A lot going on right now in minor league baseball.. more transactions:
Cedric Bowers was signed by the Dodgers
Josh Fields (one of my favorite stories from CCP) returned from Japan to sign with LA as well.
Mike Cervenak re-signed with Miami
DeWayne Wise signed with the Yankees {spit}
Steve Lerud, a catcher, signed with the Phillies.
R.J. Swindle signed with St. Louis
The Rangers traded Ryan Kelly to the Padres for Luis Martinez. (Not our SE2TV pal)
Brian Bocock signed with the Blue Jays
noisenation.mlblogs.com 
LH Reliever Derrick Loop also signed with the Dodgers. He pitched for Clearwater & Reading in 2011 and in 2010 he was the winning pitcher in the Ironpigs final win of the year on Sunday, September 5th. It was his one and only Ironpigs appearance.
Free agents of interest who I wouldn’t mind seeing the Phillies sign to minor league deals for 201:.
1. Dan Johnson, Dan Johnson, Dan Johnson, 1B: 2010 home run derby champ and IL MVP, hit biggest homerun in Rays history on final day of 2011 season. With Tampa signing Juan Miranda, big Dan could be looking elsewhere and the Phillies could look attractive, especially if Howard has to spend time on the DL.
2. Josh Barfield, 2B. I liked what he did in 2011.
3. Will Rhymes, 2B. Hit over .300 the last 2 years with Toledo. A pesky guy who would fit well in the #2 slot in the lineup behind Thompson.
4. Kevin Kouzmanoff, 3B. Not as high a priority now that Luna is signed but still a quality ballplayer with big league experience.
5. Bubba Bell, OF. Just because he’s a Noise Nation favorite.
6. Brent Clevlen, OF. Solid AAA player who did well in Reading after signing late last year (.440 OBP)
7. Jeff Frazier, OF. His family from Toms River, NJ fills 2 rows of section 109 whenever he comes to town. He was on that Toms River Little League World Series team in the 90’s.
8. Brian Bass, P. Showed his toughness late last year and would be welcomed back.
9. John Maine, P. Packed it in last June but would be a nice project if he unretires.
10. Mark Prior, P. Extreme longshot. Threw just 1 inning in 2010 and 12 innings in 2011. Everything to gain and nothing to lose.
That should be: “wouldn’t mind seeing the Phillies sign to minor league deals for 2012.”
Since I’m the only one commenting I’ll add another.
11. Brian Gordon, P. The SK Wyverns had until the end of 2011 to make him an offer. I haven’t heard anything, so if he didn’t sign a new deal with his Korean team he would now be a free agent. I’d happily take him back.
12. I’m craving onion rings. Ever since I saw the blooper on mlb network of a foul ball landing in some guys plate of onion rings and showering the left fielder I’ve been thinking, why not onion rings at coca-cola park? I’ve never seen them at the ballpark so I assume they don’t have them.
Did we mention Scott Elarton as a Phillies signee before? I can’t remember, but I just saw where he received an invitation to spring training. The 6’7″ right handed pitcher turns 36 next month and last pitched for the Charlotte Knights in 2010. He was a former 1st round pick of the Astros way back in 1994.
Thanks for these posts, Decal. Here’s my two cents:
First, I’ll take any of the guys you mention. All potential contributers.
Johnson is a 1B/DH-type and might be a need with Bozied gone if Rizzotti isn’t ready to be a AAA player and if Thome can’t fill in a little as Howard works his way back. Mayberry can play 1B for the Phils a little if they take one of the AAAA OF guys for depth in Philly.
I know Frandsen can play a little 1B, but he doesn’t really project there in the majors. If they choose one of those 2B guys, then Frandsen can fill in at any infield position.
We can always use an extra arm or OF guy, so they guys you list are good ideas. Injuries, opt-outs, flame-outs and whatnot always impact. Do the Phils have more/less AAA/AAAA guys invited to S/T this year compared with previous?
Onion rings are a nice idea. They can be done in a regular fryer like fries. You can add cheese or other dipping stuff to them. Goes well with beer. Nice!
Don’t forget about Cody Overbeck at first base.. and Luna also in the infield. Should be interesting to see where the pieces fall.
An article this past week by Todd Zolecki at mlb.com says to far date the Phillies have invited 15 non-roster players to spring training. The list is:
Pitchers: Dave Bush, Scott Elarton, Brian Sanches, David Purcey, Pat Misch, Raul Valdes;
Catchers: Steven Lerud and Tuffy Gosewisch.
Infielders: Pete Orr, Kevin Frandsen and Hector Luna.
Outfielders Scott Podsednik and Luis Montanez.
Also, Phillies non-roster minor league invitees Austin Hyatt and B.J. Rosenberg.