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December 6, 2006
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Red Sox leave baseball's winter meetings tomorrow morning with work still to be done -- finding a closer, acquiring a backup catcher, signing Daisuke Matsuzaka -- but they'll depart with a stronger team than they had when they arrived . . . albeit more expensive.
Tomorrow morning, the Journal and projo.com will have a full examination of the Red Sox' anticpated 2007 payroll in light of the free-agent signings of J.D. Drew and Julio Lugo and the expected addition of Matsuzaka. Since the new ownership group took charge in 2002 the Sox have been rigid about attempting not to exceed the luxury-tax limit, which will be at $148 million in '07. But they seem likely to break past it next season, especially in lieu what they'll have to pay for Matsuzaka and any established closer.
Speaking of closers, a rumor spread yesterday afternoon that the Sox and Nationals were discussing a Wily Mo Pena-for-Chad Cordero deal. But the report was shot down by team officials last night. Even though Washington general manager Jim Bowden traded for Pena when he was GM at Cincinnati, it would take more than Pena to pry Cordero lose from the Nationals.
The last piece of scheduled business is Thursday morning's Rule 5 draft. General manager Theo Epstein told reporters it was "50-50" that the Sox would make a selection, and that if they did it would almost certainly be a pitcher.
-- SEAN McADAM
Posted by Art 
at 7:40 PM | Permalink
Tim Daloisio | December 6, 2006 8:58 PM link
If the Red Sox were to keep Manny, then flipping Wily Mo + another player of interest for Cordero would be well worth it in my opinion.
Include Clement and eat most of his salary.