by By JOHN TOMASE , The Boston Herald

Hazen was offered the Padres job by Jed Hoyer, his former co-worker with the Red Sox who recently became the general manager in San Diego, but ultimately chose to stay put. The Abington native and Princeton grad has family in the area, which contributed to the decision.

There's also the potential for upward mobility with the Sox , who did not give Hazen a promotion to influence his decision, but did make it clear that he's in their future plans and could eventually assume an expanded role.

Hazen just finished his fourth season with the organization. Under his stewardship, the minor leagues have produced a number of impact players, including second baseman Dustin Pedroia, center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, starter Clay Buchholz and reliever Daniel Bard.

Goods on Gonzalez

Padres All-Star closer Heath Bell was in Canton at Reebok headquarters and said slugging teammate Adrian Gonzalez would be a perfect fit for the Sox .

Gonzalez is sure to draw a ton of interest on the trading block this offseason, with the Red Sox expected to be near the front of the line attempting to acquire the first baseman.

``I think if he didn't have to be the main guy on one team, he'd be so much better than he is,'' Bell said. ``He'd hit over .300, and he'd definitely hit 35 or 40 home runs because he'd have protection. It's amazing the things he's done with nobody hitting around him in San Diego. He broke the (team) record for walks in one month (32 in June), and then came back and still hit. He's never had any protection. So I think he'd be amazing for anywhere that has protection for him.''

The Sox would be one such team. The 2010 lineup should include Kevin Youkilis, Victor Martinez and David Ortiz, not to mention the possibility of a re-signed Jason Bay.

There's also the matter of Gonzalez escaping the vast confines of Petco Park, which is a graveyard for power hitters. Since 2006, Gonzalez' homer totals have risen (24, 30, 36, 40) despite playing mostly at Petco.

``I don't think the park's all that bad for him, because all of his power's (opposite field),'' Bell said of the left-handed hitter. ``In Fenway, he'd pepper that Wall.''

Ortiz knows boo

Ortiz was also at Reebok as part of a promotional swing, and the self-described Packers fan noted that he attended Brett Favre's return Sunday to Lambeau Field with the Vikings. The DH's wife hails from Wisconsin.

Ortiz said the reception Favre received was more hostile than anything Yankees fans ever threw at ex-Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez in New York.

``It was much worse,'' Ortiz said. ``You've got what, 75,000, 80,000 fans vs. about 40,000? It was different. They don't like him.''

Read the Clubhouse Insider at bostonherald.com.

Copyright 2009 Boston Herald Inc.
	Terms & Conditions     Privacy Copyright © 2009 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.