Griffey meets with Wren  —  What was shaping up as a rather ordinary Spring Training Monday at Disney's Wide World of Sports complex turned into a rather interesting one when some guy named Ken Griffey Jr. arrived to meet with Braves general manager Frank Wren.

Holdout Perez regrets accepting Nationals' offer  —  KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Odalis Perez wasn't in the group of pitchers and catchers who, in the last three days, reported to the Washington Nationals' spring training camp in Viera, Fla., and there is no known date for the arrival of the Dominican left-hander.

Ludwick, Cardinals agree to 1-year, $3.7M deal  —  ST. LOUIS — Ryan Ludwick and the St. Louis Cardinals agreed to a $3.7 million, one-year contract and avoided an arbitration hearing that was scheduled for Tuesday.  —  Ludwick  —  The outfielder had asked for $4.25 million …

Putz: Lack of ‘team guys’ added to M's '08 woes  —  PEORIA, Ariz. — Don Wakamatsu took the job as manager of the Seattle Mariners knowing he'd have to start his turnaround of the 101-loss team in the clubhouse, where bickering and jealousy plagued the squad last season.  —  “I did my homework.

D-backs could sign, trade Cruz  —  But reliever would need to reach deal with another team first  —  TUCSON — It appears the Juan Cruz free-agent saga could get even more complicated for the D-backs.  —  General manager Josh Byrnes said on Monday that it is possible that the right-handed reliever …

Ohman has offers from Bucs, Marlins, Padres  —  Will Ohman, one of the top relievers left on baseball's free agent market, has major league offers in hand from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Florida Marlins and San Diego Padres, but plans to continue discussions with three contending teams before making …

At long last, Fields signs with Mariners  —  Early Monday afternoon, Josh Fields stood in the parking lot outside Seattle's Peoria Stadium clubhouse, meeting with Mariner general manager Jack Zduriencik and assistant GM Lee Pelekoudas.  —  It looked like a deal had been done …

Deep thoughts from Ortiz  —  FORT MYERS, Fla. — David Ortiz has something to say — and perhaps even something to prove — to the naysayers who thought his career was on the downside after an injury-filled 2008 campaign.  —  “Sometimes I hear some comments and they do nothing but make me stronger …

The Izzynator Cometh?  —  JUPITER, FLA — While the Cardinals play down its potential, free agent closer Jason Isringhausen insists he remains interested in returning to the club as a non-roster invite this spring.  —  On his way back to his Tampa home after a weekend spectating at the Daytona 500 …

Manuel's unusual hitting drill hands-on  —  Manager believs tool will help Mets combat fatigue at the plate  —  PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Some degree of any big league training camp is about conditioning, of course.  Pitchers run sprints and “poles” — foul pole to foul pole — and throw, and everyone builds stamina.

Yankees Lining Up to Attend Rodriguez News Conference  —  TAMPA, Fla. — There is no sign-up sheet for the post-practice field trip at Yankees' camp on Tuesday, but there might as well be.  When Alex Rodriguez addresses the news media under a tent down the third-base line at Steinbrenner Field, several teammates will be watching.

Hampton EKG shows ‘glitch’  —  Pitcher heads to Houston for further testing  —  KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Following morning workouts on Monday, Mike Hampton flew back to Houston after his electrocardiogram [EKG] test showed a “glitch,” according to general manager Ed Wade.  —  The Astros feel this development is minor.

Orioles' Hill ready to prove doubters wrong  —  Former Cubs left-hander says he's healthy, wants to earn spot in rotation  —  FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - All Rick Kranitz needed to see was three pitches from Rich Hill before he picked up the bullpen phone to call Chicago Cubs pitching coach Larry Rothschild.

Ethier, Dodgers reach eve of hearing  —  Talks continue with arbitration panel convening Tuesday  —  PHOENIX — The Dodgers and outfielder Andre Ethier were in final preparations on Monday for a salary-arbitration hearing scheduled for Tuesday.  —  Ethier, who received $424,500 last year without …