Wiry infielder Joaquin Arias (pictured) is reportedly drawing trade interest from the Reds.Five days.

● The Phillies, now rid of well-paid veteran outfielder Geoff Jenkins by virtue of his release on Tuesday, are expressing interest in both free-agent outfielder Gary Sheffield -- who was released by the Tigers on Tuesday -- and outfielder Andruw Jones, and have reportedly scouted Jones "extensively" this spring; additionally, infielder Joaquin Arias is eliciting "strong" interest from the Reds, who dealt utility infielder Jeff Keppinger to the Astros on Tuesday for a player to be named later and cash (T.R. Sullivan, MLB.com)

[According to Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, scouts representing both Cincinnati and Milwaukee were in Rangers camp on Tuesday. What does this all mean? I'm not really sure; heck, it might not mean anything at all. It certainly is curious that Texas would tab Arias -- questionable throwing shoulder and all -- as their starting third baseman against the Angels on Wednesday, however, which does nothing to dispel the notion that Arias is being showcased for a trade.

As for Andruw, I'll stand solemnly by the point that I've been harping on for what now seems like months on end: he wasn't going to fetch anything meaningful via trade as a part-time designated hitter/outfielder unless he unequivocally murdered southpaws through mid-July, and certainly isn't going to recoup anything more than a marginal prospect right now. If he's dealt for whatever modicum of scrap value he presently possesses and outfielder Frank Catalanotto makes the Opening Day roster instead, that will probably be indicative of the Rangers' inability to find a trade partner for Catalanotto more so than organizational disinterest in keeping Andruw.]

● Control-deficient right-hander Derrick Turnbow acquiesced to an optional minor league assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City after being torched for three earned runs on five hits in just a single inning of work against the Giants on Tuesday afternoon; according to Turnbow, Texas wants him to work on his "mechanics and fastball command" (T.R. Sullivan, MLB.com)

[That Turnbow opted to ride things out with the Rangers rather than invoke his April 2nd opt-out clause shouldn't be viewed as an affirmation of his dedication to the organization -- or pitching coach Mike Maddux -- so much as it should be viewed as evidence that agent Damon Lapa couldn't drum up any substantive interest in his client. If there had been a major league job to be had somewhere, Turnbow would have bolted, and I think that we're all cognizant of that reality.

Depth is depth, even if it isn't very good depth, and retaining Turnbow in a minor league capacity is obviously preferable to watching him walk; that said, what sort of impetus would it take at this point to curtail Turnbow's career-threatening control problems? If the light bulb hasn't come on after weeks upon weeks of one-on-one instruction with Maddux, why is it going to suddenly come on now? Yeah, you might say that my confidence in Turnbow is something less than 100 percent.]

● In a commissioned report for ESPN The Magazine's 2009 baseball preview (April 6th issue), Baseball Prospectus -- employing Fielding Runs Above Average, or FRAA -- asserts that the Rangers' defense "still projects as the worst in the league," at minus-20 runs below average (Kevin Sherrington, Dallas Morning News)

[Even if you set aside the dubious validity of FRAA -- which was long ago surpassed by more advanced play-by-play-based metrics such as the plus/minus defensive rating system and Ultimate Zone Rating -- for a moment, this seems pretty difficult to comprehend. Josh Hamilton is a definite liability in center field at this point (albeit a liability that could conceivably be mitigated if the positive spring scouting reports on his fielding translate into quantifiable results), but most of the damage inflicted by the Rangers' shoddy defense last year came from third base, and the roster manipulation that has enabled Elvis Andrus's assumption of the shortstop position from Michael Young should produce a 25- to 30-run defensive improvement over last year.

And for those wondering, no team has ever ranked dead last in the league defensively at minus-20 runs below average -- or at least not according to UZR, which I'm far more inclined to lend actual credence to than FRAA.]

Quick Hits: Southpaw Matt Harrison was bombed by the Giants to the tune of five runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks in 1.2 innings on Tuesday afternoon; he later retreated to a minor league game against the Royals to throw another 39 pitches and meet his requisite pitch count for the day ... According to Jim Reeves of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, some within the Rangers organization are under the impression that owner Tom Hicks won't green-light Frank Catalanotto's release.

Sinkerballer Jason Jennings has assuaged the Rangers' fears over his conversion to a relief role possibly precipitating more injury problems, and appears to have all but won an Opening Day bullpen spot ... Outfielder David Murphy could end up sitting against more left-handed starting pitchers than originally planned, which could expand Marlon Byrd's role ... General manager Jon Daniels on the ascension of left-hander Derek Holland and right-hander Neftali Feliz: "I think there's a very real chance those guys [Feliz and Holland] get an opportunity this year to help the club, but we want it to be dictated on when they're ready, not us having to make a move before that point."