Odds and Ends: El Duque, Tazawa, Ausmus

Links for Tuesday.  Be sure to check back on Odds and Ends posts, as I update them throughout the day with minor links.

• The Jays may no longer have A.J. Burnett under contract, but they continued their claiming frenzy by adding pitcher Les Walrond.
• The A’s re-hired Jason Giambi’s strength coach.  Does it mean anything?
• The Cardinals remain intrigued by the idea of bringing Edgar Renteria back.
• The Dodgers bought out catcher Gary Bennett for $50K; he’s a free agent now.
• Mike Cameron thinks C.C. Sabathia has a good chance of re-signing with the Brewers.  He says Sabathia could be a pioneer by taking less money to stay.
• Yahoo’s Tim Brown says Orlando Hernandez is working out and intends to play next year.  He did not pitch in the Majors at all this year due to foot injuries.
• Dylan Hernandez chatted with Scott Boras last week.
• The New York Daily News discusses Baseball Prospectus’ Nate Silver, whose political website is immensely popular.
• Patrick Newman points out that Junichi Tazawa will not be the first Japanese amateur to sign with an MLB team.
• Buster Olney says Brad Ausmus wants to play in 2009 if it’s close to his San Diego home.  The Dodgers could be one possibility.