According to Rosenthal, the Red Sox, Yankees and Blue Jays have all expressed interest in acquiring Martin in a market that is "intensifying."
Russell's from Ontario and has expressed interest in returning to the East Coast.
11:22 p.m.: The Red Sox have resurfaced late night for the second time in as many nights and, again, it's in relation to a right-handed hitting outfielder.
According to JP Morosi, the Red Sox are among the teams who have contacted the Padres about a potential deal for the 32-year-old.
The Red Sox, as you may remember, have some recent history with the Padres with, you know, that Adrian Gonzalez guy coming to Boston over the weekend.
11:10 p.m.: The Yankees and Rangers continue to slug it out for the services of a pitcher both of them covet. Wait, Mark Prior?
According to Tom Krasovic of Fanhouse, the Yankees and Rangers are the final suitors for Prior and a minor-league contract.
Let the posturing begin, gentlemen!
11:10 p.m.: The Yankees and Rangers continue to slug it out for the services of a pitcher both of them covet. Wait, Mark Prior?
According to Tom Krasovic of Fanhouse, the Yankees and Rangers are the final suitors for Prior and a minor-league contract.
Let the posturing begin, gentlemen!
9:58 p.m.: Jerry Crasnick has another team potentially throwing their hat into the Cliff Lee ring — the Angels.
Crasnick tweets that the Angels met with Lee's agent, but admitted to being uncertain as to whether or not Lee was offered a contract.
Crasnick also reports that there's not a very good chance that Lee is signed before the end of the meetings, saying he heard it's "doubtful" Lee signs before Thursday.
9:37 p.m.: Earlier we had NESN.com's Tony Lee's recap of everything Red Sox-related and now we bring you his recap of the day's moves (or lack thereof) across the baseball world.
9:18 p.m.: More from Gordon Edes, this, on the possiblity the Red Sox still make a run at Carl Crawford:
"Multiple sources: Sox still in on Crawford. Epstein doesn't go that far, but says 'Anything's possible.'"
9:15 p.m.: Gordon Edes has something interesting out of Florida regarding former Red Sox pitcher Tom Gordon.
Via Twitter:
"Tom Gordon, who lives in the area, is here, trying to interest teams in giving him a shot at 43. Says he hasn't talked to the Red Sox"
9:08 p.m.: At one point, a Paul Konerko return to Chicago seemed all-but-certain, but according to Scott Merkin of MLB.com, those chances are dwindling.
Merkin has this from White Sox GM Kenny Williams who spoke with the media on Monday night:
"I was very hopeful coming down here [to Florida]. I'm less hopeful now," Williams said. "I was hoping it wouldn't necessarily come down to us really getting serious with our other options, but we have no choice at this point. "
8:38 p.m.: We'll continue to hunt down the rumors throughout the night, but be sure to check out the recap of Day 2 thus far from NESN.com's Tony Lee who is in Florida for the meetings
8:30 p.m.: If Zack Greinke is moved, the Royals pitcher won't be joining Jayson Werth in the nation's capital.
According to MLB.com, it's becoming clear that if the Royals will not be shipping Greinke to Washington if they do decide to move the Cy Young winner.
The Nats will have to instead continue to set their sights on the long-shot chance of acquiring Cliff Lee, or, as MLB.com's Bill Ladson suggests, look into a potential trade for Tampa Bay righty Matt Garza.
8:10 p.m.: Ken Rosenthal reports that reliever J.J. Putz has passed a physical making his move to the Arizona Diamondbacks official.
7:50 p.m.: Nolan Ryan has addressed the Michael Young trade rumors according to ESPN Dallas.
"A lot of players come up in discussions and you listen to what’s out there. I think people ask us about all kinds of players and so you see what level of interest some teams have on various things, but it’s all just part of the process. We're not shopping him."
So they're not out there shopping him, but they certainly sound willing to listen.
7:45 p.m.: Yahoo's Tim Brown has an Angels source telling him the team may not be making the big splashes many thought they would make.
"Of 3 main needs — Crawford, Beltre, Soriano — Angels source said team likely would spring for only one of them."
