by Ken Rosenthal

Updated: March 20, 2008, 3:42 PM EST 4 comments

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If center fielder Jim Edmonds recovers from his calf strain in time for Opening Day, the Padres likely will platoon Gerut, a left-handed hitter, with Scott Hairston, who hits from the right side.

If Edmonds opens the season on the disabled list, Hairston will shift to center and Gerut will stay in left. The Padres also have shown interest in the Mariners' Jeremy Reed, who would offer a strong defensive option in center if Edmonds' physical issues lingered.

Chase Headley, the Padres' top hitting prospect who converted from third base to left field this spring, has batted .394 with three homers in 33 at-bats this spring, but is expected to start at Class AAA.

Gerut, 30, hit 22 homers for the Indians as a rookie in 2003, but missed the past two seasons with a knee injury. The Padres signed him to a minor-league contract after he had a big winter in Venezuela.

"One of our scouts, Van Smith, said, 'The guy is out there and available. He's back to the Jody Gerut of old. Sign him,"' Padres general manager Kevin Towers recalls.

Gerut, batting .313 with three homers and five RBIs in 32 at-bats during spring training, will earn $700,000 if he is added to the 40-man roster.

The Santana Return: So far, so good

It will be years before the verdict is in on the Twins' return for Johan Santana, but Twins G.M. Bill Smith says the four prospects the team acquired from the Mets have "delivered as advertised" thus far.

Right-hander Philip Humber pitched 11 consecutive scoreless innings before allowing his first runs on Tuesday. Right-hander Kevin Mulvey, the Mets' top pick in 2006, will start the season at Class AAA, and Deolis Guerra, who turns 19 in April, will either pitch at Class AA or return to the Class A Florida State League.

Then there is center fielder Carlos Gomez, who is competing with Denard Span and Jason Pridie for the Twins' center-field job.

"He is a wild stallion with skills that most people only dream about," Smith says. "He can run. He's got a strong arm, raw power, all the skills. It's just a matter of harnessing them. He's still only 22 years old. Sometimes you have to remind yourself of that."

Jordan Schafer is having an impressive spring. (Paul Sancya / Associated Press)

Braves' Schafer: Coming fast

One rival executive speculated this week that the Braves might open with Jordan Schafer in center field and platoon Mark Kotsay with Matt Diaz in left. Such a plan, however, is probably more ambitious than anything the Braves are considering: Schafer, 21, has yet to play above Class A.

More likely, the Braves would use one of their speedy left-handed hitting center fielders — Schafer, Gregor Blanco or Josh Anderson — as a platoon partner for Diaz if Brandon Jones returns to Class AAA.

Schafer, though, figures to be in the majors soon. He will be ready "as soon as we need him," one club official says.

Nats' Perez poised for a comeback

Don't laugh, but one scout believes that left-hander Odalis Perez could revive with the Nationals, saying, "this is the best shape I've seen him in in 10 years."

Perez, 30, is throwing 88 to 91 mph with an above-average curveball as well as a slider and changeup. The Red Sox made a run at Perez before the Nationals signed him — and wound up with Bartolo Colon instead.

Speaking of the Sox, the team is drawing interest in three right-handed pitchers who are out of options — David Aardsma, Bryan Corey and Kyle Snyder. Any of the three would make sense for a pitching-hungry team such as the Giants, Astros or Cardinals. The Sox, who can't keep them all, don't figure to seek a great deal in return.

Around the horn

One scout says that Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano looked afraid to throw his slider in his most recent Grapefruit League outing. But Smith, the Twins' G.M., says he is pleased with the progress shown by Liriano, who is just 15 months removed from elbow-ligament transplant surgery. "He's got to shake some rust off," Smith says. "Anyone who thought he'd come in throwing 95 mph with the nasty stuff he had two years ago is not being realistic." Liriano's velocity is up to 88 to 92 mph ...

Lose the 'tude: Shane Victorino needs to get his act together. (Steve Dykes / Getty Images)

A rival executive says of Tigers left-hander Dontrelle Willis, "He looks like a different pitcher. I've always thought of him as a guy who just goes out there slinging it. But when I saw him, he was pitching. It looked like he had calmed down his delivery in an effort to make better pitches." Too bad Willis can't help the Tigers out of the bullpen, too ...

The Mets' bullpen is starting to take shape. Right-hander Matt Wise, who has allowed only one earned run in 8 1/3 innings, could be the latest pitcher to revive his career under Mets pitching coach Rick Peterson. The Mets are also getting improved work from righty Jorge Sosa, who has allowed one earned run in 12 innings. If a third righty, Duaner Sanchez, makes a successful recovery from a fractured shoulder, look out ...

Center fielder Shane Victorino is one of the Phillies who appears too complacent to manager Charlie Manuel. "He thinks he's Jimmy Rollins and Ryan Howard, but he's not," one scout says of Victorino. "He talks more trash than Muhammad Ali." Victorino, 27, is a good-natured sort who figures to straighten out, and the Phillies' other position players should, too. The team's pitching remains a far greater concern ...

All quiet on the Joe Blanton front. The pitcher the A's wanted from the Reds in a Blanton package was none other right-hander Johnny Cueto, who appears destined for a spot in manager Dusty Baker's rotation. The A's, meanwhile, remain interested in Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp, envisioning him batting leadoff and becoming productive again at age 28. However, the A's will not break up their emerging young core program to acquire one player

Speaking of the A's, their Class AAA rotation will feature lefties Gio Gonzalez, Greg Smith, Dallas Braden and Dan Meyer, but their rotation at Class A Stockton should be even more impressive. That group will include righty Trevor Cahill, the team's top pick in 2006; righty Henry Rodriguez, who throws 96 to 100 mph; righty Fautino De Los Santos, who came with Gonzalez in the Nick Swisher trade; and lefty Brett Anderson, who, like Smith, arrived in the Dan Haren trade ...

The Mariners might carry 11 pitchers in order to keep right-handed hitting outfielders Mike Morse and Charlton Jimerson, both of whom are out of options. Brad Wilkerson, a left-handed hitter, will play every day in right to start the season, but Morse is 20-for-38 (.526) this spring and Jimerson offers base-stealing ability. Wladimir Balentien, expected to start in Class AAA, would be summoned to play every day if one of the regular outfielders got hurt.

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