Jason Bay rejects latest Red Sox offer

Free-agent left fielder Jason Bay has reportedly rejected the Boston Red Sox’s latest offer, with his agent saying Bay was prepared to “move on.”

According to a Foxsports. com report, agent Joe Urbon said, “We don’t agree with their evaluation of the player. Frankly, we have other offers on the table that are of greater interest to Jason.”

The Red Sox reportedly offered Bay a four-year, $60-million contract.

Also in Boston, outfielder Brian Anderson became a free agent when the Red Sox decided against offering him a contract for next season.

Boston also agreed to a $650,000, one-year contract with right-hander Boof Bonser, acquired from Minnesota last week.

Cust among several players let go

Power-hitting Jack Cust, closer Mike MacDougal and outfielder Jonny Gomesjoined an already saturated free-agent market when they weren’t offered contracts for next year by their teams.

New York Yankees pitcher Chien-Ming Wang was also expected to be cut as the so-called tender deadline approached.

By early evening teams had announced they were letting 15 players go free, and all but three of them would have been eligible for salary arbitration if they had been offered contracts.

Cust hit .240 with 25 home runs and 70 runs batted in for Oakland last season, when he was paid $2.8 million. He struck out 195 times, becoming the first player since Minnesota’s Bobby Darwin in 1972-74 to lead the American League in that category three consecutive seasons.

Also released were Atlanta Braves outfielder Ryan Church and second baseman Kelly Johnson; and New York Mets pitcher Tim Redding, and outfielders Jeremy Reed and Cory Sullivan.

Among players recovering from surgery, Chicago Cubs left-hander Neal Cotts, Milwaukee right-hander Mark DiFelice and Washington left-hander Scott Olsen were let loose. DiFelice was not eligible for arbitration.

Reliever Lyon signs deal with Astros

Reliever Brandon Lyon and the Houston Astros completed a $15-million, three-year contract.

Lyon was 6-5 with a 2.86 earned-run average for the Detroit Tigers last season after spending 2005-08 with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The right-hander had a career-high 26 saves in 2008 and appeared in a career-best 73 games with a 2.68 ERA in 2007.

A 14th-round draft pick in 1999, Lyon also has played for the Toronto Blue Jays and Red Sox in eight big league seasons. He is 27-34 in 374 appearances with a 4.20 ERA and 54 saves.

Lyon joins a rebuilt Astros bullpen that includes hard-throwing Matt Lindstrom, who was acquired from Florida last week for right-hander Robert Bono and infielders Luis Bryan and Jorge Jimenez, all minor league players.

Correia, Padres sign one-year deal

Right-hander Kevin Correia and the San Diego Padres have agreed to a $3.6-million, one-year contract, avoiding salary arbitration.

The 29-year-old was 12-11 with a 3.91 ERA in his first season with the Padres. He spent his first six major league seasons with the San Francisco Giants

More signings

Several other arbitration-eligible players agreed to contracts: Atlanta outfielder Matt Diaz ($2.55 million), Baltimore right-handers Cla Meredith ($850,000) and Matt Albers ($680,000 in majors and $275,000 in minors) and Texas infielder Esteban German ($600,000/$200,000).