Boston Interested in Magglio Ordonez

MLBTR passed along a bit of “news” late last night (around 10 pm, which is late to me because I’m old) that the Red Sox could have interest in outfielder Magglio Ordonez. Sean McAdam of CSNNE says Boston is seeking a right handed hitting left fielder to help balance their lefty-laden lineup.

Earlier in the day, Theo Epstein told reporters that he’s looking at complementary-type bats. It is believed that Ordonez would have to settle for a one -year deal in the $7 million range in order to fit with the Red Sox, and it sounds like he wouldn’t even be the everyday guy in left should he sign there. Boston has J.D. Drew penciled in as the right fielder with Mike Cameron, Jacoby Ellsbury, and prospect Ryan Kalish expected to fill the other two spots.

With all of that laid out, it doesn’t sound like Maggs would be a fit for Boston. He’s stated on a couple of occasions that he wants to return to Detroit and Dave Dombrowski has stated his interest in bringing back Magglio as well. If he returns to Detroit, Ordonez would be the everyday right fielder and could likely snag a two-year contract, probably at as much as $10 million per year.

Might this all just be a smoke-screen by Boston intended to force Detroit to spend more to get their man? Whether or not Epstein has intended it that way, Scott Boras will certainly use the Red Sox interest to pressure Dombrowski into making a bigger offer.

In his own way, Dombrowski may have been sending a signal to Boras when ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick reported that the Tigers were one of a handful of teams with interest in outfielder Fred Lewis. There seems to be a buzz that Detroit is looking into less expensive corner outfielders.

Again, that could be true, but the system is already well-stocked with fourth outfielder types, so adding a guy like Lewis seems redundant. Could it be that Detroit simply doesn’t want to appear too interested in re-signing Ordonez and risk having Boras drive up the price? That’s my hope, anyway.

Like what you see here and want to stay informed on the happenings at MCB? Make sure to follow us on Twitter, friend us on Facebook, or grab our RSS feed.