7:18 p.m.: For those wanting to see Carlos Beltran roaming the Fenway outfield, Gordon Edes just tweeted:
"Rumor of Sox interest in Carlos Beltran not grounded in fact: Sox source"
7:15 p.m.: Joel Sherman of the New York Post just tweeted this:
"Just ran into Johnny Damon in lobby. Says no firm offers yet, hoping to talk to some teams here"
7:10p.m.: MLBTradeRumors points out that ESPN's Adam Marchand is reporting that the Yankees are "on the verge of" making Cliff Lee a "very lucrative" deal.
A couple of things on this:
First, if the Yankees are "on the verge of" offering Lee a deal, then, assuming Jon Heyman was right about Lee already having two deals, than the Yankees are not one of those teams.
Also, an obvious thing to keep an eye on this will be are the Yankees willing to go up to that magical seven-year mark, or, perhaps they'll increase the amount of money they're willing to give Lee and drive the annual salary up.
7:00 p.m.: AOL's Ed Price has news that the Rangers are working on a trade right now.
For those wanting a blockbuster, though, you're out of luck.
Price says a source is telling him that the Rangers are working on moving Chris Davis and Darren O'Day to the Cubs.
6:55 p.m.: Ken Rosenthal has an update on the developing situation surrounding Michael Young.
"Official with one rival club says Rangers are gauging interest in Young and offering to pay small portion of salary."
6:30 p.m.: Do we have some mystery suitors for Cliff Lee?
Jon Heyman tweets this:
"hearing cliff lee now has two 7-year offers for $20-mil plus. yankees, rangers werent planning to go there."
So, unless the Yankees and Rangers have changed their tunes — very real possibility — there may be more teams involved here than we thought.
6:15 p.m.: As some have pointed out, including our own Tony Lee, this Michael Young news could potentially open the door for the Rangers to make a push for free-agent third baseman Adrian Beltre as well.
6:00 p.m.: The Rangers are apparently toying with the idea of trading third baseman Michael Young.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the team is listening to offers for the veteran, perhaps in a move to free up some more money to make a push toward re-signing Cliff Lee.
Rosenthal also points out that Young has a limited no-trade clause, but will be a 10-5 guy in May, though, meaning he can veto any trade.
5:55 p.m.: Sandy Alderson continues to separate himself from the previous Mets front office regime.
Jon Heyman's reporting the Mets prefer pitcher Chris Young to Jeff Francis as Young will cost the Mets about $2 million less than Francis.
Omar Minaya would likely have given them both $10 million per year for the next five years.
5:50 p.m.: Good stuff from NESN's Tony Lee from today's media session with Rays manager Joe Maddon.
With the chance (er, likelihood) of Carlos Pena, Carl Crawford, Rafeal Soriano and now, Jason Bartlett all leaving, Maddon reminded the media that he knows managing the Rays must be done "within certain paramaters."
You don't say.
5:30 p.m.: It seems like the Rangers are determined to leave Disney with a starting pitcher.
The Rangers are obviously trying to re-sign Cliff Lee. Getting a trade done for Zack Greinke is Plan B. According to MLBTradeRumors, Ed Price is reporting that a trade for Tampa's Matt Garza is Plan C.
Of Garza, price says via Twitter:
"Rays are motivated to move him."
5:26 p.m.: Perhaps Baltimore is a likely destination for Lee — first baseman Derrek Lee that is.
According to Jerry Crasnick, the O's kicked the tires on White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko, but are fully expecting him to return to the South Side. Instead, the O's have reportedly turned their attention to Derrek Lee, who hit .265 with 19 homers and 80 RBIs last season.
5:21 p.m.: A Jason Bartlett-to-Baltimore trade is "not happening," according to ESPN's Jayson Stark.
The deal, which would send the shortstop to the O's in exchange for Nolan Reimold has progressively fallen apart all afternoon.
5:21 p.m.: A Jason Bartlett-to-Baltimore trade is "not happening," according to ESPN's Jayson Stark.
The deal, which would send the shortstop to the O's in exchange for Nolan Reimold has progressively fallen apart all afternoon.
