Today’s update is powered by the ballad of Beaker:

• Its never too early to worry about NEXT year’s Yankee free agents:

The Yankees could be facing a most interesting offseason following the 2010 season. Closer Mariano Rivera and shortstop Derek Jeter, two franchise icons, will become eligible for free agency, and manager Joe Girardi’s three-year contract will expire.

The Yankees have a strict policy of not negotiating contracts until the current one has expired. Thus, questions about the future of all three will hang over the Yankees all season. GM Brian Cashman, though, does not see that as a potential problem.

“Everybody signed those contracts and there is a lot of money being made and people are comfortable,” Cashman told the New York Post‘s irascible George Arthur King III.

• Damon to the Braves?:

A person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press that the Atlanta Braves have made an offer to free agent outfielder Johnny Damon.

. . . Atlanta’s offer is believed to be for one year and include deferred money. Damon’s agent, Scott Boras, has said he is seeking at least a two-year deal.

• No more “Joba Rules“:

. . .  (Joba) Chamberlain may have an early leg up on (Phil) Hughes because he will not be subject to innings limits in 2010.

“We want 200 innings in all five of our guys,” (pitching coach Dave) Eiland said.

Eiland said that he is looking forward to seeing how Chamberlain responds to the removal of the ‘Joba Rules,’ which have guided his innings since his arrival as a stud reliever late in 2007.

“He’s just going to go out and pitch and he’ll be the one who’ll dictate when he comes out as far as getting hit or getting tired or losing his stuff,” Eiland said.

. . . Eiland said that while the Yankees shuffled their plans to limit Chamberlain’s innings, first by spacing out his starts and then by cutting his efforts short after three or four innings, Chamberlain was intentionally kept in the dark.

“He didn’t want to know and we didn’t want him to know it,” Eiland said. “We just wanted him to pitch. There isn’t going to be any of that this year and, if he’s a starter, we look for him to give us 200 innings.”

• Nats front-runners for Chien-Ming Wang.

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Back on Monday.