Sides apart on deal

During negotiations for a new contract, Theo Epstein undoubtedly would like Red Sox ownership to at least reference the extravagant offer they made to Billy Beane three years ago, when the Oakland Athletics general manager was their first choice to become GM of the team.

When Beane said no, the brass turned to Epstein, who rewarded them with a World Series title in his second year and trips to the playoffs in each of the three seasons he has been GM, while making great strides in meeting his pledge to rebuild the farm system.

But that success is not translating anywhere close to the $2.5 million annually the Sox reportedly were willing to pay Beane over five years. While a pragmatic Epstein is believed to be asking for considerably less, in both salary and years, the offer the team has made Epstein is not far removed from what Chuck LaMar, who was just fired after seven last-place finishes in the eight seasons he ran the Devil Rays, made in Tampa Bay.

LaMar was being paid $750,000 a year, which isn't much less than the figure the Sox are offering Epstein, according to an industry source with knowledge of the talks each of the last three days between Epstein and CEO Larry Lucchino. And it is considerably less than what Epstein has proposed to the Sox, with just over two weeks remaining before the Oct. 31 expiration date on his current deal.

Public information on GM salaries is sketchy. The Sox were prepared to make Beane the highest-paid GM in baseball history, though the cerebral Beane, working under far greater payroll constraints in Oakland than Epstein, has yet to win a World Series. His team fell short of a playoff berth for the second straight season this year after four straight seasons in which the Athletics averaged 98 wins and won three division titles and a wild-card berth.

Months before the Red Sox came after him, Beane had signed a contract extension with the Athletics that calls for him to be paid $1.1 million in each of the next three seasons (2006-08).

This past April, new owner Lewis Wolff extended Beane through the 2012 season and gave him slightly less than a 5 percent ownership stake in the club.

Texas Rangers GM John Hart, who just stepped aside and was replaced by 28-year-old Jon Daniels, was the highest-paid GM in the game at $2 million.

Atlanta's John Schuerholz, whose team has won 14 consecutive division titles (excluding the strike-shortened '94 season), is around $1.5 million, and the Yankee's Brian Cashman, the only GM in history whose teams won World Series in each of his first three seasons, was reportedly making $1.1 million a season.

Cashman, like Epstein, is at the end of his contract, and unconfirmed speculation in baseball circles is that he will stay only if the Yankees give him a huge raise to the $2 million range. Veteran successful GMs such as Walt Jocketty in St. Louis and Brian Sabean in San Francisco are both around the $1 million level, but neither has a World Series title.

And the Dodgers are believed to have given first-year GM Paul DePodesta $800,000 a year, much higher than the $350,000-$450,000 range customary for new GMs.

Sox ownership and Epstein have pledged not to comment publicly during ongoing negotiations.