Around the Majors

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• Well, at least Jay Gibbons will still get the $12 million the Orioles owe him after he was released. But if he can't make the O's, who's going to take him? Two scouts told me he looks like he can't play at all anymore.

Baltimore was in a bind when Gibbons' suspension was put on hold because the team was forced to consider clearing a spot for him. Ultimately, they were forced to decide whether it was worth hurting other players and their own organization for Gibbons, a prominent Mitchell Report man. It was not. If he doesn't get another job (and there are fewer teams easier to make than the Orioles), he can take that $12 million and retire to his avocado farm in California.

• Well, at least Gibbons can join my proposed barnstorming of out-of-work big leaguers, a team that could also include Barry Bonds, Mike Piazza, Kenny Lofton, Sammy Sosa and Jeff Weaver.

• The Braves are a popular dark-horse pick, but they "have some holes,'' according to one scout. One of them could be Mark Kotsay. "I don't see anything good in his bat,'' one AL scout said.

• Brewers owner Mark Attanasio did right by making multiyear offers to Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.

• Huston Street didn't help his trade value over in Japan, and scouts say he didn't look great all spring.

• Manny Ramirez has already started his salary drive.

• Word is, Eugenio Velez may push Ray Durham at second base in San Francisco, and Fred Lewis will push Dave Roberts in left field. Makes sense. The Giants have to play whatever kids they have. Velez has electrified folks with his superior speed. But one scout says, "He's not a very good baseball player. He makes a lot of mistakes.''

• The Giants are shopping reliever Steve Kline.

• One scout said he was "pleasantly surprised'' by how Bartolo Colon looked for Boston.

• The Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda is going to be pretty good.

• And by the way, playing that exhibition in the Los Angeles Coliseum was one of the best ideas I've seen.

• There's nobody hoping for a trade more than Coco Crisp.

• Except maybe any Orioles veteran.

• Troy Tulowitzki had a big spring, hitting six home runs. "He's got a swagger about him. He believes,'' one AL scout said. "He's got a lot of Jeter in him.'' It's harder to think of a better compliment.

• I can think of better ways to spend $46 million than on Kei Igawa. And now that the Yankees have sent him to the minors, they might also regret not letting the Padres take him on waivers last year (it would have cost San Diego what's left of his $20-million contract).

•Well, President Bush has a good arm, anyway.