Hot Stove Lunch: Does Brewers deal with free agent change Red Sox' pursuit of Martinez; Jansen wonders about strike and more

This is a daily BSJ off-season feature that will arrive in time for your lunch, Monday-Friday.

A spin around the leagues with the latest news, notes, and rumors around Major League Baseball

RED SOX

Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald wrote this past weekend that the Brewers signing of Lorenzo Cain to a five-year, $80 million deal last week makes it tougher for the Red Sox to hold the line in their negotiations with free agent J.D. Martinez.

Silverman's argument: if the small-market Brewers can sign a speed guy like Cain to a deal that will take him through his age 36 season, then why can't the Sox give the younger Martinez -- who will mostly be expected to DH -- a deal longer than five years?

It's an intriguing question, but I'm not sure the two cases are linked.

It's hard to compare a player who's still regarded as an elite defender with a slugger whose main value is in the batter's box. Also, even though Cain's contract is the biggest one given to a position player this off-season, the AAV (average annual value) of his deal is $16 million. That's a far cry from the reported $25 million AAV the Sox have offered -- in a report from Sliverman himself -- to Martinez.

If the Sox could sign Martinez for seven years at $112 million over seven years (the same $16 million AAV that Cain just got), they would do so immediately. But with far more money at stake, the risk is totally different.

The Sox are gun-shy about some big deals they've given out to players (Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval) in their early 30s and are loathe to make the same mistake again. Also, with no other obvious bidder topping their present offer, why should the Sox bid against bid themselves?

AL EAST

Giancarlo Stanton says he's ready for New York

Zach Britton says he may be ahead of schedule as he recovers from surgery.

The Rays placed six players on a Top 100 prospects list.

The Blue Jays are in good shape for the future in the catching department.

AL CENTRAL

Could the Indians and Brewers be talking trade?

New Tigers pitching coach Chris Bosio is already making an impact on the staff.

Avisail Garcia is ready to take the next step for the White Sox.

The Royals have a plan for center field after losing Lorenzo Cain.

AL WEST 

Albert Pujols says he's ready to return to playing first base.

The A's believe they can be a playoff team.

Dee Gordon can be much more than a base-stealer for the Mariners.

Rangers reliever Shawn Tolleson is ready for a comeback

N.L.

Ryan Braun is willing to move to first base for the Brewers to accommodate the logjam in the outfield.

TAKE I MAY REGRET IN A MONTH

It's been a brutally slow off-season in baseball, and well over 100 free agent remains unsigned with the opening of camps just two weeks away. That's bad for the game.

But Kenley Jansen needs to pump the proverbial brakes. The Dodgers closer over the weekend said that perhaps players should contemplate a strike in response to the static free agent market.

This is a classic bit of over-reaction on Jansen's part. Sure, the dearth of activity is troubling and it's understandable that Jansen has some concerns about what it means for his colleagues and the industry itself.

But this hasn't reached a crisis yet, and it's not worth a walkoff. Baseball has had labor peace for 23 years and counting, the longest of any of the four major North American sports. And absent some evidence that there's actual, honest-to-goodness collusion going on -- and not just a more deliberate approach to spending -- the players should focus on the next CBA, where changes can be made without interruption of play.