Marco Scutaro didn't want to mention at his press conference today who the "other team" was who offered him a contract, but FoxSports is reporting that it was the Oakland A's, who actually gave him more years and more money:
Scutaro turned down a slightly more lucrative three-year contract from the A's before signing his two-year, $12.5 million deal with the Red Sox, according to major-league sources.
The A's would have used Scutaro at shortstop and made Cliff Pennington their utility man. Scutaro played for the A's from 2004 to '07 before getting traded to the Blue Jays for two minor leaguers.
Clearly, the A's are operating with a measure of financial flexibility. They assumed $1.7 million of infielder Aaron Miles' $2.7 million salary as part of the price for obtaining Jake Fox in a five- player deal with the Cubs on Thursday.
Another case where Billy Beane and Theo Epstein go toe-to-toe for a player. Winner: Theo. Looks like Scutaro really wants to win.