Diego connections.

Yanks' Hank keeping door open for Twins' Santana  —  Hank Steinbrenner said the Yankees are still debating whether to go the extra mile to pull off a trade for Twins ace Johan Santana.  (Newsday / Paul J. Bereswill)  —  In case you thought the Yankees' dalliance with the Twins over ace lefthander Johan Santana had ended, think again.

Our Champions  —  John Thorn is a contributing writer for The Business of Sports Network  —  It is now one week since the release of the Mitchell Report, culminating a 20-month, $20 million investigation (into secondary sources, largely ... how on earth was so much spent?) …

METS IN LEAD FOR LOHSE?  —  The Mets' primary competition for free-agent pitcher Kyle Lohse has dropped out of the bidding.  —  According to Phillies assistant GM Ruben Amaro, Philadelphia's refusal to go beyond three years for the right-hander ended their pursuit of Lohse, who finished last season in Philly.

Cubs are not done remodeling  —  Orioles' Roberts still on team's radar  —  The Cubs still would “like to do a few more things” trade-wise, according to general manager Jim Hendry, and Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts has not been scratched off the trade list just because he was named in the Mitchell report.

Source: Tigers, Willis agree on 3-year extension … Pitcher Dontrelle Willis has reached an agreement in principle on a three-year, $29 million contract extension with the Detroit Tigers, a source told ESPN.com.  —  The deal includes incentives that could push the total value to more than $30 million, the source said.

Source: Silva, Mariners agree to deal  —  The Mariners and free agent right-hander Carlos Silva have reached agreement on a multiyear contract, according to an American League source, and the deal could be finalized as early as Thursday, pending the outcome of a physical.

Brewers Like Lofton  —  ESPN's Jerry Crasnick reports that the Brewers have their eye on free agent center fielder Kenny Lofton.  Such a signing would allow them to shift Bill Hall to third base and Ryan Braun to left field.  How much of a defensive gain would they get from this?

A-ROD CRONY BOLTS FOR LA  —  Alex Rodriguez will try to duplicate his scintillating 2007 season without a key member of a very small inner circle.  —  Mike Borzello, a bullpen catcher for the past 12 seasons and Joe Torre's godson, has left the Yankees and taken a job with the Dodgers as a catching instructor.

My Solution to Rid MLB of HGH: Legalize It  —  Over the past year, I have written several blog posts about the lack of performance-enhancing properties of human growth hormone.  I have not participated in any research on the subject, nor am I even remotely qualified to conduct such studies.

Haren trade gives D-backs the bigs' best 1-2 punch  —  The Arizona Diamondbacks pulled off the second big trade of the Hot Stove League.  Like the Detroit Tigers, the Diamondbacks swapped out six good prospects to obtain a young player of great talent.  In this case, Arizona brought in pitcher Dan Haren.