Hot Stove. The day after the Yankees-Pedro meeting, Larry Lucchino and Theo Epstein flew to Florida and met with Pedro and John Henry. The Wednesday meeting apparently was not a quick response to the New York news, but had been scheduled beforehand.

Epstein returned to Boston on Thursday to meet with Carl Pavano, who also hung out at Curt Schilling's house. Pavano plans also to meet with the Yankees, Orioles, Tigers, Angels and Mariners.

Newsday reported today that the Red Sox had upped their offer to Pedro, possibly offering a guaranteed third year. The Post mentioned two separate rumors that the Yankees had made an offer to Pedro: either 3 years at $15 per with a 4th year option or 4 years totaling $50. Several Yankee officials debunked both stories.

Any future contact with the Yankees regarding Pedro will be with Brian Cashman, who isn't all that keen on signing Martinez. ... Boston is considering Placido Polanco as a backup to both Mark Bellhorn and Bill Mueller. ... Sadly, Dale Sveum will be coaching third base next season. ... On Wednesday, Boston made a two-year offer to the 35-year-old catcher Damian Miller, somewhere between $6.5 million to $7 million. ... Slappy McBluelips: "To play with Pedro is one of the dreams I still have yet to accomplish."

Tony Massarotti has some inside info about the AL MVP voting: David Ortiz's first-place vote came from Sheldon Ocker of the Akron Beacon Journal; Manny Ramirez was at the top of San Francisco Chronicle's Susan Slusser's ballot. Mazz voted for Vlad.