By Matt Snyder

The Rangers have signed free agents Conor Jackson and Joe Beimel to minor-league contracts, the club announced Monday afternoon. Both players have also received spring training invites.

Jackson, 29, was primarily a first baseman for most of his career, but then last season he played every corner position in addition to serving as a designated hitter. He still played 53 games at first while getting 52 games of action in the outfield (31 in right, 23 in left). Jackson hit .244/.310/.341 with five homers and 43 RBI. He played 102 games for the A's and 12 for the Red Sox.

FREE AGENT TRACKER

Beimel, 34, is a left-handed reliever. He worked 25 1/3 innings for the Pirates last season, putting together a pretty dreadful line -- an ERA of 5.33 and a WHIP of 1.70. He was actually a productive reliever from 2006-10, though, so last year could have been an anomaly.

Both players have a decent chance to make the team.

The Rangers bullpen appears to be full right now, assuming no more moves. However, Koji Uehara is reportedly being shopped (he blocked a trade to the Blue Jays) and Beimel is left handed. Go down the line -- Joe Nathan, Mike Adams, Alexi Ogando, Scott Feldman, Mark Lowe, Uehara, Yoshinori Tateyama, Mark Hamburger -- and you'll find that the Rangers don't have a lefty in the bullpen, unless they wanna turn to Michael Kirkman. So that's where Beimel could find a job, as a specialist.

Jackson also has a shot to make the club. The starting nine is obvious, just as Craig Gentry, Yorvit Torrealba and Julio Borbon figure to get spots on the bench. That leaves one spot, with Jackson, Brad Hawpe, Alberto Gonzalez and several minor leaguers competing for the final spot. And that's barring injuries, which could open more up chances.

For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter, subscribe to the RSS feed and "like" us on Facebook.

By Matt Snyder

What if players were only permitted to stay with the team that originally made them a professional? No trades, no Rule-5 Draft, no minor or major league free agency ... once you are a professional baseball player, you stay in that organization. This series shows how all 30 teams would look. We give you: Homegrown teams. To view the schedule/past entries of this feature, click here.

If you're exhausted by the constant rumors we're circulating at the Winter Meetings, here's your fun little break. Today's installment of Homegrown brings the most powerful team in the bigs. Everyday in Chase Field would be like this past All-Star break's Home Run Derby. And the fans wouldn't even have to boo the entire time.

Lineup

1. Stephen Drew, SS
2. Miguel Montero, C
3. Justin Upton, RF
4. Carlos Gonzalez, CF
5. Dan Uggla, 2B
6. Carlos Quentin, LF
7. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B
8. Mark Reynolds, 3B

Starting Rotation

1. Jorge De La Rosa
2. Brett Anderson
3. Max Scherzer
4. Josh Collmenter
5. Chris Capuano

Both De La Rosa and Anderson had season-ending surgeries in the real 2011 season, so if they did, we'd have to turn to Brad Penny and Ross Ohlendorf. We also have first-rounders Jarrod Parker and Trevor Bauer waiting in the wings. And good ol' Brandon Webb, too.

Bullpen

Closer - Jose Valverde
Set up - Javier Lopez, Sergio Santos, Daniel Schlereth, Vicente Padilla, Esmerling Vasquez
Long - Penny, Ohlendorf, Micah Owings

Notable Bench Players

Rod Barajas, Chris Snyder, Lyle Overbay, Conor Jackson, Scott Hairston, Emilio Bonifacio, Gerardo Parra

What's Good?

Wow, that's some serious power in the lineup. If everyone stayed healthy for a full season, there's every reason to believe all eight hitters would have at least 20 home runs, with Montero and Drew really being the only questions there. A handul of them would hit more than 30. So, yes, the power of the offense immediately jumps out, but really everything is pretty good here. There is depth, a solid rotation -- albeit injury-riddled -- and a good closer with quality setup men.

What's Not?

