I have been hearing the sox in the mix for CC through a lot of the sources. Granted, they are throwing in all the large market teams, which sounds like a good way to generate non-news. But it is an interesting question. Do the sox chase CC? Or even more, do the sox chase any pitching this offseason?
I think the entire plan centers around Beckett. Beckett is entering the last yr of his contract, although the sox do own an option for 2010. If the sox sign CC, then the sox set a precedent that would make Beckett a wee bit snippy. And with Beckett likely entering FA as a 29 yr old, he's gonna be getting a megadeal. That being said, the sox have another ace in Lester and a damn good pitcher in DiceK. Therefore, I think the sox will kick the tires, but I dont think they will commit the 22 or so mil a yr to CC. Then again, if they did and the sox had a rotation of Beckett, CC, Lester, DiceK, and Buchholz/Bowden/Masterson/Wake, then they'd be even nastier