And then there's Pedro 

Posted 9:10 AM by Sean
Now pitching for the Cheyenne Billies:

The Yankees have not made an offer to Martínez, who is seeking a four-year, $60 million contract that the Red Sox are unlikely to give him. The Red Sox initially offered Martínez a two-year, $25.5 million deal, and they recently improved the offer to make an option year easier for Martínez to secure.

But there are no indications that Boston would pay Martínez $15 million a season, and Martínez could be hoping that interest from the Yankees would sway the Red Sox to do so.

"I want respect, affection and the best treatment possible," Martínez said, without specifying a contract figure. "I am not asking for anything that Pedro Martínez doesn't deserve. People don't understand that when it's about a free agent, that means that you can go to the best bidder."

Martínez said he would be honored to be a teammate of the Yankees' Alex Rodriguez, the Anaheim Angels' Vladimir Guerrero or the San Francisco Giants' Barry Bonds. And he insisted he would not be afraid to leave the Red Sox after seven seasons.

"I would play baseball even in a goat's den," he said. "Anywhere. That doesn't worry me."

Maybe he can sign with Atla-a-a-a-a-anta or Sea-a-a-a-a-attle.

Angels to get the last crack at Pavano? 

Posted 8:45 AM by Sean
Carl Pavano is making the free agent tour of potential suitors, a practice that's not new but much more in the public eye, what with teh intarweb and all:

[T]he agent for Carl Pavano said Monday that the free-agent pitcher plans to visit New York from Dec. 3-5 to speak with Yankees officials. The 28-year-old right-hander, who met with Red Sox officials in Boston last week, also is planning trips to visit the Detroit Tigers (Dec. 2-3), Baltimore Orioles (Dec. 6-7), the Seattle Mariners (Dec. 7-8) and Anaheim Angels (Dec. 9-10), agent Scott Shapiro said.

The Angels aren't mentioned much when it comes to Pavano speculation, so his inclusion on that list is a sign that either Stoneman is working something on the QT or - and this is probably more appealing - it's becoming de rigeur for marquee free agents to see what the Angels will offer. Although referring to Pavano as "marquee" says more about the current crop of free agent pitchers than it does about Pavano.

The Red Sox, Yankees, and Orioles are all, obviously, willing to spend a few bucks on free agents. The Tigers have been aggressive lately, and the Mariners have done a pretty good job of clearing payroll while taking it in the shorts this past season. In other words, bidding could get pretty outrageous.

Curious Pavano side note: his ESPN page shows him as playing for "WAS" for his first few seasons. Are we to expunge even the memory of a franchise in Montreal?