Point Spreads - NCAA, Final Four, College Basketball, NBA, MLB, World Series, NFL, College Football, BCS & Super Bowl Point Spreads

Right now, clubhouse managers in Florida and Arizona are sprucing up the locker rooms and honing the grass. Travel secretaries from all 30 teams are booking flights and securing hotel rooms. Players are finishing up the last items of those honey-do lists for the winter. Ten days till spring training.

The rosters are pretty much set, but there is still a little bit of work to be done in the player procurement realm. Today, let's look at who's still available on the hitters' side of the ledger. Tuesday, we'll take a look at the pitchers still on the market. But we warn you, at this point in the Hot Stove season, the pickings are pretty slim. Bet on baseball at WagerWeb.com and receive a 30% bonus!

All's quiet for Bell, who hasn't spurred much interest during the winter. It looks like a minor-league deal is going to be his best opportunity to hang around the big leagues for a while longer.

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Last week, Mariners president Chuck Armstrong told the Everett (Wash.) Herald, "We have a third baseman in Adrian Beltre, a second baseman in Jose Lopez and we have the best utilityman in all of baseball in Willie Bloomquist."

"To add David Bell, somebody else would have to go. And I love David Bell."

Uh-huh. Loves him. From a distance. Bell hit .270/.337/.399 last season, playing mostly in the hitter-friendly confines of Citizens Bank Park. The patience and command of the strike zone are still there, but a .129 isolated-power number in Philly makes you wonder if Bell's already tepid power supply has drained completely.

Nonetheless, Bell is still only 34, still provides average defense, can get on base and keep runners moving. Teams that could use his services include the two clubs he was with last season, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Phillies GM Pat Gillick has already convinced himself he can live with Wes Helms at the hot corner, as if the once-astute Gillick hadn't seen Helms field or try to hit lefties. The Brewers have Corey Koskie penciled in at third right now, but Bill Hall will probably get plenty of time there, especially against southpaws.

The Dodgers, also, would do well to look into Bell's services as a hedge against the largely unproven but promising Wilson Betemit. Betemit provides considerably more sock at the plate than Bell. However, Bell's strengths -- plate discipline and fielding -- are Betemit's weaknesses, so the pair would augment each other nicely.

Royals manager Buddy Bell would probably love to bring Bell, his son, into the fold but, alas, third base is one position where, thanks to Alex Gordon and Mark Teahen, KC doesn't need any help.

Other free-agent hitters still on the market:

* Jeromy Burnitz, OF -- Burnitz hasn't officially retired but also hasn't drawn any interest. The 38-year-old slugger is fading fast. He's apparently still fishing around for a minor-league invite, but chances are we've seen the last of Burnitz.

* Ronnie Belliard, 2B -- Things have gone downhill fast for Belliard since helping the Cardinals win the World Series last October. First, the Cardinals acquired Adam Kennedy to man the keystone this season, killing any chance St. Louis would bid to retain the services of the free-agent Belliard. Now, here we are, 10 days away from pitchers and catchers reporting, and Belliard is still unemployed.

On top of all that, last week word leaked that Belliard may have been the target of an extortion plot involving infidelity, a pregnant daughter, covert paternity tests and such, all from a one-night stand gone awry. At least one wire report about the incident referred to Belliard as "an ex-ballplayer." Hey, the guy's only 31 and started for the world champs!

Anyway, Belliard drew the interest of the Padres early in the offseason before they acquired Marcus Giles. Someone will take a chance on Belliard, who can still play and should be more than ready to return his focus to baseball. He might fit with Houston, as insurance against the eventual Craig Biggio breakdown or with Washington because he's just flat-out a better player than Bernie Castro.

* Steve Finley, CF -- Finley is 137 years old and played like it last season. Still, the Cubs may be interested. They would be. Chicago doesn't really want to put Alfonso Soriano in center field and so is dangling Jacque Jones for the first taker.

* Shannon Stewart, OF -- If healthy, Stewart can still play. But his glove isn't anywhere near good enough for center field, and his bat really isn't potent enough for a starting spot at a corner-outfield position. He'll likely be a valuable commodity off the bench for a contending team. He worked out last week, and a number of good clubs are interested in the 33-year-old.

* Bernie Williams, OF -- At this point, Bernie is either going to play for the Yankees or he's not going to play. The 38-year-old probable Hall of Famer is most likely going to sign a minor-league deal to attend another Yankees spring training. But if he doesn't make the team, and there might not be room for him this time around, he'll probably hang'em up.

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