12:11 PM EST on Thursday, December 16, 2004

BY SEAN McADAM and ART MARTONE
Journal Sports Writers

BOSTON -- Having filled their shortstop vacancy yesterday with the signing of free agent Edgar Renteria, the Red Sox could find out today or tomorrow whether they have filled an opening in their starting rotation.

AP photo

The Red Sox have offered right-hander Matt Clement a three-year, $24 million contract offer. Clement has spent the last three season with the Chicago Cubs.

The Sox have made a three-year offer to free agent righthander Matt Clement, thought to be worth just over $24 million.

Clement, 30, spent the last three seasons with the Chicago Cubs. The Sox attempted to include him in the deal which sent Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs last July 31, but were ultimately unable to do so.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has known Clement since the two were both with the San Diego Padres organization.

The Sox don't view Clement as a de facto replacement for Pedro Martinez -- Clement has only twice won more than 12 games in a single season -- but he would give the club another established starter and is the best free agent pitcher still unsigned.

Last season, Clement was 9-13 in 30 starts for the Cubs, with a 3.68 E.R.A. He averaged slighty better than a striekout per inning last year (190 in 181 innings) while allowing just 155 hits. Opposing batters hit just .229 against him in 2004.

Despite reports yesterday that the Sox are pursuing lefthander Odalis Perez , the team has mixed reports on him and is not currently considering him as an option.

More sour grapes from Lowe

The chances of Derek Lowe accepting arbitration and returning to the Red Sox appear to be nil, based on comments the pitcher made on Sporting News Radio Tuesday night.

Going back to Boston "really isn't an option," Lowe told host Arnie Spanier on The Arnie Spanier Show. "You could kind of see how things were going to unfold with me kind of the last two weeks of the season, with them telling me I wasn't going to be on the [postseason] roster as a starting pitcher."

Lowe began the postseason in the bullpen, but was moved back into the starting rotation when Curt Schilling's ankle injury flared up in the American League Championship Series. He won the clinching games in each of the Sox' three postseason series (in relief in Game 3 of the ALDS, and as a starter in Game 7 of the ALCS and Game 4 of the World Series).

Moving Lowe to the bullpen "kind of tells you [how good] they believe [I was] in their eyes, which was fine," he said. "We went and as a team, we pulled together and won a World Series. But they obviously haven't prioritized me as even one of the top 10 guys they wanted to bring back."

Lowe and his agent, Scott Boras , rejected a three-year, $27 million offer from the Sox last spring, and published reports say they are seeking a multiyear contract at $10 million or $11 million annually. The Sox aren't interested, but Lowe says the money probably isn't the issue.

"I think you look at it from a financial standpoint, it really wasn't the money, because they're going to ultimately give that much money to other people," he said.

Lowe, 31, had a breakthrough season as a starter in 2002 (21-8, 2.58 E.R.A.), but has declined in each of the last two years. He won 17 games in 2003, but that was a byproduct of the Red Sox scoring 7.3 runs per nine innings in each of his starts; his E.R.A. that year skyrocketed to 4.47, his strikeout total declined, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio worsened. The Sox again scored 7.3 runs per nine innings in his 2004 starts, but Lowe's numbers declined even further: 14-12 won-loss record, 5.42 E.R.A., with even lower strikeout ratios.

Lowe, however, believes the Sox' decision to let him go wasn't based on his steadily deteriorating level of pitching and high monetary demands.

"I think it was a decision of who they really wanted to come back," he said, "and Pedro [Martinez ] and myself and Nomar [Garciaparra ], as you can see, weren't in the plans."

He was also angered by the Sox' failure to originally invite him to a World Series celebration party at their spring-training facility in Fort Myers, Fla., which is near his home. The Sox said it was an oversight and sent out an invitation after word got out, but Lowe isn't convinced.

"They came out publicly and said they invited [me] -- which I have to say that they did invite me -- but it was after a bunch of articles came out," he said. "There was an article that came out that said they didn't invite me. Thirty minutes later they called and said they invited you. Well, to me, that's not really an invite. That's a reaction to an article. They had three weeks if they really wanted you to come."

Halama brings versatility

John Halama has had much more success as a reliever than a starter over his career, but that doesn't mean he wants to spend 2005 in the Fenway Park bullpen.

"Without a doubt I'd like to start," the veteran left-hander said yesterday when he was introduced to the media at Fenway Park after finalizing a one-year contract with a mutual option for a second year. "But I've had success in both aspects. I could start whenever [manager Terry Francona ] wants me to."

General manager Theo Epstein sees Halama as a spot starter and long reliever.

"John gives us the reliable long man and protection starter that we've lacked the last couple of years," Epstein said in a statement. "He adds a lot to our pitching staff and is a good fit for our ballclub."

Still more work to do

The Sox have three arbitration-eligible players who must be tendered contracts by Monday -- outfielder Dave Roberts, second baseman Mark Bellhorn and starter Bronson Arroyo -- or lose them to free agency.

The club intends to tender contracts to all three.

At the same time, the Sox will monitor which players aren't tendered deals by their own clubs, creating a new expanded class of free agents. It was just such a scenario after the 2002 season that the team scooped up David Ortiz , who was non-tendered by the Minnesota Twins.