Baseball Notes: Red Sox and Teixeira continue dance

The Mark Teixeira-Boston Red Sox dance continued yesterday, albeit with each gauging the other's interest or bluffs.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein appeared at Boston's Logan airport yesterday, but only as part of an airline sponsorship announcement. On Thursday, he and owner John Henry flew back from Texas after meeting with Teixeira and his agent, Scott Boras.

Late Thursday, Henry sent an e-mail to the AP that said, "After hearing about his other offers, however, it seems clear that we are not going to be a factor."

No word from Henry yesterday on how the Red Sox might become a factor again. Boras said in an e-mail to the AP that Teixeira was in the process of eliminating teams.

Braves-Furcal flap.

Atlanta president John Schuerholz has vowed to never again do business with Rafael Furcal's agents, whom Schuerholz accused in a newspaper interview of conducting "despicable" dealings with the team.

Schuerholz and Braves general manager Frank Wren were quoted as saying the Wasserman Media Group negotiated dishonestly by taking the team's signed terms- of-agreement sheet for Furcal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, who then reached a preliminary agreement Wednesday to re-sign the shortstop. The deal was finalized yesterday.

Wren has said he believed the request by agent Paul Kinzer for a term sheet signed by the Braves meant an agreement had been reached.

Schuerholz said he would never make an offer for any other player represented by the agency, which includes Kinzer and agents Arn Tellem, Adam Katz and Joel Wolfe. Tellem heads the baseball practice.

The players' association is likely to maintain that a team cannot boycott players based on which agent they retain.

Tellem defended the actions of Kinzer.

"There was never an agreement reached between Rafael Furcal and the Atlanta Braves," Tellem said in a statement Thursday.

Furcal, who played with the Braves from 2000 to 2005, on Wednesday accepted a three-year contract with the Dodgers worth at least $30 million.

Angels retain Rivera.

Outfielder Juan Rivera decided to stay with Los Angeles, agreeing to a $12.75 million, three-year contract. The 30-year-old outfielder hit .246 with 12 homers and 45 RBIs in 89 games for the Angels last season, his fourth with the team.

Elsewhere.

The Florida Marlins and pitcher Josh Johnson have agreed to a one-year, $1.4 million contract. . . . Outfielder Jody Gerut agreed Friday with the San Diego Padres on a one-year contract worth $1,775,000. . . . Toronto second baseman Aaron Hill, whose season ended on May 29 when he sustained a concussion in a collision with shortstop David Eckstein, expects to be ready by opening day. . . . Nick Willhite, 67, a pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1960s, died Sunday at his son Monty's home in Apine, Utah, after battling cancer.