Sox Offer Manny For Miggy

Both the Herald and Globe report that the Red Sox called the Orioles Friday and offered Manny Ramirez for Miguel Tejada.

Michael Silverman (Herald):

The source indicated the Orioles would need the Sox to throw in a starter or reliever before the deal could be considered more seriously. ...

The source indicated the Orioles are attempting to determine just how unhappy Tejada is ... The Orioles were aware Tejada ended the season in a sour mood ... but they are also of the belief that had Renteria not been traded, Tejada wouldn't have spoken up.

Chris Snow and Gordon Edes (Globe):

As of late last night, the Orioles had been contacted about Tejada by five to eight teams, including Boston, but weren't ready to take the Sox' offer to owner Peter Angelos, according to an Orioles source. It's uncertain whether Angelos would want Ramirez.

The Orioles need pitching, so doing a 1-for-1 deal probably makes little sense for Baltimore. And I feel great knowing the Boston front office is smart enough not to throw in Jon Lester just to get rid of Manny and make a splash at short.

The Washington Post reports that Tejada first demanded a trade last Monday in private conversations with the team. Baltimore owner Peter Angelos: "I'd find it difficult to justify a $20 million salary per year for anybody. The economics of the game don't support that type of salary for any player."

After Melvin Mora said Tejada "saw the Toronto Blue Jays getting big names and saw all the teams spending money and we don't do anything", Angelos said: "We're not spending $50 million on a closer who's been a closer for only one year [BJ Ryan] and $55 million for a guy who hasn't won more than 12 games in a year [AJ Burnett]. If that's what his criticism is based on, it just shows he wouldn't be a great general manager."

Other headlines from Baltimore:

Friday:

Orioles' Tejada Seeks Trade, Wants 'Change of Scenery'
Tejada Wants Out Of O's; Shortstop Weary Of Losing

Saturday:

A Tejada-for-Ramirez Trade Might Not Be Far-Fetched
Tejada Trade A Possibility; Flanagan, Perlozzo Unable To Reach Star
Here's Hoping Tejada's Jolt Awakens Sleepwalking O's

Senior Adviser Bill Lajoie estimated the Sox are "probably 2-3 weeks" away from finalizing its 2006 roster. The team has discussed bringing back Nomar Garciaparra, but not to play shortstop. Mike Lowell could play some first base and Andy Marte may be moved to first base or the outfield to get his bat into the lineup.

Scott Boras says "I think you’re going to be surprised" where Johnny Damon ends up. Boras claims he has received "multiple offers" for Damon, including Boston's 4/40. Sources say Damon will settle for a guaranteed five-year (not seven) deal.

The Red Sox are eyeing Ken Huckaby as their backup catcher. ... An Astros insider re Julio Lugo as a Red Sock: "That's a bad deal. Wait until you see him try to play shortstop under the pressure in Boston. He couldn't do it in Houston in the playoffs, and it's like that every day in Boston."

Art Martone (ProJo):

The party line was that he had a bad back. The undercurrent was that he was uneasy under the bright lights of Boston. Unspoken was the worry was that his birth certificate was Renteria's 31st error of 2005, and that he was actually older than the 30 it claimed him to be. ... The Sox feared he was on the wrong side of the age mountain, a mountain on which you can only travel in one direction.

New York Daily News columnist John Harper says his pick for the East (as of today) is Boston. ... Mike Myers signed a two-year, $2.4-million deal with the Yankees. ... Gordon Edes presents a good recap of the discussions last week.

At the Herald, Tony Massarotti thinks the club is "aimless ... running in a million different directions at once. With their hair on fire." I don't think trying to stir up fan discontent is going to work this time. Beckett's a plus, Loretta was a steal, Marte's talent is common knowledge, and there can't be too many fans sad to see Edgar go.

While the Herald reports that the team will soon announce that Ben Cherington and Jed Hoyer will be co-general managers, the Globe maintains that ownership continues to work on bringing back Theo Epstein in a consulting/advisory position.