Josh Beckett Rumors

Gammons & Edes On Boston's Offseason

In a piece for ESPN Boston, Peter Gammons and Gordon Edes answered five key questions about the Red Sox and the upcoming offseason. There's not many hard rumors in the piece, but there's plenty of discussion topics, so let us know what you think... Both Gammons and Edes believe the Sox will retain Jason Bay (Gammons guesses the contract will be in the four year, $64MM range), and neither is sure who will compete with them for his services. The Red Sox "can easily" keep shortstop Alex Gonzalez at a reduced rate even though they declined his option earlier this...   Continue Reading

---

Red Sox Rumors: Bay, Wagner, Beckett, V-Mart

Theo Epstein says talks between the Red Sox and Jason Bay are still in their early stages, according to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald. Here are the details and the rest of Silverman's rumors: Epstein expects Bay to explore free agency, but the Red Sox are willing to wait for the left fielder to do so, at least to an extent. The Red Sox may bring Alex Gonzalez back. They turned down his $6MM option earlier in the week, but the sides could agree on a deal that guarantees the 32-year-old less money. The Red Sox are open to...   Continue Reading

---

Rosenthal On Gonzalez, Beckett, De La Rosa

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports has a new column up today, in which he discusses a variety of topics from around the league. Let's recap a few of the highlights.... Although the Boston Red Sox have been the team most frequently linked to Adrian Gonzalez, it's unclear whether they have the pieces to work out a trade. Rosenthal suggests the Padres will want some major-league talent in return, and quotes one baseball executive who says he can't imagine how the Sox get a deal done. Rosenthal says the Padres should be more inclined to move closer Heath Bell than Gonzalez....   Continue Reading

---

Odds & Ends: Hardy, Tejada, Cardinals, Mariners

Here's a few links to close out the night... Tony Massarotti of The Boston Globe says that the Red Sox "had been engaging with the Brewers in on-and-off discussions involving (J.J.) Hardy since the trading deadline." Massarotti's source says the Brewers wanted either Clay Buchholz or Daniel Bard, but Boston was only willing to part with Michael Bowden. MLB'com's Brian McTaggart tweets that Astros' GM Ed Wade said “At this point, we’re prepared to commit to Tommy Manzella playing shortstop," but noted that Miguel Tejada could return as a third baseman. Matthew Leach of MLB.com takes a look at some...   Continue Reading

---

Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Dodgers, Red Sox, Iwamura, Matsui

On this date 33 years ago, Bill Campbell became one of the first players to sign a contract with a new team under baseball's new free agency system. After saving 20 games with the Twins in '76, Campbell signed a four-year, $1MM deal with the Red Sox. In his first season in Boston, he would save 31 games and make his only All-Star appearance. As we enter the 34th Hot Stove season, let's take a look at what is being written in the Blogosphere... MLB Notebook suggests Ben Sheets or Erik Bedard for the Dodgers over Vicente Padilla. Around the...   Continue Reading

---

Odds & Ends: Lilly, Iwamura, Beckett, Marlins, Dunn, Cubs

Here's some links to check out while waiting for what might be the final start in the great careers of Andy Pettitte and Pedro Martinez... Ted Lilly had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder today, and the Cubs expect to have him back in their rotation "within the month of April," according to MLB.com's Carrie Muskat. Might the Cubbies look for a little extra rotation insurance this offseason? MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch mentions that the Pirates "began to show heavy interest" in Akinori Iwamura back in September. GM Neal Huntington confirmed that they had several scouts watch Aki after he came...   Continue Reading

---

Red Sox To Meet With Beckett

According to WEEI.com's Rob Bradford, Josh Beckett plans to meet with the Red Sox in the coming weeks to discuss a contract extension. Beckett's 2010 option for $12.1MM vested when he made 28 starts for Boston in 2009. However, without a new contract, Beckett would be a free agent following the 2010 season. Alex Speier of WEEI.com had Theo Epstein's take on Beckett. epstein also stressed the importance of bringing back free agent Jason Bay. “It’s been really fun for us to watch him mature on and off the field during his time in Boston,” Epstein said of Beckett. “He’s...   Continue Reading

---

Odds & Ends: Henry, Kikuchi, Accardo

Links for Friday... MLB.com's Brian McTaggart tells us via Twitter that the Astros released pitchers Chad Paronto and Billy Sadler. The Nationals interviewed longtime Braves scouting director Roy Clark, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Blue Jays fired J.P. Ricciardi advisor Dick Scott, according to Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun. Interesting note from WEEI's Alex Speier. Back in 2002, upon purchasing the Red Sox and selling the Marlins, John Henry attempted to have Josh Beckett and A.J. Burnett transferred to the Sox. NPB Tracker's Patrick Newman says NPB is lobbying Japan's High School Baseball Federation to have...   Continue Reading

---

Josh Beckett's 2010 Option Vests

11:25pm: WEEI's Rob Bradford notes that "the only way the option wouldn’t be triggered is if Beckett finishes the ‘09 season on the disabled list." Bradford also explores the circumstances surrounding Beckett's extension, signed in July of 2006. 1:19pm: When Josh Beckett delivered his first pitch to Scott Podsednik this afternoon, his 2010 option kicked in, as anticipated. The 29-year-old righty will make $12.1MM next season and probably would have seen the Red Sox pick up his option even if he hadn't quite reached the 28 start plateau that triggered the option. As free agents last year, C.C Sabathia ($161MM)...   Continue Reading

---

The Week Ahead

Now that we've taken a look at the week that was, let's anticipate what lies ahead. There aren't as many pennant races to watch as usual this year, so keep your eye on the following stories as the week progresses: When Josh Beckett throws his first pitch tomorrow afternoon, his 2010 option will kick in for $12.1MM. Kevin Millwood will likely pitch against the Mariners on Friday. If he goes eight innings or more, he will have pitched 180 innings on the season and his $12MM option for 2010 will vest. One final option to monitor this week: Magglio Ordonez...   Continue Reading

---

Top Stories

Search MLBTR

Lijit Search

MLBTR Features

Recent Posts

MLBTR Mailing List

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

Rumors By Team

Monthly Archives

Live Chats

Tuesdays at 2 p.m. CST