5:15 p.m.: Maybe Kevin Gregg is someone the Red Sox will turn to in an attempt to increase bullpen depth.
According to Ken Rosenthal, the Sox have put out an offer to Gregg. Rosenthal also says that the Sox have made "several" offers to relievers.
4:57 p.m.: The Angels are going to sign at least one big-name free agent this winter, but they might make an even bigger splash than expected.
Jon Heyman tweets that the Angels are interested in Carl Crawford, Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano, and the team's main concern is offense, according to a team official.
The Angels are coming off a bad year and probably need to make some noise to intrigue their fan base. They've been linked to Crawford for months, and might be the best landing spot for Beltre, as well.
4:50 p.m.: Prince Fielder has been the subject of trade rumors since around June, and for good reason.
Jon Heyman tweets that the Brewers have "resigned" to the fact that they can't sign Fielder long-term, and have heard recent offers from the Dodgers and Rangers, among other teams.
The Red Sox were in the Fielder discussions at different points during the season, but now that they have Adrian Gonzalez, there's really no place for Prince in Beantown.
At least, for now. With David Ortiz only under contract through 2011, Fielder could be an option at DH, although it would be unlikely that Boston would be willing to pony up the needed dough for a guy who can't even contribute on defense.
4:35 p.m.: Remember those Washington Nationals? Yeah, they're interested in another high-profile player.
According to Jon Heyman, the Nats and Cubs are both interested in free agent first baseman Carlos Pena, who is known for his tremendous power and defensive prowess.
Pena hit just .196 with 28 homers for the Rays in 2010, but he drove in at least 100 runs each year from 2007 to 2009.
It's only a matter of time until we hear "Nationals" and "Albert Pujols" in the same sentence.
4:30 p.m.: The Nationals are apparantly serious about adding a top-tier starting pitcher to their roster this week.
Washington was interested in Cliff Lee earlier in the day, but now their attention appears to have turned to 2009 AL Cy Young Zack Greinke, CBS Sports reports. Greinke had a down year in 2010, which likely means he won't command the kind of contract that CC Sabathia got or Lee will get.
According to the Washington Post, Nats GM Mike Rizzo thinks his team is a "long shot" to sign Lee. But the Nats have money to spend, judging by the monstrous seven-year, $126 million contract they gave Jayson Werth. They've also been linked to starting pitcher Carl Pavano this week.
3:37 p.m.: Terry Francona just met with NESN.com Red Sox reporter Tony Lee and the rest of the media in Florida and told the group that the Sox' new first baseman, Adrian Gonzalez, won't be able to swing a bat until March 1, due to a shoulder injury.
Gonzo had surgery in mid-October to have his right labrum repaired.
This likely means he'll miss just a few exhibition games at the beginning of spring training, but should be ready to go for Opening Day.
3:27 p.m.: The Cubs are reportedly looking at Adam LaRoche to fill the void at first base, reports Scott Miller.The 31-year-old played in 151 games for Arizona last season, hitting .261 with 25 home runs and 100 RBIs.
3:21 p.m.: Looks like Justin Upton is staying with the D-Backs.
Jayson Stark of ESPN.com is reporting that trade talks regarding the outfielder have "just about died."
Stark writes:
"Two dozen teams checked in on Upton over the last several weeks. But the Diamondbacks wanted a huge package back — anywhere between three and five can't-miss young players, including two who, other teams were told, would have to become 'the next Justin Upton.'"
3:19 p.m.: Jeter had some strong words to say at his news conference on Tuesday, including:
"The thing that bothered me the most was how public this became.''
2:18 p.m.: Turns out Brian Cashman doesn't like waiting.
The Yankees GM is frustrated over the pace of the Lee negotiations, according to Rosenthal:
"Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, anxious to close a deal, has privately expressed his frustration to others at the winter meetings about the team’s inability to move the negotiations along, sources say."
Mark Feinsand tweets that the Yankees won't change their plans should Lee get a seven-year offer from another club. Basically, it's six years or nothing from the Yanks.
2:13 p.m.: Like the Red Sox, the Royals are looking for a right-handed hitting outfielder.
