As expected, the Boston Red Sox have offered arbitration to free agents Jason Bay and Billy Wagner according to Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston.

This means the Red Sox are guaranteed to get at least two draft picks should they sign elsewhere. They would receive the signing team’s first round pick if it is from 16-30 in the first round. If it isn’t, then they’ll receive a second round pick plus a sandwich pick between the first and second round.

The Red Sox are still very interested in bringing Bay back to Boston. They’d also welcome Wagner back but it’s still thought that he’ll take a closer’s job with another team.

They didn’t offer arbitration to Rocco Baldelli, Paul Byrd and Chris Woodward.

If the Boston Red Sox are going to sign free agent shortstop Marco Scutaro, it’s going to cost them their first round draft pick in 2010. The Toronto Blue Jays offered arbitration to Scutaro on Monday meaning that they will get two draft picks if he signs elsewhere.

While interested in Scutaro, the Red Sox have been hesitant due to the fact that Scutaro was bothered by plantar fasciitis late last season. They’ll have to decide if losing their draft pick is worth the price of Scutaro.

Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has said he’d gladly move over to shortstop if it will help the team. But according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox will explore all other options before turning to Pedroia in the hole.

Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports that the Red Sox have made contact with the representive of their former farmhand Adam Everett while Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald says the Red Sox have also talked to Adam Kennedy’s people as well.

We all know Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia will do whatever it takes to win. So this report from Peter Gammons of ESPN.com should come as no surprise to anyone.

According to Gammons, the Red Sox have broached the idea of Pedroia moving over to shortstop for at least next year. The move would allow them to pursue a free agent second baseman that wouldn’t cost them a draft pick.

“They’ve asked me if I think I could play shortstop,” Pedroia says. “They’ve put it out there and I’ve told them I’m all for it. I can do it. I can’t wait for Tito [Terry Francona] to call me and ask, ‘Can you do it?’ I can do it. I really want to do it.”

“When the idea of moving back to shortstop was floated to me, I welcomed it,” Pedroia says. “I’m excited. Tell Derek [Jeter] to enjoy the gold glove and silver slugger awards while he can. Obviously, I’m not serious about the fun I have with Derek, but I’m never stopping believing in the goal. I believe I can play shortstop and help get the Red Sox back where they belong.”

Gammons says the Red Sox could pursue free agent Orlando Hudson or make a trade for Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips. Hudson is a Type A free agent and has won the NL Gold Glove at second two of the past three years (2007, 2009). Phillips won the NL Gold Glove in 2008.

Offensively for the Dodgers in a 149 games last season, Hudson hit .283 with 9 home runs and 62 RBIs. He’s a career .282 hitter averaging 12 home runs and 69 RBIs a season.

In 153 games for the Reds in 2009, Phillips hit .276 with 20 home runs, 98 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. He’s a career  .265 hitter averaging 21 home runs, 84 RBIs and 24 stolen bases. He is owed $17.75 million over the final two years of his contract.

If this is going to help the Red Sox then I’m all for it. I’ve got the utmost faith in Pedroia and I’m sure the Red Sox do too.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t have asked him if he was interested in doing so.

UConn Football links

Season Finale Also Military And Veterans Appreciation Night [Desmond Conner – Hartford Courant]

Big East power rankings, Week 14 [Big East Blog – ESPN.com]

‘There are no points for second place’ [Neill Ostrout – Connecticut Post]

The Photo UConn Fans Thought They Would Never See [Thoughts From a Fat White Guy]

Big East notebook: Pitt, Cincinnati to battle for bid [Connecticut Post]

Cincy’s BCS Hopes Hinge On Nebraska [Hartford Courant]

UConn Women’s Basketball links

Huskies Rewind [Rich Elliott – Connecticut Post]

2010 Women’s Basketball Championship Tickets on Sale Tuesday, December 1 [BigEast.org]

UConn Defense Impresses Even Auriemma [Hartford Courant]

As we heard earlier in the offseason, the Boston Red Sox have put Mike Lowell on the trade block. It’s more of a let’s see what kind of market there is for him thing than anything else at this point.

According to Jon Heyman of SI.com, the Philadelphia Phillies have had brief talks with the Red Sox about Lowell.