Reynolds is a butcher at third base. If Anderson and De La Rosa both fell injured before Bauer and Parker were ready, the rotation would become awfully thin. Even if they stayed healthy, there isn't a bona fide ace. The outfield defense isn't great, with Gonzalez and Quentin, but it isn't awful either.

Comparison to real 2011

The real Diamondbacks went 94-68 and won the NL West before bowing out in Game 5 of the NLDS to the Brewers. This team would be every bit that good, if not better -- and again, being that this is a hypothetical exercise, we're hypothetically assuming health to the top two starting pitchers. If this team played like it was capable, it could very well be a World Series champion.

For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed.

By Matt Snyder

The Boston Red Sox have traded minor-league pitcher Jason Rice to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for outfielder Conor Jackson, the A's have announced.

J.D. Drew is presently on the disabled list and suffered a sprained middle finger on his minor-league rehab assignment, so Jackson could be insurance for the injury-prone Drew. Josh Reddick has been admirably filling in for Drew in right field, so it wasn't really a glaring need for the AL East leaders. Instead of figuring prominently, Jackson likely just provides more depth as rosters expand.

Jackson, 29, is hitting .249/.315/.342 with four homers, 38 RBI and 30 runs in 368 plate appearances this season.

Rice, 25, is 4-5 with a 3.69 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 89 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings for Triple-A Pawtucket this season.

For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnBaseball on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed.

By C. Trent Rosecrans

We expect strains, sprains and tears this time of year, but "valley fever" may be a new one.

Reds starter Bronson Arroyo had blood test and a chest X-ray on Thursday hoping to rule out the ailment, Arroyo told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer .

From the Mayo Clinic website :

Valley fever is a fungal infection caused by coccidioides (kok-sid-ee-OI-deze) organisms. It can cause fever, chest pain and coughing, among other signs and symptoms.

The coccidioides species of fungi that cause valley fever are commonly found in the soil in certain areas. These fungi can be stirred into the air by anything that disrupts the soil, such as farming, construction and wind. The fungi can then be breathed into the lungs and cause valley fever, also known as acute coccidioidomycosis (kok-sid-e-oi-doh-mi-KOH-sis).

Mild cases of valley fever usually go away on their own. In more severe cases of valley fever, doctors prescribe antifungal medications that can treat the underlying infection.

Still, Arroyo said he expects to make his scheduled start on April 3 against the Brewers, as well as the Reds' final spring game, Tuesday.

The A's Conor Jackson missed five months of 2009 with valley fever when he was with the Diamondbacks. Jackson dropped 35 pounds due to the Valley fever, but didn't have it diagnosed until a month into the season.

Arroyo is skinny and struggles to keep on weight to begin with, so if it is valley fever, it could have lasting effects on a pitcher so slight. Arroyo's calling card has been durability despite his frame, throwing at least 200 innings each of the last six seasons.

However, Arroyo did throw 5 2/3 innings in a minor league game on Thursday, allowing three earned runs, six hits and a walk with six strikeouts.

"I felt good yesterday," Arroyo told Fay. "I'm not sure what my velocity was, but I felt strong. My command was good."

UPDATE: Arroyo has been diagnosed with mononucleosis. (MLB.com )

For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsmlb  on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed.  

The Rockies made their annual September surge, only for Colorado to fold down the stretch.

The club can't afford to have anymore of these slow starts only to turn it on in the second half -- there is a window of opportunity to win, as shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is only too well aware of.

"We like our chances that we are going to be together for the next three years, and really that could be the end of it," Tulo observed to the Denver Post . "It's going to be tough to keep all three of us, I'll tell you that. I want it to happen, and I want it to happen here."

Along those same lines, the Rockies are looking for impact bats -- one to start in the outfield and one who could complement Todd Helton at first. They may also need a catcher, as it's likely Miguel Olivo declines his mutual option in search of a more lucrative contract. Unless Colorado is ready to turn the job over to Chris Iannetta -- and based on their actions over the past year, that's not happening -- the club also needs a catcher.

