The A’s have signed 31-year old righty reliever/starter Jason Jennings to a minor league deal. Jennings pitched in 44 games (0 starts) for the Rangers last season and he was 2-4 with 1 save, a 4.13 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Jennings has now pitched in 225 games (180 starts) in his major league career and he is 62-74 with 1 save, a 4.95 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Jennings will likely try to make the A’s as a long reliever this spring.

The A’s have signed 36-year old righty starter/reliever Brett Tomko to a minor league deal. Tomko pitched in 21 games (6 starts) with the A’s and Yankees last season and he was 5-3 with a 3.77 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP. Tomko has now pitched in 389 games (266 starts) in his major league career and he is 100-102 with 2 saves, a 4.65 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP. Tomko will likely battle for the #5 spot in the starting rotation this spring if he is healthy.

The A’s have designated 25-year old SS/2B Gregorio Petit for assignment. He played in 11 games for the A’s last season and he was 7 for 31 (.226 avg, .484 OPS) with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Petit has played in 25 games in his career with the A’s and he is 15 for 54 (.278 avg, .637 OPS) with 6 runs scored and 1 RBI. The A’s won’t miss Petit too much as they are in good shape in the infield.

The A’s have claimed 26-year old righty swinging infielder Steve Tolleson on waivers from the Twins. He played in 130 games in AA+AAA ball last season and he was 134 for 503 (.266 avg, .720 OPS) with 78 runs scored, 8 homers, 40 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. Tolleson has now played in 500 games in his minor league career and he is 505 for 1,827 (.276 avg, .768 OPS) with 288 runs scored, 33 homers, 183 RBIs and 67 stolen bases. He can play pretty much anywhere in the infield so he might have a decent chance of winning a bench role for the A’s in 2010.

The A’s have designated 26-year old lefty starting pitcher Dana Eveland for assignment. He pitched in 13 games (9 starts) for the A’s last season and he was 2-4 with a 7.16 ERA and a 2.18 WHIP. Eveland pitched in 42 games (38 starts) for the A’s in his two years there and he is 11-13 with a 4.92 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP. This is no loss for the A’s as Eveland’s best asset is that he is left-handed but he is not a good pitcher.

UPDATE: The A’s have traded Eveland to the Blue Jays for either cash or a player to be named later.