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Sox Free Agent Pursuit a Mystery

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It's tough to figure out which free agent reserve players the Sox might be interested in.

Theo Epstein said Wednesday night that the Sox have an interest in approximately a half-dozen players, all of them role players.

Since the backup catchers pool is rather shallow -- Rod Barajas was considered, then ruled out -- it's a safe bet that most of the action centers around someone to replace Eric Hinske as the backup first baseman.

Russell Branyan has been talked about, though it seems he's pretty far down on the list, probably because of his high strikeout totals.

Other possibilities could include Ryan Klesko and Corey Koskie, both of whom are left-handed -- an added bonus.

From the right side, there's Jeff Cirillo -- who, like Koskie, plays third -- and Olmedo Saenz.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 2:42 PM | Permalink

Hardly know him? We never even MET him!

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Jay Marshall Era is over before it began, apparently.

The Sox had claimed Marshall, a lefthanded reliever from the Oakland A's on Oct. 15, and yesterday, the A's swiped him right back, re-claiming him as it were, from the Sox.

Marshall appeared in 51 games this past season, going 1-2 with a 6.43 ERA.

-- SEAN McADAM

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 2:30 PM | Permalink

Sox Go Home Emptyhanded -- For Now

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Red Sox GM Theo Epstein left the Opryland Hotel here this morning after the completion of the major league portion of the Rule V draft without making a deal.

But that wasn't necessarily a big disappointment.

''We ruled some things out,'' said Epstein, summarizing the week, ``and ruled some things in that we need to pursue . . . We're not disappointed. It was productive even though we didn't get anything done.''

Although they would still like to obtain Johan Santana, the Sox believe they're in a good position with a roster that blends veterand and newcomers and a farm system that continues to produce players.

''It has nothing to do with being World Series champs,'' Epstein said, stressing that the satisfaction stems from the team's current inventory of talent. ''We're not looking backward -- we're looking ahead.''

As for the Santana talks, Epstein spoke with the Minnesota Twins late Wednesday night and promises to continue to monitor the deal's status.

''We don't see the need to to put any deadlines on this,'' he said. ''We'll be there to talk (when they want).''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 1:56 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam: From the Nashville meetings

Sean McAdam checks before he leaves the winter meetings in Nashville to tell us where the Red Sox are with Johan Santana, and to talk about other deals around baseball. Click the play button below to listen and watch the show.

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 1:01 PM to McAdam | Permalink

Sox Lose Two in Rule V Draft

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

NASHVILLE -- In the traditional closing-day tradition here at the Winter Meetings, the Rule V Draft was held earlier this morning, and the Sox lost two minor leaguers.

The San Francisco Giants took 21-year-old lefthander Jose Capellan from the Sox. Capellan, who pitched at Lowell last year, was 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA for the Spinners.

Later, the Philadelphia Phillies chose 25-year-old Lincoln Hodzkom, a righthanded reliever who split time between Double A Portland (4-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 30 appearances) and Pawtucket (1-0, 1.59 in 12 outings).

Under the rules of the Rule V Draft, players selected must remain on the 25-man roster for the entire season or be offered back to their original clubs for half of the selection price ($50,000).

It's quite likely that both players will eventually be returned to the Sox, since neither seems ready to pitch at the big league level. That's especially true of Capellan, who hasn't pitched above the New York-Penn League level yet.

The Sox didn't make any choices themselves. That's due to their personnel on hand, plus the fact that the team's Japan trip further reduces time in spring training to evaluate a Rule V player.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 12:11 PM | Permalink

The overnight Santana report: All's quiet

If you liked Johan Week, you'll love Johan Month. Or Johan Winter.

It's looking more and more like the Red Sox' pursuit of Johan Santana -- or at least the Twins' shopping of him -- will continue far beyond the end of the winter meetings today. Cutting through the noise coming out of Nashville (it's close, it's not close, they're in, they're out), it seems clear Minnesota wants more than Boston is offering, but can't get anyone to top the Sox' bid. And the Sox, conversely, refuse to bid against themselves. So unless Hank Steinbrenner finally has to scratch that itch, it looks like the Twins' real decision will be to accept one of the two packages the Red Sox have on the table or hang onto Santana.

Sean McAdam reports from Nashville that the Sox are perfectly content to play the waiting game. Joe McDonald, meanwhile, talked to Jacoby Ellsbury, who's on pins and needles in Oregon, hoping he gets to stay with the Sox. (Both stories projo.com)

In meantime, here's more from around the country . . .

-- Yahoo! Sport's Tim Brown says the Sox ''have warmed to the idea [of a Santana trade] . . . after questioning the merits of the deal.''

-- Jon Heyman of SI.com reports the Mets are trying to get into the hunt. But unless they include Jose Reyes in the deal -- which they apparently are not inclined to do -- they're not going to get him. (Newsday)

-- Josh Beckett says he won't mind if the Sox acquire Santana and pay him, literally, twice what they're paying him. He does insist on being the Opening Day starter, though. (Boston Herald)

HERE AND THERE: The newest Tiger, Dontrelle Willis, has his own blog. Safe to say he doesn't have a ghostwriter . . . His old team, the Marlins, may have a roster of 25 players averaging about $500,000 each in salary, which David Pinto points out would make the team profitable but would completely go against the spirit of the law of revenue-sharing. The rule, he says, was meant to provide teams with the means to compete economically, not ''be a cash cow for cheap owners.'' . . . It's Andruw Jones to the Dodgers, though not for nearly the contract that Scott Boras was yakking about all summer (Foxsports.com).

OLD FRIENDS: Nomar Garciaparra and his wife, Mia Hamm, were in Boston yesterday for the Northeastern University Sport in Society’s “True Heroes of Sport” Awards Gala and both say they're delighted at the Red Sox' recent run of success (Boston Herald) . . . Matt Murton, who went to the Cubs with Nomar at the trading deadline in 2004, is rumored to be part of a deal that would send the Orioles' Brian Roberts to Chicago (Baltimore Sun) . . . Wily Mo Pena is close to signing an extension with the Nationals (mlb.com) . . . Carlos Pena will probably accept a one-year deal from the Rays (Tampa Tribune).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:51 AM | Permalink

Download today's sports cover

Today's cover features the latest on the Red Sox' pursuit of Johan Santana, and what that might mean for the future of phenom Jacoby Ellsbury. In addition, Shalise Manza Young tells us why Bill Belichick went easy on his Patriots yesterday.

Download a copy of the page in PDF format

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 6:18 AM | Permalink