David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the Royals are targeting Jeff Francoeur, Matt Diaz, Melky Cabrera and Andruw Jones.
1:55 p.m.: It won't be as easy as expected for the White Sox to re-sign Konerko, reports Joe Cowley of the Sun Times.
Konerko's camp is adamant about a $15 million per year deal but the ChiSox were hoping to get the slugger at a cheaper price, so they could spend more on a thin bullpen.
To make matters worse, the White Sox aren't the only players in the Konerko pool as Morosi is reporting that another team has offered the big first baseman a multi-year deal.
1:47 p.m.: The Red Sox may be in on the Matt Diaz talks, according to the Herald's Scott Lauber and Edes.
Diaz was non-tendered by the Braves this offsesaon after paroling the Atlanta outfield for the past five seasons.
Diaz hit .250 with seven homers and 31 RBIs in 84 contests this past summer. The right-handed hitter posted a .313 BA, 13 homers and 58 RBIs in 2009. He's a lifetime .301 hitter and crushed left-handed pitchers (.335 career batting average against southpaws).
Diaz's agent, Larry Reynolds, told Lauber that he could sign with a team within the "next couple of days, even [Tuesday]."
1:42 p.m.: It sounds like the Cubbies are getting close to being front-runners for Brandon Webb, as Jerry Crasnick tweets that the two sides will meet once again on Tuesday.
The Nats also plan to meet with Webb's people.
1:34 p.m.: Reliever Manny Delcarmen may be heading back to the East Coast.
But not to the Red Sox, tweets Sean McAdam.
According to McAdam, there are a handful of clubs in the East showing interest in the hard-throwing righty from Hyde Park, Mass.
1:25 p.m.: Cliff Lee reportedly has an offer — a seven-year deal worth anywhere between $20-25 million, according to Heyman.
Will the Yanks, who vowed not to go past six years, respond?
1:11 p.m.: Let's have some fun with this Beltran trade rumor (after all, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin says there's a "but" in the unlikely rumor).
Who, if a deal gets done and involves Dice-K, would serve as the team's fifth starter?
The Sox still have Tim Wakefield on the roster, but there's no telling if the knuckleballer can last an entire season at the age of 44.
Could this be where Felix Doubront fits in? The 23-year-old filled in as a reliever and spot-starter last season, but has come up through the system primarily as a starter, dating back to 2005, his first year as a pro.
Is Junichi Tazawa ready? The young righty missed all of 2010 but was coming off a brilliant first season in the States in 2009. Taz went 9-5 with Portland (and earned a nod to the Eastern League All-Star game and Futures Game) before getting bumped up to Pawtucket, where despite going 0-2, he posted a 2.38 ERA and was called up to Boston to fill in for a depleted staff. In Boston, Tazawa went 2-3 with a 7.46 ERA in six games (four starts).
And lastly, my crazy idea of the day (that comes off an even crazier trade rumor): If Daniel Bard is ready to close out games, why not try to convert Jonathan Papelbon back to a starter and pick up a veteran set-up man?
1:08 p.m.: The Rays and O's are working on swapping Jason Bartlett and Nolan Reimold, says Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun.
Connolly's source expects the deal to be done Tuesday.
Connolly is also reporting that the O's have met with the Brewers to talk about Prince Fielder.
12:55 p.m.: The Mets and Sox may be working on a deal involving Carlos Beltran, reports Peter Gammons.
While appearing on MLB Network on Tuesday, Gammons said the two sides "continue to talk" about the outfielder.
"The relationship between Beltran and the Mets is not great," Gammon explained. "He’s not going to play in the outfield for 150 games and there are still hard feelings between ownership and Scott Boras because of the operation Beltran had a year ago."
More from NBC's Hardball Talk:
"Gammons speculated that the Mets could offer to cover about $10 million of Beltran’s salary in an effort to move him, either by sending cash in a trade or taking back another team’s unwanted contract. In the Red Sox’s case he mentioned Daisuke Matsuzaka or Marco Scutaro as possibilities, but added: 'I don’t think the Red Sox will do that.'"
