Jason Bay News

Outfielder Jason Bay has elected to test the free agent waters. The left fielder rejected the first offer from the Red Sox, which was reported to be a four-year, $60 million deal.

ESPN.com reports that Boston Red Sox left fielder Jason Bay refused an initial offer by the team and will dive into the pool of free agency to test the depth of its waters.

At 12:01 a.m., all 171 free agents, including six from the Red Sox, received the green light to begin negotiations with all 30 teams.

Omar Minaya, left, needs to see Carlos Delgado, right, on the field before he talks to him about returning to the Mets next season.

Posted by Anthony Stalter At least, this according to WEEI.com : Speaking at an event to honor Red Sox principal owner John Henry, who received the Woodrow Wilson Award for corporate sponsorship, team president/CEO Larry Lucchino expressed his organizationa s desire to re-sign Jason Bay.

Today is the first day that free agents can sign with any team. But one potential suitor already has eliminated itself from the Matt Holliday derby.

It looks like Canadian outfielder Jason Bay will be hitting the free agent market.

Left fielder Jason Bay officially will test the open waters of free agency after declining the Boston Red Sox 's initial contract offer, according to an SI.com report.

Matt Holliday formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals and Jason Bay formerly of the Boston Red Sox are the prize hitters in the 2009 2010 free agent market.

Jason Bay is a good baseball player ... at some things. For other things, he's a bad baseball player.

The flip side is that some baseball executives believe that the rest of the free agent crop will fall through the cracks, sitting and waiting unless they are willing to take a bargain deal.

The Cardinals see left fielder Matt Holliday as a unique talent within this year's free agent pool, and they apparently do not envision themselves as bidders for the market's presumptive second choice should Holliday defect.

RED SOX general manager Theo Epstein has no worries about the right side of the field.

The Red Sox are considering using Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla as a replacement in left field for Jason Bay.

Rumors are flying on both sides of the ocean that the Red Sox are intersted in Hideki Matsui.

So here it is roughly a week and a half before things will start to really heat up in the free agent market and aside from speculation I really have nothing to offer.

While they still hold exclusive negotiating rights with their free agents, the big one - left fielder Jason Bay, who yesterday earned his first Silver Slugger Award - is expected to hit the market next week.

Jason Varitek, longtime Boston Red Sox catcher and the only player in Major League Baseball history to catch four no hitters, has excercised his $3 million option and will be with the club for the 2010 season.

Last offseason, the drama surrounding whether Jason Varitek would return to Boston dragged on for months, and seemed vital to the success of the 2009 Red Sox.

Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay is again available through trade -- at a price, of course.