Epstein mum on Sox deals

There was no airing of company secrets by Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein on the conference call he held yesterday in advance of his trip Sunday to Orlando, Fla., for the winter meetings, not that there should have been any expectations Epstein would use such a forum to do so.

Epstein refused to comment on trade talks involving Manny Ramírez or the impending signing of free agent outfielder J.D. Drew, who is in line to draw an annual salary of $14 million for at least four years, with an additional $14 million to be made if he were to stay a fifth year.

Epstein did announce that former Sox infielder Luis Alicea, who most recently managed the short-season Single A Lowell Spinners, would be joining Terry Francona's staff as first base coach, replacing Bill Haselman. Alicea will also work with the infielders.

While speculation continued to run hot that the Sox were closing in on making a deal for Ramírez, nothing appeared imminent last night, and the likelihood was that talks would continue in Orlando. As of late last night, the Sox had not spoken with the Dodgers, considered by many to be a leading landing place for Ramírez because of their wealth of young prospects. The Padres remained an interested party, though it was unclear which major league players they would be willing to part with, and the biggest X factor of all is whether Ramírez, who has veto rights over any deal, would be willing to go to a National League team.

The Sox, while aggressively exploring trade options, still would prefer to have an unhappy Ramírez return for another season in Boston than make a lopsided deal they would regret.

It would appear to be a given that Ramírez would demand, as a condition of any trade, that a team pick up at least one or both of his option years -- at $20 million per -- or negotiate a contract extension. Among other reasons he might be conducive to a trade to the Dodgers: He enjoyed a good relationship with manager Grady Little and was close to hitting coach Eddie Murray when they were teammates in Cleveland.

"I don't think it's appropriate to comment at this time," said Epstein, when asked about the possibility of moving Ramírez. "Manny is obviously a big part of the team. No further comment unless or until there is something to announce."

Epstein similarly deflected questions about Drew and the negotiations for Japanese pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka.

A Red Sox official did deny last night speculation on ESPN by Steve Phillips, a former general manager, that the Sox would have interest in free agent slugger Barry Bonds to play left field if they traded Ramírez. Bonds had told the Globe in an interview a few years ago that he would have no interest in playing in Boston.

The Sox' pursuit of Julio Lugo, meanwhile, awaits a decision by the Dodgers tomorrow on whether they would offer the shortstop salary arbitration. If they do, the Sox would have to surrender their first-round draft pick as compensation.

Epstein did say that the bullpen would be the team's top priority at the winter meetings.

"We've had a lot of talks with teams about trades in which we'd get a closer back," said Epstein. "We've dabbled in free agency but obviously haven't gotten anything done yet. And the search continues. Our bullpen is not yet a finished product. It will look a lot different on Opening Day than it looks right now."

The Sox also will be looking to bolster their middle relief, an area in which teams have shown a proclivity for spending more lavishly than in the past. The Orioles gave a three-year, $12 million deal to lefthander Jamie Walker and were reported to be paying submariner Chad Bradford $10.5 million for three years and Scott Williamson $900,000 for one.

"My personal philosophy is spending a lot of money on middle relief is always something to be avoided if possible," said Epstein. "There's a tremendous amount of volatility in year-to-year performance of non-closing relievers. So it's important, if possible, not to fall into the trap of buying high when there's so much volatility.

"The bullpen has been a sticking point for us in recent years. We haven't been able to successfully follow through a plan of converting lower-risk investments into actual performance. That's something that we've taken a lot of steps this winter, with respect to our infrastructure, trying to correct."

Epstein reiterated that the Sox will stick to their plan of making Jonathan Papelbon a starter. "Everything is going very well for Jonathan," said Epstein. "He's started his offseason conditioning program. All the reports are, from him, is that his shoulder feels terrific. He's altered his routine a little bit this winter in anticipation of a full season's worth of innings on his shoulder as a starting pitcher. So far, so good. He's feeling very strong and is speaking in superlatives about the condition of his shoulder."

Mike Hazen, the Sox' director of player development, on the performance of the team's top prospect, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, in the Arizona Fall League: "Jacoby performed very well out in the Fall League. He was very successful in a few of the areas we wanted to focus on, especially bunting for hits. This should be a weapon for him coming into next season. "Overall, he ended up with over 600 plate appearances for the year, which is on the high side for a first professional season, but after a strong winter of conditioning he should be in great position coming into spring training."

Gordon Edes can be reached at edes@globe.com.