The Red Sox and Cody Ross did not reach an agreement on Friday, allowing the free agent outfielder to talk with other teams as of 12:01 a.m. on Saturday.
Ross, 31, hit .267 with a .326 OBP, .481 slugging mark and .807 OPS along with 22 homers in 130 games in 2012. While the Sox have expressed interest in retaining a player who proved comfortable in Boston and features a made-for-Fenway swing, GM Ben Cherington also hinted on Thursday (in an interview with WEEI's Red Sox Hot Stove Show) that it seemed likely that Ross would explore the market.
"One of the things we talked about [when Ross signed last offseason] was wanting to put him in a situation where he could be in a better position this offseason than he was last year. … We wanted it to work for the team and work for him. … We didn’t get the job done on a team basis, but it did work out for him," said Cherington. "He’s in a better position this year than he was last year. That’s good for him. It creates a bigger challenge for us in trying to find a deal that works for him and works for us. We have talked, and talked a lot. Time will tell. … He’ll have options. We’ll have to weigh what it would take to sign him versus alternatives in the market."
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