The Associated Press

BOSTON - Red Sox manager Grady Little will not be back next year, paying the price for his decision to stick with Pedro Martinez in Game 7 of the AL championship series.

The Red Sox let Little go on Monday, less than two weeks after Boston blew a chance to play in the World Series when its ace couldn't hold a lead against the New York Yankees. Little's contract expires Friday, and the team decided not to exercise its 2004 option.

"He took it very well," team president Larry Lucchino said. "He was very gracious. There was no anger or raised voices."

General manager Theo Epstein declined to discuss Little's possible successors, but Jim Fregosi, Bud Black, Glenn Hoffman, Charlie Manuel and Jerry Remy have been mentioned as candidates.

The Red Sox won 93 and 95 games in Little's two years as manager, reaching the playoffs this year for the first time since 1999. They lost the first two games against Oakland, then swept three straight to advance to the ALCS.

WHITE SOX: Right-hander Bartolo Colon will test the free agent market after rejecting a three-year offer from the Chicago White Sox.

His agent, Mitch Frankel, said Monday that Colon hasn't ruled out returning to the White Sox.

"We will still continue to talk to the team and see if there's something that can be worked out," Frankel said.

After finishing four games behind Minnesota in the AL Central this year, Chicago general manager Kenny Williams said keeping Colon was a priority this offseason. And he offered a three-year deal that he described as the largest ever for a White Sox pitcher.

Williams wouldn't discuss the numbers. The Chicago Tribune, which reported the rejection Monday, cited unidentified sources as saying the offer was worth $36 million, with some of the money deferred. Frankel wouldn't say how much money Colon was looking for, but the pitcher made $8.25 million this season.

Colon, 30, is 100-62 with a 3.86 ERA in seven seasons with Cleveland, Montreal and Chicago.

METS: Jim Duquette will become the New York Mets' permanent general manager today.

Duquette, who has been interim general manager since Steve Phillips was fired in June, will be given the title during a news conference at Shea Stadium, the team said Monday.

SHORT HOPS: Blue Jays catcher Greg Myers agreed Monday to a $900,000, one-year contract following a season in which he hit .307 and 15 home runs. Myers, 37, returned to the Blue Jays in 2003 after signing as a free agent in the offseason.

• The Daiei Hawks defeated the Hanshin Tigers 6-2 in Game 7 Monday to win their first Japan Series since 1999.

Tadahito Iguchi hit a two-run homer and Kenji Jojima added two solo shots to lead the Pacific League champions. Rookie Tsuyoshi Wada pitched an eight-hitter for the victory. Daiei pitcher Toshiya Sugiuchi, who won Games 2 and 6, was the Series MVP.