Enter Victor Martinez, who Troy Renck of the Post says the Rockies will target. Martinez could catch and then spell Todd Helton at first base. Given Helton's weakness is against lefties and Iannetta flourishes against southpaws, it could be a perfect platoon. Given that V-Mart is going to have countless suitors, however, Colorado likely won't be able to compete with the offers the backstop will receive.

Renck names Conor Jackson as a low-cost alternative that could platoon with Helton. Jackson is coming off a second-straight injury plagued season but shouldn't find much trouble finding a bench spot somewhere.

 -- Evan Brunell

For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsmlb on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed .

In what we can only hope is not a sign of things to come, the University of California made the stunning announcement Wednesday that it will drop its successful baseball program as a result of the state's massive budget problems.

Baseball is a money-loser almost everywhere, with high equipment and travel costs and very little revenue generated. Non-revenue men's sports such as wrestling and swimming have been on the decline for years due to money problems and Title IX compliance issues, but for a big school in a major conference in a warm-weather climate to drop baseball is amazing.

"They've had a very rich college baseball tradition, been to the College World Series a couple of times and won a national title," Stanford coach Mark Marquess said in a statement. "It's a sad day for college baseball. It has an effect on all of the Pac-10. You are talking about a program that started playing baseball in the late 1890s. That's over 100 years of tradition."

Cal will also cut gymnastics and women's lacrosse and demote men's rugby to club status, all to reduce the amount of money the school devotes to its athletic department.

"This is not sustainable for our campus," chancellor Robert Birgenau said. "The situation has raised heated debate about the size and cost of our Intercollegiate Athletics program among many of our campus constituencies."

Cal has been to the College World Series five times and won twice, most recently in 1957. It's major-league alumni (full list here ) include Jeff Kent, Geoff Blum, Brandon Morrow, Xavier Nady and Conor Jackson.

Need another reason to support a college football playoff system? How about spreading around the money it would create in order to save non-revenue sports like baseball?

-- David Andriesen

For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsmlb on Twitter or subscribe to the RSS feed .

A's outfielder Conor Jackson is likely done for the season, he texted the San Francisco Chronicle 's Susan Slusser .

Jackson was put on the disabled list on Friday with what the team called a "lower abdominal strain." Sunday, he told Slusser a doctor told him he's "99 percent sure" that he has a sports hernia.

Jackson was in South Carolina and was able to get vacationing  Dr. William Meyers to check him out. Meyers is a specialist in sports hernias and treated former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb, whose sports hernia a couple of years ago brought the sports world's attention to the the injury.

If Jackson does have a sports hernia, he will require season-ending surgery. The good news is Jackson believes the sports hernia is the underlying cause of other problems he's had this season. Jackson hit .236/.326/..331 combined with the A's and Diamondbacks this season, with two home runs and 16 RBI in just 60 games. He managed to play in just 18 games for Oakland after going to the American League on June 15.

Jackson is arbitration eligible for 2011 after signing a $3.1 million deal this past offseason.

-- C. Trent Rosecrans

For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsmlb on Twitter.

The Athletics haven't exactly gotten much return on their June 15 trade with the Diamondbacks, in which they sent reliever Sam Demel to Arizona in exchange for outfielder Conor Jackson. Jackson has had just 69 plate appearances with Oakland as he has battled what was believed to be a hamstring strain.

After aggravating the injury Thursday, the A's are now saying he has a sports hernia, and surgery is a likely option.

"It's definitely a mental blow," Jackson told MLB.com. "It's borderline embarrassing, just because I come over to a new organization and I've only played [18] games. I know that they had high regards for me coming over here and I felt like health has ridden my performance."

Jackson has seen several doctors and will see a sports hernia specialist before deciding how to proceed. Recovery time for the operation is four to six weeks, so the A's would just shut him down for the season rather than try to rush him back for the final few games.

With Jackson on the disabled list, Jeff Larish was called up to take his roster spot.

-- David Andriesen

For more baseball news, rumors and analysis, follow @cbssportsmlb on Twitter.