Orel Hershiser is still looking.
Hoping to find a spot in someone's rotation, Hershiser on Tuesday told the Philadelphia Phillies he had better offers."It became apparent that we were not the first choice, so there's no sense prolonging it," Phillies general manager Ed Wade said in Haines City, Fla. "I'm disappointed. I would have liked to have added him."
Last month, Hershiser rejected the Phillies' first offer and instead signed a minor league contract with Cleveland. On Sunday, the Indians told the 40-year-old pitcher that he wasn't likely to make the team.
Wade resubmitted his offer but was rebuffed. The Atlanta Braves and Chicago Cubs are said to be interested in Hershiser, 11-10 with a 4.41 ERA last season for San Francisco.
At Fort Myers, Fla., Denny Neagle threw 32 strikes in 58 pitches -- his longest outing of the spring -- in a "B" game for the Cincinnati Reds.
The left-hander's four innings against a Minnesota Twins lineup that included a smattering of big leaguers showed Neagle is headed in the right direction as he recovers from shoulder weakness.
He hasn't thrown in a regular spring game and almost certainly is headed for the disabled list to start the season.
"I was encouraged today. I was very pleased," general manager Jim Bowden said. "I certainly think this was a step in the right direction."
Cincinnati also agreed to a nonguaranteed minor league contract with infielder Carlos Baerga, the 30-year-old three-time All-Star waived by St. Louis Cardinals on March 17.
"He's in bad shape," Bowden said. "That's why he was released by the Cardinals. He's not in shape at all. He's going to start the year at Indianapolis and we're going to try to get him in shape."
In Jupiter, Fla., the Baltimore Orioles said Cal Ripken left the team to be at the bedside of his gravely ill father, who has been battling lung cancer since October. It's not known whether he will be the Orioles will they play in Cuba on Sunday.
Cal Ripken Sr., 63, began receiving chemotherapy treatments after doctors found a tumor on his lung.
"Everyone in baseball has a mentor, and he was mine," Orioles manager Ray Miller said of Cal Sr. "He indoctrinated me in the Oriole Way."
In St. Petersburg, Fla., the New York Yankees will honor Joe DiMaggio by erecting the fifth monument at Yankee Stadium and will dedicate it on April 25 prior to a game against Toronto.
DiMaggio, who died on March 8, already has been honored with a plaque at the ballpark, dedicated to him by Mickey Mantle on June 8, 1969.