Two sources with direct knowledge of negotiations last night confirmed that such a deal is being discussed. What's holding things up is money. The Braves want the Sox to eat a portion of the $30 million remaining on Renteria's salary.
The Braves lost their shortstop, free agent Rafael Furcal, who agreed to a three-year, $39 million deal with the Dodgers last weekend, and have always held Renteria in high regard.
The Sox would play Lugo, who hit .295, knocked in 57 runs, and made 24 errors last season, at shortstop or second base, depending on two other deals they had on the table. They asked the Angels about Orlando Cabrera, the shortstop for Boston's 2004 World Series champions, and also are trying to persuade the Padres to take catcher Doug Mirabelli straight up for second baseman Mark Loretta.
A new team, the Oakland Athletics, looms as a trading partner for lefthanded pitcher David Wells, with the Red Sox receiving reliever Justin Duchscherer in exchange. Wells would prefer to go back to San Diego and the National League, but yesterday the Padres were focused on re-signing closer Trevor Hoffman, who also was considering an offer from Cleveland.
The Sox asked for Cabrera as part of the package they were seeking in exchange for Ramírez, but a source with direct knowledge of the Angels' thinking said he did not expect the Angels to make a deal for the Red Sox slugger. ''It's not happening," he said.
Meanwhile, the Mets, who already have made a series of major moves this offseason, are not in the running for Ramírez, according to the source with direct knowledge of the negotiations.
Mets GM Omar Minaya, in a group session with Mets beat reporters, lent credence to that notion last night.
''Getting the extra big bat is not a priority," Minaya said. ''What's more of a priority for us is making sure we get a good bench in place and continuing to improve the bullpen. Getting a big bat is not a No. 1 priority because of [Carlos] Delgado.
If the Mets and Angels are out, do the Sox have a match for Manny? ''Probably not," said a source with direct knowledge of negotiations.
