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Cafardo On Bourn, Red Sox, Morales, Bailey, Okajima

The Yankees will face an uphill battle if they attempt to void Alex Rodriguez's contract due to his alleged ties to a Miami PED clinic.  The use of banned substances alone may not be enough to 86 a contract, but a former agent tells Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that they could try to prove there was fraud prior to the contract being signed.  In that situation, the Bombers would try to show that A-Rod lied about taking PEDs and therefore the contract was agreed to under false pretenses.  Here's more from today's column, with a heavy dose of news on current and former members of the Red Sox..

• There has been speculation that the Mets are trying to get MLB to allow them to keep their first-round pick if they sign Michael Bourn.  According to a Mets source, they are still trying to determine whether they can get him to sign and they'll only go all out on the compensation issue if they determine that they can. 
• A few teams contacted the Red Sox about left-hander Franklin Morales this winter and a few others are watching him closely in spring training.  Teams are intrigued by Morales’s starting capability and are especially interested to see if he can consistently maintain his 96 mph fastball over a full outing.  If Gio Gonzalez winds up being penalized for his alleged link to the PED clinic in Miami, Cafardo believes that the Nationals may be interested in Morales.
• Andrew Bailey is another Red Sox pitcher who will be watched by scouts.  There are still teams out there who could use a closer like the Tigers and Mets and Boston might listen for the right return.
• A few teams are interested in signing Hideki Okajima to a minor league deal, but he hasn’t made up his mind yet.  The left-hander was recently released by his Japanese team so that he could pursue a return to the majors.
• Teams like the Astros and Mets are kicking around the possibility of bringing Daisuke Matsuzaka to camp to see if he can recapture the form he had in his first two seasons in Boston.  He could also head back to Japan if he doesn't feel that he has a good chance of making a big league roster.  Last month, a Mets insider told Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com that he didn't believe the club reached out to Matsuzaka.
• Derek Lowe wants to be a starting pitcher, but it appears that he will have to go settle for being a swingman.  The Mets and the Astros are possibilities.

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