Beltran is owed over $18 million in 2011, but the report indicates that the Mets would be willing to pay for about $10 million to get him out of Queens.
12:32 p.m.: Here's an interesting note about the Sox and Type A free-agent relief pitcher signings, thanks to MLB Trade Rumors:
"The Red Sox haven't surrendered a draft pick to sign a reliever since 2004 with Keith Foulke, but Downs could change that trend, especially if the Red Sox end up receiving additional first-round and supplemental picks for the departures of Victor Martinez, Adrian Beltre, and Felipe Lopez."
12:23 p.m.: The Red Sox have been linked to durable reliever Pedro Feliciano, reports Morosi.
The former Mets pitcher, who appeared in the most games among NL pitchers in each of the last three seasons (86 in 2008, 88 in 2009, 92 in 2010) is targeted by some big-market clubs as the Sox, Yankees and Phillies are all showing interest in the 34-year-old lefty.
Feliciano went 3-6 with a 3.30 ERA and held left-handed hitters to a .211 BA last season in Queens, his eighth season in the MLB.
12:16 p.m.: The New York Mets are eager to grab a catcher this winter and are looking at Ronny Paulino, Gerald Laird, Miguel Olivo, Russell Martin and Dioner Navarro, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
12:10: p.m.: Andrew Miller, the tall lefty whom the Red Sox non-tendered just a week ago, is in Florida Tuesday and will meet with a few teams, Sox included, reports Gordon Edes.
The Sox acquired the 6-foot-7, 210-pounder from the Marlins for Dustin Richardson. The 25-year-old went 1-5 with an 8.54 ERA in nine games (seven starts) in 2010.
12:05 p.m.: The Yankees and White Sox are interested in grabbing some late-inning help in Kerry Wood, tweets Rosenthal.
In 2010, Wood had a 0.69 ERA in 24 games for the Yankees, who acquired him from the Indians, where he was dreadful out of the pen (1-4, 6.30 ERA in 23 appearances).
11:54 a.m.: In an effort to grab a powerful right-handed bat off the bench, the Sox are reportedly looking into Josh Willingham, says Rosenthal.
The tweet also indicates that the A's are interested, too, but the price is "absurd."
Willingham is a left fielder, but has seen time in right (35 games in 2009) as well. In fact, he's even been behind the dish for 15 career games but hasn't tossed on the gear since 2006 with the Marlins.
Morosi reports that the M's and Tigers are kicking Ol' Willy's tires, as well.
11:46 a.m.: This just in from TC, who's scooping in the Sunshine State:
"Just spoke with Hideki Okajima's representatives. Reports that the lefty has agreed to a multi-year contract with a Japanese team are 'totally inaccurate.'
"I'm told he is still listening to all offers and potential offers [on either side of the Pacific] and that all options are still open."
11:39 a.m.: It sounds like Greinke is afraid of the big, bad East, as Jayson Stark tweets that "East coast clubs sound dubious [he] wants to pitch there."
One executive even told Stark that Greinke will "absolutely not" end up in East.
11:24 a.m.: The Mariners are hoping to be active this offseason, and after a brutally embarrassing 2010 campaign, why wouldn't they be?
The M's have been rumored to be in on talks and/or interest in Rich Harden, Gregg Zaun, Eric Chavez, Hideki Matsui, Jack Cust, Matt Diaz and Koji Uehara. Even Royals ace Zack Greinke has been rumored to be on the M's radar.
11:10 a.m.: Tony Lee hears that Hideki Okajima is considering Japan if he can't find a suitable deal in the MLB.
Epstein told reporters on Monday night that the Sox are still speaking with Oki's people.
11:08 a.m.: All signs are pointing to the White Sox re-signing Paul Konerko.
Morosi tweets that the D-Backs (one of the few teams showing serious interest in the slugger) don't have the money to get into such a bidding war.
11 a.m.: The Nationals/Cliff Lee rumors are apparently too good to be true for Nats (and Sox) fans.
According to Adam Kilgore (who spoke to two Nats sources), there's "zero chance" of club tossing that much money at the former Rangers ace.
10:52 a.m.: The Dodgers and hurler Vincente Padilla have agreed on a one-year, $2 million deal, according to Olney.
