Marlins make offer to Chapman; Bay limited

• In what might be one of the bigger surprises of the off-season thus far, the Marlins have made 21-year old Cuban phenom Aroldis Chapman a five-year, $13 million offer. However, the Red Sox have already offered the young hurler a multi-year deal worth $15.5 million, so unless Chapman strongly desires to play in a Cuban market like Miami, the Marlins' chances of actually landing him appear slim at this point.
• Jason Bay only has one option right now, and much to his chagrin, it is the Mets. Clearly, Bay would prefer not to sign with New York, as he and his agent Joe Urbon turned around and asked Boston to revisit negotiations. Unfortunately for Bay, due to the fact that the Red Sox have already inked Mike Cameron, their interest level in the left-fielder is minimal. Bill Madden of the New York Daily News suggests that Bay sees the Mets as "no better than a third-place club," even with him in the lineup. Unless a team like Seattle, or perhaps even the Yankees, throws its hat into the bidding at the last second, Bay appears destined to ink a contract with the Mets.
  
• Now that the Mike Lowell-to-Texas trade is off, the Rangers will have to look elsewhere for a bat. Texas is reportedly interested in the likes of Vladimir Guerrero and Jermaine Dye, and Jim Thome remains another possibility. Based on that, it seems like the Rangers are scouring the market for a DH.
• Coco Crisp is close to signing a one-year, $5 million deal with Oakland. The 30-year old outfielder posted a .228/.336/.714 line over 180 at-bats with Kansas City in '09.
• Much like Bay, Johnny Damon's options are very, very limited. As a matter of fact, he may not even have the luxury of having a single potential suitor at this point. Ken Davidoff of Newsday names the Braves, Rays, Cubs, and Mets as possibilities, but notes that each of those squads remain long shots. Taking everything into consideration, Damon's most realistic suitor may still be the Yankees if he is willing to come down significantly on his price-tag. Before the Yanks reached an agreement with Nick Johnson, Damon lowered his demands to two years, $20 million. That still wasn't low enough for the Bronx Bombers, who are thinking more along the lines of a two-year, $14 million contract. At this point, that might be Damon's best, and only, bet.
• The Yankees also have interest in Mark DeRosa, but, like Damon, his asking price is far too high for their liking. I actually think there is more of a chance that New York brings Damon back than it signs DeRosa.
• Even though rumors abound about a possible Adrian Gonzalez-to-Boston deal, it doesn't appear likely, according to ESPN's Jayson Stark. The Padres really do not have to deal Gonzalez, considering he is only owed $4.5 million this season and has a $5.5 million club buyout option in 2011. He is, without a doubt, one of the biggest bargains in baseball. That said, you would have to think that San Diego would at least contemplate the idea of trading A-Gon should the Red Sox come up with the right package (Jacoby Ellsbury, Casey Kelly, and Jake Westmoreland would be immediate targets for the Padres).
• The Cubs are looking for an outfielder, and they are rumored to have strong interest in Marlon Byrd, with Scott Podsednik representing another possibility. Chicago could also look to swing a deal with the Yankees for one of Melky Cabrera and Brett Gardner now that New York does not have a need for both of them due to the fact that it landed Curtis Granderson. The Cubs have also had talks with free agent reliever Matt Capps, as Chicago is in serious need of bullpen help.
  
• If you're wondering why the catching market seems a bit slow at the moment, look no further than Bengie Molina and his demand for a three-year, $20 million contract, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOXSports.com, who spoke to a "person in the industry" with knowledge of the situation. The Mets have been rumored to be Molina's top potential suitor, but they have balked at his high price-tag (wouldn't you?). Not that the list of free agent catchers, which, outside of Molina, includes his brother Jose, Yorvit Torrealba, and Rod Barajas, is all that impressive, but there are still plenty of teams in need of second-string backstops.