These days, it's a contact sport

With the exclusive negotiating period for free agents ending Monday at midnight, yesterday brought the Red Sox into contact with the agents for a number of players. That included the Levinsons, agents for Mike Lowell, with whom the team has been speaking daily.

General manager Theo Epstein confirmed he spoke with Sam Levinson yesterday, but there was no movement on a potential deal. With the Red Sox unwilling, at least at this point, to go beyond three years on a contract for the third baseman, the agents were able to talk actual numbers with other teams as of yesterday.

Sixth sense

Pitching coach John Farrell discussed the possibility the Red Sox would go to a six-man rotation, in response to reports that the team was considering an arrangement of that nature with Josh Beckett, Curt Schilling, Tim Wakefield, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Jon Lester, and Clay Buchholz all returning in 2008. He said it was brought up as a discussion point. "I think the overarching goal would be, how can we build in extra rest for each of our starters?" Farrell said. "One of the ways to do that would be to insert a sixth starter. One of the ways to do that would be to take advantage of the off days in the schedule. There have been informal discussions. Just looking at every method toward giving our starters additional rest." Farrell added that, with the way the Sox rested starters, they were able to go into October with extra time off, which may have helped them in the postseason . . . With October innings factored into the offseason program of many of the starters, they will go through a four- to six-week recovery period before they begin their strength and conditioning work. Then there will be a two-week window, from Dec. 15 to Jan. 1, in which they will start their throwing programs. The flexibility allows each of the pitchers to start on a date that is determined by the major league staff, with a mind to the extra postseason innings that were accumulated.

Caught short

Don't be surprised if backup catcher Doug Mirabelli returns to the Red Sox. The catching market is thin this offseason, especially for backups. That led to the record deal for Jorge Posada, who landed $52.4 million over four years from the Yankees. Mirabelli, who has been Wakefield's catcher during his seven seasons with the Red Sox, is a free agent . . . Team officials were in the Capitol in Washington, D.C., yesterday to show off the World Series trophy with members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation. "A lot of things go on in this city, but this is really one of the highlights," said Senator Edward Kennedy, who said he has been a Red Sox fan since he was 6.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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