it’s about that time

With training camps already springing to life in Florida and Arizona, it’s curious that free agent Paul Maholm has yet to be signed. The Mississippi State product from Greenwood, one of those crafty left-handers, was cut loose by Atlanta after a lackluster 2013 season: 10-11, 4.41 ERA. Maholm’s career numbers aren’t great — 76-95, 4.28 — but he pitched for some bad Pittsburgh teams early in his career. He broke in in 2005, so his arm has a few miles on it, but one would think he could still be an effective back-end-of-the-rotation pitcher. Perhaps his price tag is too high. Maybe teams are waiting to see what some of the other remaining free agent pitchers get. Surely Maholm will land somewhere in the next few days. … Roy Oswalt, the veteran right-hander from Weir and Holmes Community College, is also unsigned, though it seems likely he will retire after his poor 2013 campaign with Colorado.
P.S. Here’s an early look at Mississippians already slated for big league camps:
40-man roster members
Position players
Joey Butler (Pascagoula), St. Louis; Zack Cozart (Ole Miss), Cincinnati; Brian Dozier (Southern Miss), Minnesota; Corey Dickerson (Meridian CC), Colorado; Jarrod Dyson (Southwest CC), Kansas City; Billy Hamilton (Taylorsville), Cincinnati; Desmond Jennings (Itawamba CC), Tampa Bay; Tyler Moore (Mississippi State), Washington; Mitch Moreland (MSU), Texas; Alex Presley (Ole Miss), Minnesota; Seth Smith (Ole Miss), San Diego
Pitchers
Robert Carson (Hattiesburg), Los Angeles Angels; Louis Coleman (Schlater/Pillow Academy), Kansas City; T.J. House (Picayune High) Cleveland; Phillip Irwin (Ole Miss), Pittsburgh; Cliff Lee (Meridian CC), Philadelphia; Lance Lynn (Ole Miss), St. Louis; Jonathan Papelbon (MSU), Philadelphia; Drew Pomeranz (Ole Miss), Oakland; Donnie Veal (Jackson), Chicago White Sox
Non-roster invitees
Position players
Julio Borbon (Starkville), Baltimore; Chris Coghlan (Ole Miss), Chicago Cubs; Ed Easley (MSU), St. Louis; Eli Whiteside (Delta State), Chicago Cubs; Alex Yarbrough (Ole Miss), Los Angeles Angels
Pitcher
Tony Sipp (Gulf Coast CC), San Diego