Wells requests a trade
He'd like to end on West Coast
CHICAGO -- With a guaranteed $2.5 million in his contract for 2006, Red Sox lefthander David Wells intends to return for his 20th season in the major leagues, according to an industry source. But Wells, who turns 43 May 20 and plans to have knee surgery this winter, has conveyed to the Red Sox a desire to finish his career on the West Coast -- he has a home near San Diego -- and the Sox have indicated they will try to honor his request.
Wells went 15-7 with an earned run average of 4.45 for the Sox this season, and by making 30 starts, he met all the performance clauses in his contract, enabling him to make a maximum of $9 million as stipulated in the deal. But Wells would prefer to be closer to home -- he pitched for the Padres in 2004 and could have re-signed last winter but negotiations broke down.
The Sox have three starters under contract for 2006 -- Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, and Matt Clement -- and Wade Miller and Bronson Arroyo are eligible for salary arbitration. Jonathan Papelbon, who pitched primarily in relief for the Sox after his call-up, is expected to compete for a spot in the rotation next season, and top lefthanded prospect Jon Lester, while a long shot after pitching in Double A, is a possibility from within the organization.
Marlins righthander A.J. Burnett is expected to be the top pitcher available on the free agent market this winter, followed closely by Kevin Millwood of the Indians and Matt Morris of the Cardinals. Seattle lefthander Jamie Moyer is another veteran pitcher eligible for free agency.
The Sox have eight players eligible for free agency: Johnny Damon, Tony Graffanino, Matt Mantei, Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller, Mike Myers, John Olerud, and Mike Timlin. Damon, of course, is expected to attract the most attention, but the Chicago Cubs, expected to be in the market for a center fielder, probably won't be involved in the bidding for Damon. The money and length of contract Damon, 31, is expected to seek may be too prohibitive for the Cubs.
No movement on GM
Both sides remained mum on the negotiations for a new contract for general manager Theo Epstein, but it appears another day passed without progress.
The Sox have offered Epstein a three-year deal in the neighborhood of $850,000 to $900,000, which more than doubles his original contract, which was believed to be a three-year deal that topped out at around $350,000. The offer is also comparable to the salaries paid to the last two GMs to win a World Series, Larry Beinfest of the Marlins and Bill Stoneman of the Angels. But it is a fraction of the five-year deal at $2.5 million per year the Sox brass were prepared to give Oakland GM Billy Beane three years ago, an offer Beane rejected, opening the door for Epstein, and less than the $1 million-$1.5 million paid to Epstein's successful peers, Brian Sabean of the Giants, John Schuerholz of the Braves, Walt Jocketty of the Cardinals, and Brian Cashman of the Yankees, all of whom have held the job longer than Epstein. But even newcomer Paul DePodesta was believed to be paid $800,000 in his first full year as Dodgers GM, and Epstein can claim ownership of a World Series ring, a trophy not owned by any of his predecessors in the previous 86 seasons.
Epstein's detractors would argue he inherited a good team and also benefited from having a hands-on CEO such as Larry Lucchino, who has considerable baseball operations experience. But the degree of Lucchino's involvement in baseball decisions also has been a point of contention at times during Epstein's tenure, as much as both sides have tried to play down ''chain of command" issues.
Epstein's contract expires Oct. 31, and while one close associate said yesterday he expected a deal to be reached, he also expressed surprise it has gotten to this point. Had a deal been struck in the spring, it would not be hanging over the club now. A GM job may soon be opening in San Diego, where Padres GM Kevin Towers, who mentored Epstein when he was with the Padres, has been given permission to interview for the Diamondbacks vacancy. Towers is expected to leave in the wake of Sandy Alderson's hiring as Padres president last month, which clearly means a diminishing of the autonomy he enjoyed. Grady Fuson and A's assistant GM David Forst are reportedly the leading candidates for that position, though it's not far-fetched to believe Epstein's name will be floated if he becomes a free agent.
No deal?
Although the Red Sox are expected to listen to trade requests for Manny Ramirez, a well-placed industry source dismissed reports that the Sox and Mets are talking about a trade in which the Sox would receive outfielder Carlos Beltran in return. ''The Mets love Carlos Beltran," the source said. ''He isn't going anywhere." . . . The Sox have a list of ex-pitchers they intend to interview for the job of bullpen coach, including some in-house candidates, which would suggest Triple A pitching coach Mike Griffin and perhaps Double A pitching coach Fernando Arroyo would get a look . . . The Sox have yet to interview Texas first base coach DeMarlo Hale for the third base coaching job vacated by Dale Sveum, who joined Ned Yost in Milwaukee, but he is expected to be the favorite for the job. Hale, who managed in the Sox system, has never coached third base on the big league level, but has extensive minor league experience. He interviewed for the Sox managing vacancy before Terry Francona was hired. Potential in-house candidates include valuable advance scout Dave Jauss and Triple A manager Ron Johnson.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report. 
