Source: Rays talking to Johnny Damon  —  The Tampa Bay Rays are in discussions with free agent Johnny Damon to fill their vacant designated hitter spot and play some left field.  But a source familiar with the negotations said a report that Damon is close to agreement on a deal with the club is “very premature.”

Most underrated players in the game  —  The list includes Ryan Zimmerman, Andrew McCutchen and Carlos Ruiz, among others  —  The closer on my All-Underrated team, Trevor Hoffman, retired last week.  You probably caught wind of that someplace.  —  So what better excuse is there to kick off a bunch of spirited saloon debates?

Bonds case: Judge rules former pro athletes can testify in upcoming trial  —  Federal prosecutors will be able to put former professional athletes on the witness stand to testify about their own connections to the Balco steroids scandal during the upcoming perjury trial of home run king Barry Bonds.

Here's why Mark Teixeira could be the next Jason Giambi in pinstripes … Is Mark Teixeira facing a dip in his career?  The New York Yankees first baseman turns 31 in April and is coming off a season in which he hit .256 — 34 points below his lifetime average entering the year (.290).

Cardinals Sign Nick Punto  —  The Cardinals announced that they signed Nick Punto to a one-year deal, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach (on Twitter).  It's a $700K deal, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.  Agent Charles Schneider represents the longtime Twin.

Lucchino anxious for 2011 season to start  —  BOSTON - Anytime you can hear the State of the Red Sox from a member of ownership, it's always interesting.  —  Team president and CEO Larry Lucchino was awarded with the Fuchs Award for meritorious service to baseball by the Boston Baseball Writers at the annual dinner Thursday night.

Tracking down my online haters  —  Editor's note: Jeff Pearlman is a columnist for SI.com.  He blogs at jeffpearlman.com.  —  (CNN) — Matthew is a college student from a small suburban town in Missouri.  He loves the Kansas City Chiefs and spending Sundays in front of the TV watching football.

Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects (How to subscribe)  —  After winning back-to-back National League West titles and making consecutive NL Championship Series appearances in 2008-09, the Dodgers fell to fourth place last year.  As if its first losing record since 2005 wasn't bad enough …

Prospect Watch: Top 10 right-handed pitchers  —  Hellickson, Teheran, Drabek head list of potential future aces … The adage about never having enough pitching has some truth to it, and there appears to be plenty of pitching coming up through Minor League systems.

What about Volquez?  —  When the Johnny Cueto deal becomes official, right-hander Edinson Volquez will be only unsigned arbitration-eligible Red.  —  But the Reds are working on a deal with Volquez as well.  —  “We're looking at both — one-year and multi-year,” Walt Jocketty said.

Rangers going after Ramirez - Angels and Rays Also In the Mix  —  The Rangers are pursuing free agent outfielder/designated hitter Manny Ramirez.  He would be the big right-handed bat at DH and off the bench.  It would likely mean far more playing time for Michael Young at first base and would cut into Mitch Moreland's playing time.

If park factor is so important, why don't they put it on the scoreboard? … - Jeff Francoeur.  —  OK, Jeff Francoeur, I don't want to come off as mean-spirited here or anything so please, don't take this the wrong way.  But here's the thing, bro: You're a terrible hitter.

New Met Young: My arm is ready to go  —  It was with little surprise that Mets manager Terry Collins announced Wednesday that he was handing the ball to Mike Pelfrey as his opening day starter.  And a day later the Mets officially secured the final piece of their rotation when Chris Young passed …

Reds, Cueto Agree To Four-Year Extension  —  The Reds and right-handed pitcher Johnny Cueto have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $27MM, tweets Enrique Rojas of ESPNDeportes.com.  Reds GM Walt Jocketty says the deal is not done but confirms that the sides are close, tweets John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Yankees reach deal with Jones … The Yankees have reached an agreement with veteran outfielder Andruw Jones on a one-year deal worth $2 million plus $1.2 million in performance bonuses.  —  Jones, 33, is a veteran of 15 seasons in which he has made five All-Star teams and won 10 Gold Glove awards.