Blue Jays want to keep Lilly, make late-night offer

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The market for free-agent pitcher Ted Lilly officially increased late Monday night when the Toronto Blue Jays presented him with a formal offer.

The offer, terms of which weren't divulged, was something the Blue Jays intended to do with the left-hander. It was made shortly after it was learned that Vicente Padilla and Texas agreed to a $33.75 million, three-year deal, further defining the lucrative market for starting pitchers.

But it also could turn into a last-ditch effort to keep him from the Chicago Cubs. Earlier Monday, there were strong rumors -- denied by Cubs' GM Jim Hendry -- that Lilly had reached a deal with the Cubs.

"If it was true, I'd tell you," Hendry said. "I wish it was true."

Hendry did confirm that the Cubs extended their offer to Lilly over the weekend, and they're now waiting on him to make a decision. Now armed with the information he needs from the Blue Jays, Lilly, who was 15-13 with a 4.31 ERA for Toronto in 2006, could be on his way toward making a decision sooner rather than later.

Lilly's agent, Larry O'Brien, has said that he was looking for a four-year deal from the Blue Jays. The Cubs reportedly offered him $40 million over four years.