It once seemed impossible that the Red Sox could afford to extend Jacoby Ellsbury's contract, but having shed the huge deals of Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford it now seems possible.

Ellsbury's agent has talked about him as a "franchise player," but it's unlikely that the Red Sox will pay him as such. Still, the idea of a new long-term deal will probably be discussed this offseason.

His ability to stay healthy and lone MVP-caliber season (2011) should keep any team from paying him too handsomely.

With the Dodgers having taken on a ton of salary via trade over the last month, it's unlikely that they will target Josh Hamilton as a free agent this winter.

The Red Sox cut salary, but there are a number of other major-market clubs that will likely pass on the slugger, including the Yankees, Phillies and Angels.

"So it's going to be a fascinating market for him, because of his history," one American League executive said of Hamilton.

"Any player who can have the impact on a game he can have, you'd love to add. But on a nine-figure deal … I wouldn't say he's a slam dunk to make a team happy for the next seven years. To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me to see a mid-market team come out of the woodwork and step up and pay him, kind of like the way the Reds did with Joey Votto. As we always say, all you need is one team."

Shane Victorino is interested in re-signing with the Dodgers this winter, but will be looking for a starting role with the team that traded for him last month.

The 31-year-old might find L.A.'s outfield to be crowded.

The Dodgers have Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier in the outfield. They also acquired Carl Crawford, who is under contract through 2017, in a trade last weekend.

"Are you crazy?" Victorino told Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times. "I'm not even thinking about stepping back. Why would I? I'm 31 years old. ... I'm going to be an everyday play, whether it be here, whether it be Philly, whether it be any uniform."

The Pirates have released Erik Bedard.

Bedard, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal in the offseason, has a 5.01 ERA in 2012.

Bedard has 14 losses, tied for the most in the Major Leagues.

Dexter Fowler may be in line for a contract extension from the Rockies and the likelihood of a new deal may have increased because of a change in representation.

The outfielder left Scott Boras and hired Casey Close. Fowler talked highly of Boras, but said Close made more sense for him at this juncture in his career.

After a report suggested that the Royals had a scout present when Roger Clemens took the mound for the Sugar Land Skeeters on Saturday, general manager Dayton Moore denied any interest in the 50-year-old right-hander.

Kansas City senior pitching advisor Bill Fischer was on hand at Saturday night's game, but he was merely there as an old coach and friend of Clemens.

Moore pointed out that Fischer was Clemens' pitching coach early in his Major League career and that the pitcher invited him to come down and be part of his return.

"Fish called me last night to say thanks for allowing him to go down there and what a great time it was," Moore said. "I don't even know how Roger threw, I didn't even ask him about that."

David Wright and R.A. Dickey both have club options in their contracts for next season and Mets general manager Sandy Alderson expects both players to be with the Mets for a long time.

"I fully expect that David Wright and R.A. Dickey will be here not only next year, but long term," Alderson said.

"As you all know, we have options on both those players and it's not our intention to simply rely on those options and go into next season and deal with their free agency after 2013. We're going to deal with it up front while we still have a little bit of room to maneuver. But we're committed to trying to bring those two back. I hope they'll both be back and I'm excited about the possibilities they will be."

Wright is in the final guaranteed year of a six-year, $55 million deal. The third baseman doesn't want to discuss an extension until after the season.

The question becomes whether the Mets can afford to re-sign both players. The team's payroll dropped about $50 million to $100 million overall this season. Retaining Wright and Dickey could become expensive.

Roger Clemens pitched 3 1/3 scoreless innings for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Independent League on Saturday, his first appearance in five years.

"No," Clemens said when the subject of a Major League comeback was brought up. "I've had success before at that level and other things. Again, it's a great deal of work and I'm not thinking that at this point."

The 50-year-old faced the Bridgeport Bluefish and struck out two, while allowing one hit without a walk on 37 pitches.

Scouts from the Astros and Royals were on hand.

Roger Clemens says his weekend start for the Sugar Land Skeeters of the Independent League isn't part of a comeback to the Major Leagues.

"I don't know how much clearer I can say it," Clemens said. "I'm nowhere near major league ready, nor have I been training or pitching in that type of mode."

Astros owner Jim Crane has said that the team is open to the idea of adding the seven-time Cy Young Award winner and is sending a scout to the game.

Clemens has a personal services contract with the Astros.

The Astros are open to the idea of signing Roger Clemens, who will start for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters on Saturday.

"I think the fans might like it," owner Jim Crane told Mark Berman of KRIV-TV in Houston. "It might be fun and certainly get a few people in the ballpark. I don't see anything negative about that, but the Astros wouldn't want to do it for the money, the extra gate or anything like that."

Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow is sending a scout to watch Clemens.