10:50 a.m.: The Yanks have finally announced Derek Jeter's deal, reports Morosi.
The captain will be in the Bronx until 2013 with an option for '14.
10:45 a.m.: The Cubs are "aggressively shopping" 28-year-old starter Tom Gorzelanny, according to Dejan Kovacevic. Anyone in the market for a lifetime 36-37 pitcher with a career 4.68 ERA?
He did go 14-10 with a 3.88 ERA in 2007 with the Pirates.
10:42 a.m.: Back to Ty Wigginton details in Colorado, thanks to Rosenthal:
Two years, $8 million with club options for $3.5 million in 2011, $4 million in 2010 (500K buyout on option).
10:31 a.m.: Signing Scott Downs (Type A free agent) would cost the Sox a first-round pick in the 2011 draft, but Rob Bradford of WEEI beleives the Sox would be willing to make the sacrifice for the lefty.
Downs is one of the top relievers on the market after posting a 2.64 ERA in 2010 and a 2.78 ERA over 321 appearances in the last five seasons.
10:24 a.m.: The Yanks are among a handful of teams kicking the tires on Rich Harden, but it's not clear as to what inquiring clubs view the hurler as. Will he start or relieve in 2011?
In addition to the NYY, the Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays, Arizona Diamondbacks, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners and Colorado Rockies are among the teams who have checked in on the last offseason's hottest topic, a source tells John Morosi.
10:21 a.m. The Rangers weren't the only team talking to Webb on Monday night as Troy Renck saw his agent speaking with Cubs people, too.
10:10 a.m.: Heyman is getting in on the Lee-to-Nats rumor and claims that they may be offering the ace a seventh year — something the Yanks are reportedly not willing to offer.
Are the Nats out-Yankeeing the Yankees?
10 a.m.: Ed Price of Fanhouse tweets that the Rangers met with Brandon Webb on Monday night.
Webb, who won 22 games in 2009, could be a low-risk/high-reward guy for teams looking to throw a one-year deal at a potential No. 4 or No. 5 starter coming off an injury.
9:53 a.m.: The Nationals, fresh off signing Jayson Werth, are reportedly going to stir things up in the Cliff Lee pot.
According to Buster Olney, the NL team is going to throw a "huge number" at Lee.
Lee spent one season (more like 1/3 of a full season) in the NL, where he went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 game for the Phillies in 2009. That summer, he also pitched for the Indians, where he went 7-9 with a 3.14 ERA in 22 games before being dealt to Philly.
9:40 a.m.: I'd just like to take a moment to congratulate New England on a wonderful day in sports on Monday.
First, it was the Adrian Gonzalez announcement at Fenway Park.
Then, it was the firing of yet another Bill Belichick disciple in Josh McDaniels.
Next, it was the Pats dismantling the Jets on MNF.
And finally, the region's most beloved footy squad, Liverpool, picked up a huge win over Aston Villa! Is there a sarcasm emoticon?
9:18 a.m.: The Halos arrived late to the Crawford negotiation party.
Literally.
According to the L.A. Times, Tony Reagins' flight was delayed and he didn't land in Florida until Monday night.
If the Angels do miss out on Crawford, they're still interested in free-agent closer Rafael Soriano, who may me demanding something around four years, $45 million.
Adrian Beltre could be the club's biggest target — especially since the Sox are no longer players and the A's recently withdrew their offer of five years, $64 million.
9:10 a.m.: The Rockies and Ty Wigginton have reportedly agreed on a two-year, $7.5 million deal, says Tracy Ringolsby of FOX sports.
Not a bad pay day for a .248 hitter last season (.267 lifetime). Wigs has averaged about 20 taters and 70 RBIs per season, but Rox fans can expect more pop in the thin air. The 33-year-old is expecting to be no more than a right-handed bat off the bench behind CarGo, Fowler and Spilborghs/Seth Smith. He also saw time at first base, second base, and third base for the Orioles.
Fist-bump to Rosenthal for breaking the early rumor on Tuesday.
