Kent walks away after 17 seasons  —  Retires as all-time home run leader among second basemen  —  LOS ANGELES — Jeff Kent, the premier slugging second baseman of his generation and arguably of all-time, will announce his retirement at a Dodger Stadium news conference Thursday, MLB.com has learned.

Rangers' farm system second to none  —  STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME START YOUR FREE TRIAL NOW  —  As a prelude to Thursday's publication of the top 100 prospects in baseball for 2009, I've ranked all 30 organizations on the current states of their farm systems.

Sources: Catcher Blanco, Pads agree  —  The Padres reached an agreement on a one-year, $750,000 deal with catcher Henry Blanco on Wednesday, according to sources close to the situation.  —  San Diego had been in negotiations with Blanco and veteran Brad Ausmus, but began focusing on Blanco …

Braves seek to bring back Sutton to booth  —  Ex-Braves announcer would be paired with new hire Powell  —  The Braves have hired Jim Powell for their radio-broadcast team and are working to bring back Don Sutton to be his new partner, according to several people familiar with the negotiations.

Melhuse back with Rangers  —  ARLINGTON — The Rangers have agreed to terms with veteran catcher Adam Melhuse on a Minor League contract with an invitation to Spring Training.  —  Melhuse, highly regarded by manager Ron Washington for his leadership and work ethic, has played for the Rangers in parts of the last two seasons.

Angels welcoming 25 players to Tempe  —  Former top pick Conger leads non-roster invitees into Spring Training  —  Five catchers and 12 pitchers are among the 25 non-roster players who have been extended invitations to attend Spring Training with the Angels, general manager Tony Reagins disclosed on Wednesday.

Durbin Agrees to One-Year Deal  —  And then there was one.  —  The Inquirer has learned that the Phillies have reached an agreement with righthander Chad Durbin on a one-year, $1.635 million contract.  This follows the news that rightfielder Jayson Werth has agreed to a two-year, $10 million contract with the Phillies.

Nationals announce single-ticket prices  —  Individual passes begin at $5; set to go on sale in early March  —  WASHINGTON — The Nationals announced individual-ticket prices for the 2009 season at Nationals Park on Wednesday.  —  Individual-ticket prices range from $5 to $325 …

ROTI Exclusive: Maple Bat Man Strikes Back!  —  You might wonder what would inspire a normally sane, rational man to write this:  —  So, while you're sitting around this Christmas handing out hundreds of dollars in presents to the ones you care for, think about all the families and business you have managed to destroy.

ESPN to add Steve Phillips to its Sunday night booth  —  ESPN will announce Wednesday that Steve Phillips will join Jon Miller and Joe Morgan in the “Sunday Night Baseball” booth for 2009, altering for the network's announcing lineup for its showcase event for the first time in 20 seasons of televising MLB.

Report: Brewers, Fielder working on 2-year deal  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  I was just watching the MLB Network and SI.com's Tom Verducci said he heard that the Brewers were trying to hammer out a two-year deal with Prince Fielder.  —  And, you know what?  I believe it.

Mark McGwire's One-Eyed Baby Brother Reveals The Not-So-Startling Truth  —  Jay McGwire idolized his older brothers, became hooked on steroids, crashed, found God, and now wants to share his story with the world.  He also claims he introduced the fallen home run hero to 'roids.

Heath Bell and Arbitration  —  Today we announced an agreement on a one-year deal with Heath Bell, thereby avoiding the arbitration process.  This was our final arbitration eligible player for this winter, as we've reached agreements with Scott Hairston, Jody Gerut, and Luis Rodriguez in the past few weeks …

Third base remains Minnesota mystery  —  Twins struggling to find power hitter and solid glove to play the hot corner  —  MINNEAPOLIS — For nearly half a decade, third base has been an enigma for the Twins.  —  Since Corey Koskie left as a free agent after the 2004 season …

Thome's Sox future uncertain past '09  —  Veteran slugger wants to keep playing but contract set to end  —  CHICAGO — This much is certain regarding the final stage of Jim Thome's illustrious career: Barring any sort of unforeseen major injury, the affable Peoria, Ill. …