Both Tony Graffanino and Dustan Mohr, who played well in front of a host of scouts yesterday, are still waiting and hoping to be picked up by other clubs.

01:00 AM EST on Monday, March 27, 2006

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- As the final week of spring training dawns, Tony Graffanino and Dustan Mohr understand that each day with the Red Sox could well be their last.

Graffanino has been a spare part since the Sox obtained Mark Loretta from San Diego last December. To date, the Red Sox have been unable to move him and placed him on revocable waivers over the weekend.

As for Mohr, the outfielder was squeezed out of a possible roster spot when the Sox traded for Wily Mo Pena last Monday. He has an "out" clause in his minor league contract that allows him to elect free agency Thursday if the Sox don't purchase his contract.

Yesterday, both were in the lineup against the Philadelphia Phillies, each being showcased for perhaps the final time.

Graffanino, who came into yesterday's game hitting .182, hit a home run to left in the first inning.

"That was gratifying," said Graffanino after the Sox edged Philadelphia, 3-2. "You want to feel good and I feel I've been hitting the ball hard lately."

With a plethora of scouts on hand, his timing couldn't have been better.

"I know what's going on, if that's what you mean," he said.

The veteran infielder said he's unsure why the Sox haven't dealt him since they've known since the winter meetings that he wouldn't be their starting second baseman. He accepted their offer of salary arbitration when they offered it, binding him to the club.

"I had no choice," he said. "Every team that was interested in me pulled out."

The Sox have offered him around all winter, and a number of teams -- including the Mets, Cardinals, Cubs and others -- have expressed an interest. But so far nothing has transpired.

If the Sox can't work out a deal today or tomorrow, or Graffanino isn't claimed on waivers, they can release him Wednesday and owe him just one-quarter of his $2.05 million non-guaranteed deal.

"They made a decision," he said. "I'm not going to gripe about it. But it hasn't been an easy spring training by any means. The hardest part is coming here every day knowing this is not the ballclub I'm going to be playing with. And feeling I'm really not supposed to be in this room. The guys have been great, but the whole time I've been wishing I could go somewhere else and wishing it would happen so I can get a new start."

Graffanino admits he's been pressing on the field, resulting in the poor batting average.

"Obviously, I've been feeling more pressure to prove (myself)," he said.

The next few days will determine his future. The Sox could help pay some of his salary to facilitate a deal. Or they could give him his termination pay Wednesday and let him become a free agent.

"Ego-wise," he said, "I probably would prefer to be traded. "But being (released) wouldn't be a bad thing. At this point, I know I'm a major-leaguer and I know I can play every day. I just want to go somewhere and do that."

Mohr is another player watching the calendar. Until the Sox made the trade for Pena, he assumed he would make the Sox as an extra outfielder. But Pena's arrival has eliminated his opening.

Ironically, the Phillies are one team that has shown an interest in him, so it didn't hurt that Mohr belted an RBI double in the fourth and made a strong, one-hop throw to the plate in the fifth to nail Jimmy Rollins.

"It's nice to do stuff like that," he said. "But they probably should know what I'm capable of -- I wasn't out there to impress anybody."

Mohr met with GM Theo Epstein and manager Terry Francona the morning after the Pena trade and understood his plight. But that doesn't make it any easier.

"I thought I did everything I needed to do to make this club," he said. "Even after a few days, it's still disappointing. I probably shouldn't have left myself get my hopes up."

Unless Mohr is shipped elsewhere -- highly unlikely, since teams know he has an out Thursday and can sign him then without giving anything to the Red Sox in return -- he'll be free to shop around by the end of the week. But so, too, will other veterans who are cut loose, making for a crowded marketplace.

"It's kind of awkward," he said. "It's nerve-wracking until something happens."

smcadam@projo.com / (401) 277-7340