According to a major league source, the Red Sox demonstrated “marginal interest” in Diamondbacks catcher Chris Snyder before he was moved to the Pirates (along with a minor leaguer) for infielder Bobby Crosby, outfielder Ryan Church and reliever D.J. Carrasco. However, the source said, Snyder — who is in the second year of a three-year, $14.25 million deal that pays him $4.75 million this year and $5.75 million in 2011 — would have had to come at a fairly low salary for next season, meaning the Sox only had interest in acquiring him if there was some financial relief offered by Arizona.

Snyder is hitting .231 with a .352 OBP, .426 slugging mark, .778 OPS and 10 homers for the Diamondbacks this year. The two primary Sox catchers this year, Victor Martinez and Jason Varitek, are both eligible for free agency next season.

The Red Sox met with Joe Urbon to discuss the future of left fielder Jason Bay this morning, according to Yahoo’s Tim Brown. Bay declined arbitration from the club last night.

Joel Sherman tweets the trade talks between the Yankees, Tigers, and Diamondbacks are “back on” and that one of the teams “says there is momentum.”

MLB.com reports the Diamondbacks’ offer of Chris Snyder for C.J. Wilson was rejected by the Rangers.

Add the Pirates to the list of teams after free agent pitcher Justin Duchscherer, writes Dean Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. The Red Sox and Rockies are among the other teams reported to have interest.

Little has changed, according to a major-league source, in trade conversations between the Diamondbacks and Red Sox about a potential trade of a Red Sox pitcher for Arizona catcher Miguel Montero. The source suggested that there was nothing new or concrete in discussions between the two sides, which have been in dialogue with each other for most of the offseason.

The Red Sox, of course, are still looking for a catcher to complement Josh Bard, and Montero remains on their radar as one possible solution. General manager Theo Epstein has noted that the team’s recent stockpile of arms depth—specifically, the signings of starters John Smoltz and Brad Penny and reliever Takashi Saito—has positioned the club to trade from a position of strength.

“We feel like, if we build a really deep stable of pitching, it will help us out throughout the year. Maybe we don’t have to go out and find it and pay a premium for it during the season,” Epstein said this weekend at the Hot Stove Cool Music Baseball Roundtable. “Also, we have other holes on the club, other positions we’re looking to fill. If we build up enough pitching depth, we feel that we can trade someone not named Justin Masterson to possibly fill one of the other spots on the club.”

The Diamondbacks are in the market for a starting pitcher, but they are in a position to take a read-and-react approach as they figure out whether to use catcher Montero as a chip or whether they wait in hopes of seeing a drop in the free-agent asking prices of available starters as the start of the year nears.

Arizona’s recent agreement with starting catcher Chris Snyder to a contract extension through 2011 (with an option for 2012) would appear to consign Montero (presuming Snyder stays healthy) to a backup role for the foreseeable future. That being the case, it might appear that the D-backs would maximize their assets by trading Montero and receiving a return commensurate with a starting catcher.

But Snyder’s career high in plate appearances (404) and games caught (112), both set in 2008, suggest that the Diamondbacks could still capture value if they kept an above-average backup catcher on their roster. As such, the Diamondbacks do not feel compelled to make a move until they get a starter of their liking in return for a 25-year-old catcher who is still widely considered to have significant offensive upside. (Montero is a career .239/.309/.411 hitter in 468 career plate appearances.)

Arizona has never targeted Clay Buchholz or Masterson in its discussions with the Sox. The team has been interested in Bowden, and presumably, given its desire to receive a starter in return for Montero, it would need more than reliever Daniel Bard in a deal.

For the Sox, Montero is one of multiple options that the team can continue to explore. The team, according to Epstein, hasn’t shut the door on Jason Varitek returning (“We haven’t ruled anything in or out,” Epstein said) and the two catchers in Texas (Taylor Teagarden and Jarrod Saltalamacchia) also remain possibilities.

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