In the midst of their bullpen woes this summer the Red Sox made a run at then-Cleveland Indians reliever Kerry Wood. When they lost him to the New York Yankees and then saw him post a 0.69 ERA down the stretch, it was a bit of a blow.
There may be a second chance to grab the big righty on the free agent market after an ESPN report surfaced that the Yankees have declined their option on Wood.
ESPN New York cited "a source close to the situation" in reporting that Wood, Lance Berkman and Nick Johnson each had their options declined. Wood's was for $11 million, a hefty price tag for a setup man.
The report said that the Yanks and Wood may still attempt to negotiate a long-term deal. Before Wood arrived New York had bullpen issues of its own so any attempts to retain him at a fair price would make sense. Otherwise Wood may walk in pursuit of a job as a closer's role.
If by some chance his desire to remain with a winning team outweighs his need to be a closer and a bidding war begins, expect the Red Sox to be in on it once again.
