Yanks' Hank keeping door open for Johan Santana  —  In case you thought the Yankees' dalliance with the Twins over ace lefthander Johan Santana had ended, think again.  —  “There's still an outside chance that we get him,” Yankees senior vice president Hank Steinbrenner said by phone Wednesday afternoon.

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.

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.

Papelbon's dog reportedly eats World Series ball  —  The baseball from the final out of the 2007 World Series is at Jonathan Papelbon's home in Hattiesburg, Md., according to the Hattiesburg American.  —  Well, part of it is.  —  The rest?  You should ask the Boss.  —  If he could talk, he might say it was delicious.

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.

Schilling calls out Clemens in blog  —  Writes if Rocket is guilty of using steroids, take away Cys  —  BOSTON — Curt Schilling put his fingers to the keyboard on Wednesday, pounding out a 3,676-word blog entry in which he essentially challenged Roger Clemens to fight for his innocence …

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.

Kapler signs with Brewers  —  Former Red Sox outfielder Gabe Kapler is coming out of retirement and returning to the major leagues.  —  Kapler, an eight-year veteran who managed in Boston's farm system in 2007, today signed a one-year contract with Milwaukee Brewers.

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.

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?

Rangers could be in for a power outage  —  Fans who have become accustomed to seeing the fireworks that accompany a Texas home run at Rangers Ballpark could be in for a rude awakening in 2008.  —  The pop could be hard to come by.  —  Texas, which finished fourth in the American League in homers in 2007 …

The Issue of the Day, and Ranging into the Outfield  —  “Athletes who are chemically propelled to victory do not merely overvalue winning, they misunderstand why winning is properly valued."  —  From the day in February when pitchers and catchers reported, all the way through the release …

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.