Braves' Jones confident Griffey could contribute  —  LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — For years now, Ken Griffey Jr. has been sending signals — some subtle, some not so subtle — that he'd love to be a Brave.  —  The Braves got those signals, of course.  It would have been tough to miss them.

Pudge looks for new team, dodges steroids talk  —  NORTH MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — Ivan Rodriguez is still looking for a place to play.  —  The 14-time All-Star catcher told The Associated Press on Sunday night that he might sign with the Florida Marlins, Houston Astros or New York Mets.

PHILS SIGN CAIRO  —  CLEARWATER, Fla. — This just in ...  The Phillies have signed utility infielder Miguel Cairo to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training, which means he'll be in camp by Tuesday for the first full-squad workout.  Cairo, 34, batted .249 with 23 RBIs in 221 at-bats last season for the Mariners.

Not a good shot in the arm  —  Game is paying a price with steroids, economy  —  Baseball is getting creepy again, isn't it?  —  After the Mitchell Report hit the streets last winter, we knew there were 104 major leaguers who came up positive in the 2003 random, unpunishable test.

Seattle claims Pena  —  By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel  —  The Brewers were not shocked today when Seattle claimed reliever Luis Pena off waivers.  Former Brewers scouting director Jack Zduriencik is now the Mariners' general manager and obviously knows Pena well.

Spring Training: Drew's back still a problem  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. _ The first official day for position players to report is Monday, but all ready J.D. Drew is dealing with back issues.  —  The Sox' right fielder missed 33 games late last season with a herniated disk and it didn't get any better during the offseason.

Getting Warmer  —  Last week Joe Girardi grabbed the top spot on the less-than-coveted list of managers most likely to be fired in '09.  He acknowledged that he's heading the list while chatting with a group of reporters in the wake of Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez admitting that he failed …

Pujols: Strategy will determine future with Cards  —  JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — Albert Pujols said Sunday that the St. Louis Cardinals' commitment to winning will dictate if he re-signs with the club when his contract expires in two years.  —  “It's not about the money all the time,” the first baseman said.

Ludwick takes note out of Ankiel's book  —  Slugger hoping to strike compromise prior to arbitration hearing  —  JUPITER, Fla. — Inspired by a teammate in a similar situation, Ryan Ludwick took a leap of faith on Sunday.  He got on an airplane and flew east, hoping not to have to make two cross-country trips in the next few days.

Deadline looms for D-backs, Jackson  —  Negotiations ongoing with arbitration hearing set for Wednesday  —  TUCSON, Ariz. — There has been little, if any, movement in contract negotiations between the D-backs and outfielder Conor Jackson with a salary-arbitration hearing just a few days away.