Jeff Can't Make Hall of Fame  —  Not sure if you saw it, but former Met great Jeff Kent retired yesterday.  Now we ask, is he a Hall of Famer?  —  There's a guy who works here at The Daily News who insists Kent is Cooperstown bound.  No doubt about it, he says.  I hear the same sentiment on radio and TV.

Werth, Durbin agree to pacts with Phils  —  Outfielder, reliever avoid arbitration; Howard lone remaining case  —  Going into this offseason, the list of arbitration-eligible players on the Phillies was almost intimidating.  —  Now, with pitchers and catchers 24 days away from reporting …

Report: Brother says McGwire used steroids  —  A new book proposal, submitted by the admittedly estranged brother of Mark McGwire, claims the former major league slugger used both steroids and human growth hormone during his career.  —  In the proposal, first reported Wednesday on Deadspin.com …

Dombrowski likes prospects for pitching  —  GRAND RAPIDS — He has no anxiety over the Tigers bullpen heading into 2009, Tigers president and general manager Dave Dombrowski says.  —  “Am I comfortable going in?” he asked, rhetorically, as the Tigers began their winter publicity caravan with stops at Toledo and Grand Rapids.

Shoulder surgery ends Texas Rangers' plan for Hurley  —  The candidate pool for the Texas Rangers' starting rotation was thinned by one Wednesday, when former top prospect Eric Hurley underwent surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff.  —  The operation became necessary when Hurley continued …

The 3400 Club  —  By Tim Dierkes [January 21 at 12:37pm CST]  —  Longtime RotoAuthority reader finite24 brought up an interesting topic recently: injury risk the following season for pitchers who threw 3500+ pitches.  I decided to dig more deeply into this topic, pulling the benchmark down to 3400 pitches thrown in a season.

NEW ‘PEN IS AMAZIN’ TO FRANCO  —  There's still a hole in the starting rotation, but John Franco already considers this offseason a giant mission accomplished for the Mets.  —  The former Mets closer sees a bullpen that on paper might be the best in franchise history, reason enough …

Long excited about lineup upgrade  —  Yanks hitting coach brings high hopes to offseason workouts  —  NEW YORK — During the season, Kevin Long's office is the batting cage, a place he spends so many hours that he often eats his pregame meals standing up.  —  The winter offers …

Best outfield arms of 2008  —  There is something about an outfielder with a cannon arm that captures our imagination, isn't there?  I guess it's not too surprising: Plays involving a crucial throw from the outfield are among the most important and exciting in the game.

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 …

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.

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.

Rose over the 'Moon about Redding  —  New Mets pitcher sure to provide lots of material for broadcasts  —  NEW YORK — Even now, sportscaster Howie Rose is planning his ad-libs, plotting when to offer a “Bang, zoom” or a “Har, har, hardee har har.”  He might throw in a “Hello, ball” …

Red Sox ‘Truck Day’ is Feb. 6  —  In what has become an annual sign that spring is around the corner in Boston, “Truck Day” will arrive on Friday, Feb. 6, when the Red Sox moving van will be loaded at Fenway Park for the 1,467-mile trek to the team's spring training complex on Edison Ave. in Fort Myers …

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.

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 …