The Truth is Out There

While the truth may be out there, it’s awash with a sea of misinformation deeper than any Mulder and Scully had to wade through.  

Buster Olney provides the latest fodder for the Red Sox rumor mill in his links column on ESPN Insider.

“The Red Sox are meeting with CC Sabathia sometime in the next few days, and so will GM Brian Cashman, who reportedly met with Scott Boras, the agent for Mark Teixeira and Derek Lowe. It’s unclear whether the Red Sox are seriously interested in trying to compete with the Yankees’ $140 million offer to Sabathia, or if they are just doing their due diligence and preparing alternatives in their winter shopping.”

The Red Sox have to meet with CC regardless of intent to prepare an offer with him if for nothing else than to make sure every avenue is pursued and to keep other teams negotiating with him (i.e. the Yankees) honest.

Also in that same notebook, Olney addresses Jason Varitek:

By Sunday, free agents who were offered arbitration by their 2008 teams must decide whether to accept or reject, leaving some baseball executives to play something of a guessing game. The consensus is that Manny Ramirez will reject arbitration, and Raul Ibanez and Jason Varitek will accept.

I think that accepting arbitration and working out a two year deal with a club option for the third makes the most sense for both Varitek and the Red Sox. Worst case scenario, Varitek gets the high end in arbitration and gets 1 year, $11 million.

Olney also throws in this nugget:

Heard this: With Dustin Pedroia now locked up to a long-term deal, the Red Sox are hoping to get long-term contracts worked out with Kevin Youkilis and Jon Lester; colleague Peter Gammons reports that the Red Sox may have something wrapped up with Youkilis quickly.

Given the club “rule” that any contract negotiations for a player before they enter their arbitration years include buying out at least one year of free agency and include a club option, Youkilis would be looking at a minimum four year deal with a club option for a fifth and Lester a deal similar to Pedroia’s six year, $40.5 million with a club option on the seventh.

I would think that Youkilis, who made $3 million dollars in 2008, would be looking at a four year, $35 – $40 million dollar offer with a club option for the fifth year at $11 million or so.  Lester’s contract may need to be slightly higher than Pedroia’s as the value of a top 10 starter in free agency is much greater then a top 3 second baseman.  Buying out his three free agent years might need to be in the $40 million dollar range vs. the $31 million Dustin reached.