Red Sox play the market in Clemens sweepstakes By Dan Shaughnessy, Globe Staff, 11/22/96 Roger Clemens spent yesterday golfing in Las Vegas. His agent, Alan Hendricks, was at the office in Houston, gleefully reading about John Smoltz' four-year, $31 million contract with the Braves. Red Sox general manager Dan Duquette was burning the daytime oil at Fenway, no doubt hammering out long-term pacts for Grady Little and Wendell Kim. As for Red Sox CEO John Harrington ... he must be in hiding with Boston College president Rev. William P. Leahy. The Sox boss has been busy shining Jerry Reinsdorf's shoes and bollixing the owner-player deal. Sad, scared John couldn't even make it to the press conference Tuesday when the Sox unveiled overmatched new manager Jimy (Bullfrog Booty) Williams. Now that the Sox have solved their manager dilemma for the rest of the century, the focus shifts to Clemens. Boston has made Clemens an offer (two years guaranteed, with quantitative incentives that could make it a four-year deal). Clemens rejected the proposal and has his people talking with, among others, the Yankees' George Steinbrenner, Cleveland's John Hart, and the despicable Mr. Reinsdorf, of the Chicago Reinsdorfs. At any moment, Clemens, the best pitcher in the history of the Red Sox franchise, could hold a press conference and announce that he has signed a four-year, $25 million deal with another team. How would you like to see Roger wearing pinstripes on the evening news? Or maybe posing for a photo with his new White Sox teammate, Albert Belle? ``That's not going to happen,'' said Duquette. ``Roger has played his whole career with the Red Sox and there's a relationship of several [past contracts] with the Red Sox and Clemens.'' Duquette stopped short of saying the club would be offered a last right of refusal, but he believes the Sox will get a chance to respond if Clemens is overwhelmed. ``I do know we'll be informed on what the market is,'' said the Boston GM. What the market is. This is the key phrase. The market for star baseball players is ever changing, and Reinsdorf blew everyone out of the water Tuesday when he committed $55 million (over five years) to Belle, baseball's resident psychopath. Smoltz, the reigning National League Cy Young winner, got his money a day later, and now Clemens stands as the best available free agent pitcher (like you'd rather have Boomer Wells or Jaime Navarro?). So what is the Rocket's value? Might Steinbrenner commit $25 million over four years to Clemens? What about Reinsdorf? Or those folks in Cleveland who no longer have to pay Belle? Hendricks didn't want to say much. He said he'd placed a gag on Clemens (a prudent move by the veteran agent) and would offer only this: ``We're just gonna see what happens. Nobody's out. Everybody's in. The Red Sox offer is there, but if it was acceptable, it would be done. We speak with them periodically.'' Clemens is hung up on the four-year guarantee. If another team offers him more security than Boston, he'll leave. Duquette says there's no recent history of teams offering four-year guarantees to 34-year-old pitchers. And if that were to change in this combustible climate? ``We would take a look if the market deemed it,'' said Duquette. ``We would have to consider it. But the indications to date are that nobody's done it.'' True. But what about Smoltz and his four-year, $31 million deal? ``He's 29 years old and the reigning Cy Young winner,'' answered Duquette. ``Roger hasn't won a Cy Young in a while [1991]. Smoltz pitched for a team that went to the World Series and he's also won some games in the postseason. And he's five years younger.'' All true. But Clemens is the best pitcher still on the market. And the market could be changing in Clemens' favor. The Sox have a dilemma. Clemens will be 35 in August, has a recent history of injuries and went 40-39 in the last four years while making $21 million. If the Sox were to commit $6 million to him for 1997, they would be spending one-third of their $39 million payroll on two players (Clemens and Mo Vaughn). If another team is willing to break the bank for Clemens, should the Sox try to match? From a PR standpoint, this has been a disastrous offseason for Boston. In the short term, the Sox would take another tremendous hit if they allow Clemens to walk - especially if he walks into Yankee Stadium. The Hendricks brothers believe there are teams in baseball that won't be bothered by Clemens' age or his recent record. They know they're sitting on a high-profile star who could sell tickets in Texas, New York and Chicago (Cleveland is balking, and you can forget Houston. The 'Stros don't have the cake). The Red Sox think they can bring Clemens back. But if the price gets too steep, Boston will fold, and start telling you about kids in the farm system. Can the Red Sox live without Roger Clemens? ``The Red Sox are going to go on for a long time,'' said Duquette. No wonder Harrington's hiding. This story ran on page c1 of the Boston Globe on 11/22/96.