 One executive is under the impression that free agent leftie Dallas Kajkel either wants a one-year deal above the $17.9 million qualifying offer, or a long-term contract at a lower salary. Neither option is necessarily available now that the season has started, and the longer that Kajkel waits, the more he will sacrifice in a pro-rated deal and the longer it will take him to prepare. Kajkel reportedly is throwing 95-pitch simulated games every five days, but that is not the same as facing Major League hitters. The Orioles might need to make a decision on Chris Davis sooner rather than later. Davis started the season 0 for 17 with 11 strikeouts, drawing booze at Camden Yards on opening day. Of course, the problem with releasing Davis is that he's owed more than $90 million through 2022, including $6 million deferred without interest per year. That's right, Davis is the Orioles Bobby Bonilla. The team will be paying him through 2037. The Cubs refusal to give Joe Madden a contract extension will fuel speculation about his job status if the team continues to sputter. But it wasn't Madden who signed you Darvish, Tyler Chatwood and Brandon Morrow, and it wasn't Madden who built the team's current bullpen. So scapegoating him would only lead to blowback for Theo Epstein, and besides, there is not an obvious replacement. Mark Loretta is a first-year bench coach, and its doubtful ownership would want to spend on someone like Joe Girardi. Don't look for the Mariners to shift course and accelerate their rebuilding program just because they started the season 8 and 2. For one thing, it's ridiculously early, and the Mariners' bullpen and Major League-leading 16 errors are cause for immediate concern. More to the point, the Mariners want to build a sustainable contender that can compete with the Astros over the long haul. Two encouraging signs, however. The Ben Gamal for Domingo Santana trade already looks like a steal, and rival executives remain high on Yusei Kukuchi.