Deal could be starting point

Florida Marlins pitcher A.J. Burnett, praised by Curt Schilling as having the best pure stuff in the majors, may still wind up with the Baltimore Orioles. But with talks stalled because the Marlins are insisting that the Orioles take third baseman Mike Lowell as part of the deal, the Red Sox are still attempting to interest Florida in a package of players headed by pitcher Bronson Arroyo.

League sources confirmed yesterday that the Sox have discussed a scenario in which they pair their efforts to obtain Twins lefthanded setup man J.C. Romero with their attempt to acquire Burnett. Under that scenario, the Sox would trade third baseman Bill Mueller and prospects to the Twins, who need a third baseman, for Romero and righthanded starter Joe Mays.

The Sox would then flip Arroyo and Mays to the Marlins for Burnett. But that proposal has a couple of obstacles, perhaps insurmountable. While the Marlins like Arroyo, they supposedly would prefer Twins starter Kyle Lohse to Mays, and the Twins aren't interested in moving Lohse. And the Sox are balking for the same reason the Orioles are: The Marlins are insisting that the struggling Lowell be included in the deal, and Lowell is owed close to $21 million for the balance of his contract -- roughly $3 million for this season and $9 million in each of the next two years.

That's a lot of money for a third baseman who will be 32 at the beginning of the 2006 season, and whose performance has mysteriously plummeted this season: Lowell, who hit 83 home runs over the previous three seasons and has averaged 90 RBIs a year in that span, entered last night with four homers and 38 RBIs.

The Sox, who have a young (and cheap) alternative at third base for 2006 in Kevin Youkilis, are reluctant to spend money on Lowell that could be used to re-sign Johnny Damon, as well as address needs at first base and pitching.

On the other hand, Burnett, despite a mediocre record (37-38 entering this season, 6-6 in 2005), is clearly the best starting pitcher available in a thin market, and has long been admired by Sox owner John W. Henry, who knows him from his days as owner of the Marlins. Don't be surprised if Henry, who enjoys a friendship with Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria, who bought the team from the Sox owner, is involved in trade talks at the ownership level.

Arroyo is taking the trade rumors in stride. ''I'm pretty sure, seeing the way the team is going now, I'm not going anywhere unless something really huge happens," he said.

The Orioles' offer for Burnett includes reliever Jorge Julio, who would address the Marlins' most pressing need; rookie pitcher Hayden Penn; and outfielder Larry Bigbie, who would allow the Marlins to move young superstar Miguel Cabrera from the outfield to third base, his best position. According to published reports, the Orioles asked the Marlins to pay at least $10 million of Lowell's salary; the Marlins to date have balked.

It is expected that any team that trades for Burnett, a free agent after this season, will ask commissioner Bud Selig for a 72-hour window to negotiate a contract extension, much as the Sox did two winters ago when they acquired Schilling from Arizona. Selig grants such a window only when teams have struck a deal.

The Sox are believed to be exploring other three-team scenarios and could do the Romero-Mueller deal independent of other moves. But one league source said yesterday that nothing was imminent. The White Sox and Blue Jays also are believed to be talking with the Marlins; the Yankees have interest but don't appear to be a match.

As a sidelight, in 2002 the Marlins proposed to send Lowell and Kevin Millar to the Sox for Trot Nixon and Shea Hillenbrand. The Sox turned it down, only to place a waiver claim on Millar after the season.

Nixon OK
Nixon didn't start for the second consecutive game but did pinch hit and walked in the eighth inning of yesterday's 9-4 win over the Devil Rays. Tuesday night, Nixon also pinch hit in the eighth and struck out, but didn't play the field in the ninth. Instead, Adam Hyzdu replaced Nixon and played right field.

Nixon's knee has been a source of concern all season, and he's begun using extra padding in his clubhouse chair, suggesting that his back might be giving him difficulty. But Nixon claims he's not injured.

''There's a difference between being hurt and being banged up," he said. ''I think everybody in this clubhouse is banged up." And, Nixon added, ''[Manager Terry Francona] might want to give some guys some other opportunities out there."

The last two games -- the last five, in fact -- have pitted the Sox against lefthanded starting pitchers, thus dialing down the speculation that Nixon's hurting. Tonight, the Sox see another lefty, All-Star starter Mark Buehrle, but Nixon said Francona told him he'd be in the lineup.

Manny asks out
Manny Ramirez doubled in the first inning, struck out swinging in the second, played the field in the third, then took the rest of the day off. Asked if there was a reason, Francona said, ''Yeah, tight hamstrings. He took himself out." Francona didn't know if Ramirez's health would force him to miss any upcoming games . . . David Wells continues to wear his PokerStars.com hat and T-shirt to his postgame press conferences, which are aired on NESN. One Sox player said Wells is being paid $130,000 to wear the company's gear. Asked if that was accurate, Wells said, ''Who told you that?" . . . Damon singled and homered yesterday, giving him a major league-leading 39 multihit games. The breakdown: 26 two-hit games, 10 three-hit games, and three four-hit games . . . Ramirez's double was the 400th of his career . . . Yesterday's win was the 150th for Francona as Sox manager. His 150-106 record computes to a .586 winning percentage, fourth best since 1951 among managers who spent more than one season in Boston.

Brotherly love
The Sox, 94 games into the season, finally meet the White Sox today, which makes those conversations between brothers Alex Cora (Red Sox infielder) and Joey Cora (White Sox third base coach) all the more interesting. ''Now that I'm out of the division we talk like on a daily basis," said Alex Cora, a member of the Indians until he was dealt to Boston for Ramon Vazquez. ''We talk about our family, and then he wants me to give him a few Manny stories." Will Alex Cora help the Red Sox with some insider information? ''I think he had more information about me than I had about them," he said. ''It wasn't fair." . . . A sidebar to Tony Graffanino's first at-bat with the Sox, which resulted in a ground out: Graffanino fouled a ball into the roof box seats that landed inside a woman's half-buttoned Red Sox jersey. She reached in and proudly produced the ball . . . Keith Foulke stopped, ever briefly, into the clubhouse before the game . . . Today marks the sixth straight game in which the Sox face a lefthanded starting pitcher. The procession: Randy Johnson, Al Leiter, Scott Kazmir, Casey Fossum, Mark Hendrickson, and Buehrle. The last time the Sox faced lefties in six consecutive games: June 12-17, 1914 . . . Hendrickson is one of 10 players to appear in both the NBA and major league baseball. Hendrickson, who played in 114 games with the 76ers, Kings, Nets, and Cavaliers between 1996 and 2000, belongs to a list that includes Danny Ainge, Ron Reed, Steve Hamilton, Cotton Nash, Dave DeBusschere, Dick Groat, Gene Conley, Chuck Connors, and Frankie Baumholtz . . . Wells won yesterday for the first time in four day starts this year.

Chris Snow of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Kelsie Smith contributed to this report.