8:51 a.m.: So the Jayson Werth contract just gave Carl Crawford's corner all the power in the world, right?
Wrong.
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark spoke to a "prominent agent" regarding the subject.
Check out this excerpt from his latest blog:
"When I heard people saying how great the Werth contract was going to be for Crawford, I thought, 'Hold on,'" the agent said. "I mean, it is, obviously. If that's what Werth is getting, he should get more. But here's the question: If the price just went up, who can pay it?"
Exactly. The realistic effect of Werth's mega-contract is that it might actually give Crawford fewer options, not more.
Crawford's corner has likely inflated the speedsters price tag, and rightfully so. But what the former Rays outfielder will soon come to realize is that even fewer teams will be able to afford his asking price — especially since the Red Sox (believed to be a major player in the Crawford sweepstakes) just inked Adrian Gonzalez and are reportedly negotiating an extension as we speak.
So that leaves the Yankees as perhaps the only team that could afford Crawford's new asking price. But will the Bronx Bombers unleash the loot on Crawford when their target is clearly Cliff Lee?
As for the Sox, who have been knocked off the Crawford list by most media members, one agent is saying "not so fast."
"Don't count [the Red Sox] out," said an agent close to Stark. "But I doubt it."
To quote Lloyd Christmas: "So you're saying there's a chance!"
8:29 a.m.: As seen in Monday's live blog, NESN's pal from the Globe Nick Cafardo flirted with the idea that the Sox may be interested in grabbing Magglio Ordonez as a right-handed bat for left field.
General manager Theo Epstein was asked what's next on his agenda on Monday.
"Bullpen, bullpen, maybe integrate a right-handed bat into the mix if we can find the right one," he explained. "I feel like if we brought back the same [outfield] group, we'd be OK."
Be OK? Would they be better than OK if they brought in a bigger bat? Perhaps.
He continues:
"I think here is a possibility of us doing something in the outfield, it might be a more complementary-type move. If we don’t find something that makes sense, we are comfortable with the group that we have."
NESN.com's Red Sox reporter Tony Lee has informed me from Florida that he thinks Red Sox Nation should keep an eye on this Ordonez-to-Boston rumor. Lurking in those Orlando lobbies pays off, after all.
8:23 a.m.: Joel Sherman of the NY Post tweets that the Yankees will top out their offer to Lee at $144 million-$160 million over six years.
8:20 a.m.: It's unlikely the Rangers are going to bag Konerko to fill their vacant first base role. Instead, they're putting their focus on Cliff Lee. And Red Sox fans should be happy they are.
A friend of Konerko tells Heyman the Chi Sox are still in the driver's seat.
8 a.m.: The Royals wouldn't trade ace Zack Greinke within division in a "perfect world," says Heyman.
Make of that as you will.
7:56 a.m.: For those who were enthralled in MNF and missed out on this tidbit: The Yanks are reportedly not going to offer Cliff Lee seven years, says Ken Rosenthall.
Heyman believes they'll stop at a six-year offer because he's four years older than CC Sabathia was as a free agent.
7:50 a.m.: Pujols has met with Cards officials, reports Jon Heyman.
The slugger is "thought to be seeking A-Rod money."
If I were Pujols, I'd be seeking "Google money."
6 a.m.: Monday was a busy day for baseball executives as they met in Orlando for the first day of baseball's winter meetings.
It was an especially busy day for Red Sox brass including general manager Theo Epstein who woke up to introduce new slugger Adrian Gonzalez to the media before hopping on a plane and heading down to Florida.
Monday may not have featured a lot movement, but it became clear throughout the day that there was plenty of maneuvering going on. Tuesday will likely present a bit more movement as there are still plenty of dominoes left to fall.
Among them: Will Cliff Lee get any closer to signing what's sure to be an incredibly lucrative contract? Are the Brewers going to pull off a Prince Fielder blockbuster? Is Tuesday the day a favorite emerges for the services of outfielder Carl Crawford? And what's next for the Red Sox after picking up Gonzalez over the weekend?
Be sure to check in all day to NESN.com's live blog of the winter meetings for answers to these questions as well as plenty of updates throughout the day.