If the Red Sox were to trade Lowell then it most certainly seems they would make a trade for a first baseman with Kevin Youkilis shifting over to third.

You’ll remember that after the 2007 season, Lowell was very close to signing with the Phillies before accepting a 3 year deal to stay in Boston. I’d hate to see Lowell go but if a trade is going to help the Red Sox win and get a big bat in the process by all means go for it.

After all baseball is a business, isn’t it?

When I first saw the pre-Thanksgiving report that the Boston Red Sox were putting on the full court press of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay, all I could say is why.

You have a potential rotation of Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Clay Buchholz and Tim Wakefield in 2010. Of course if the Red Sox did trade for Halladay obviously Buchholz would be a center piece and no longer in the rotation.

But the question remains, do the Red Sox really need Halladay?

They can use him sure but what happens if the Red Sox lose Jason Bay to free agency. They’d be losing a power bat in the middle of their lineup. Wouldn’t you rather use Buchholz and the other prospects you’re going to give up for a bat such as Adrian Gonzalez of the San Diego Padres or even Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.

The Red Sox could go after Matt Holliday in free agency to replace Bay should he sign elsewhere. But they would need to hope that Holliday would replicate his NL numbers and not the ones he put up his brief stay in the AL with the Oakland A’s.

If the Red Sox did get Holliday or even got Bay back, they could seemingly step up their pursuit of Halladay and bolster their rotation. But is that really the answer?

Even if they couldn’t get Gonzalez this season from the Padres, there’s the potential of going after him after the 2010 season. With former Red Sox assistant GM Jed Hoyer in San Diego now, he’s going to now what he wants and if you trade for Halladay, you’re losing valuable poker chips.

But we live in the now and the Red Sox want to win in 2010 which means that a trade for Halladay could happen. But let’s hope that Red Sox GM Theo Epstein makes sure the other parts of the puzzle are fixed first before losing some pieces.

Since 2004, the Boston Red Sox have used 19 different players at shortstop. It’s been a dark spot of sorts for them especially since the trade of Nomar Garciaparra.

Look we know the trade of Nomar ended up helping us win the 2004 World Series but you can definitely say shortstop hasn’t been the same since with the exception of 2006 and the latter part of 2009 (Alex Gonzalez). Rather than shore up the position with Gonzo, they let him go via free agency.

And now that he has signed with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Red Sox have even more limited options at shortstop.

The flavor of the day remains Blue Jays free agent shortstop Marco Scutaro. The problem is that he is 34 and also is a Type A free agent. If he is offered arbitration by the Blue Jays, the Red Sox would have to give up their first round draft pick.

There has been conflicting reports on whether the Blue Jays would offer Scutaro arbitration by the midnight deadline tonight. The latest one though is that they would in fact offer Scutaro arbitration so if he declines and signs elsewhere, they would get two draft picks.

The Blue Jays would  be stupid not to offer him arbitration even with Gonzo signed and John McDonald re-signed as well. If he accepts it, they’ll find a role for him and if he doesn’t, they get two picks to build up their farm system.

So if he is offered arbitration and declines, is he worth a draft pick to the Red Sox?

Right now, he’s pretty much their only option. They could rest their laurels on Jed Lowrie coming back healthy but that doesn’t seem likely considering they’d have no real option at short should he get hurt or not recover fully from his wrist injuy.

There was a report in the  New York Daily News yesterday that the Red Sox were talking to the Florida Marlins about Hanley Ramirez. But according to Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, that rumor was quickly put to bed.

My best guess is that we’ll see Scutaro donning a Red Sox uniform for at least a year, maybe two until Jose Iglesias is ready to take over at the major league level.

And oh by the way, the Red Sox could have had Gonzalez back if they didn’t tell him their $3 million offer would be offered after the winter meetings if they couldn’t find a better option.

One week after being named the Big East Player of the Week in women’s basketball, UConn Huskies senior center Tina Charles was named to the Big East Honor Roll for her efforts in the WBCA Classic held over the weekend at Gampel Pavilion.

Charles, who was named MVP of the tournament, averaged 16.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2 blocks in the wins over Hofstra, Richmond and Clemson. Charles shot 61.8% from the floor as well.’

The Huskies, who are in the middle of a seven game homestand, return to action on Thursday night when the Vermont Catamounts come to Gampel Pavilion.