The word is that the Red Sox will pay half of the 35-year-old Lowell's $12 million salary next season to anybody who will take him.

Lowell hasn't played more than 120 games in the last two years so if anybody takes him, they better have a decent backup.

If the Sox can get Adrian Gonzalez(notes) from the San Diego Padres, he'll be playing first and Kevin Youkilis(notes) will be moved to third. Otherwise, Boston will be bidding for the likes of Adrian Beltre(notes), Placido Polanco(notes), Chone Figgins(notes), and a bunch of others, though Beltre is believed to be the one of most interest to the Sox.

Bay apparently has an "unbelievable" number of teams making calls for him, says his (totally unbiased) agent. Bay, Matt Holliday(notes), and John Lackey(notes) will be the three biggest free agents on the market this off-season but Bay seems to be the most accessible of the three to more clubs.

Bay reportedly wants a five-year deal worth $17 million annually and supposedly declined a four-year, $60 million proposal on the table from the Red Sox. Now he's waiting to see what kind of dollars and years will be offered by such clubs as the New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, and Seattle Mariners.

And, of course, the Red Sox will keep a watchful eye over the proceedings and try to get back in at an opportune moment.

There's a rumor floating around that the team (along with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees) is waiting to throw more than $100 million at outfielder Matt Holliday(notes), who hit .313 with 24 home runs and 109 runs batted in for the Oakland Athletics and St. Louis Cardinals this past season. But GM Tony Reagins is saying that no such thing is true. "Our focus is not on him right now."

It is extremely doubtful that Reagins will get Figgins or Lackey to sign anything before Friday. Both are highly coveted on the free-agent market and would likely get paid to play more elsewhere. "They have earned the right to see what their value is," Reagins said.

Lackey supposedly wants to sign a deal worth more than $100 million and has interest from the Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, and New York Yankees. Figgins is likely to sign a deal for half of that and his suitors supposedly include the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Cubs.

Anaheim loses exclusive negotiating rights to Lackey this Friday and, according to the Sporting News, the New York Mets, Milwaukee Brewers, and Boston Red Sox have all apparently started checking their wallets to see what they've got in there to flash at the 31-year-old. All three of those clubs have supposedly talked to Lackey's agent already. The New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners are expected to get into the fray pretty soon as well.

The main concern for most teams is Lackey's stamina. In the past two years, he's made 24 and 27 starts and had different arm injuries both years. The 6'6", 245-pounder went 11-8 this year with a 3.43 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 176.1 innings.

The Globe reports that a Japanese sports Web site is saying that the Red Sox would love to have free-agent Matsui come to their team. According to the Japanese site, Nikkan Sports, the Red Sox are ready to offer a multi-year deal to the 35-year-old designated hitter.

Matsui has made about $13 million a year for each of the last four, but he is apparently ready to lower his price for his next deal to $8 million annually. Couldn't be cheaper, right?

There is plenty of doubt in Boston that this story has any truth to it, but it's always fun when a Yankees or Red Sox player switches sides.

But the Sox are apparently ready to make an offer to Matt Holliday(notes) if Bay shows any resistance or doesn't want to sign for some reason.

Of course Holliday will be looking for more dough than Bay can get, especially since he is represented by Scott Boras, who has a way of making teams separate themselves from their cash.

Not bad for a guy the Yankees dumped back in 2004 after he gave up a grand slam to Johnny Damon(notes) in that famous American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox.

Vazquez is in a little better spot these days and it appears that the Braves are going to try and get him signed to a contract extension this off-season, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution. With the year he had, Vazquez would likely be looking for some big dollars.

Red Sox fans have got to hope the 25-year-old outfielder can do better than hitting .259. He reportedly won't be expected to be an incredible defensive presence.

Contractually, Hermida has two years to show that Epstein's prediction was true.

He'll make $12.1 million next year but is free to roam the streets of any city he wants after next season if a new deal can't be worked out.

It looks like Red Sox GM Theo Epstein is plenty aware of the big bucks it will take to retain Beckett: "He's put himself in a position to be valued very highly by us," he said to WEEI, but he wasn't predicting a definite deal: "Those things have a way of taking care of themselves. ... We'll see what happens."

Sports Illustrated has it that the two sides are planning to meet up soon enough but GM Frank Wren tells MLB.com that no such plans exist.

Other teams supposedly willing to throw a boatload of cash at the 21-year-old lefty Chapman to get him are the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Cubs, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners. New York Yankees, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals. In short, everybody wants him.