The Red Sox have made calls to the Braves and Rangers within the past 48 hours in an attempt to dump Josh Beckett, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports. Passan adds that the Red Sox began talks with the Rangers and Braves because they believe Beckett would waive his 10-and-5 rights to play for either team. While the Dodgers have yet to receive a call on Beckett, they're one team that could potentially be interested in the right-hander, according to Passan (all Twitter links).
There are several potential roadblocks to a Beckett trade. In addition to his 10-and-5 rights, Beckett's performance has slipped (4.57 ERA, 6.8 K/9, 2.4 BB/9) and he has a prohibitive contract status. He's in the second year of a four-year contract that pays him $15.75MM annually. Passan notes in this fourth tweet that Beckett's market is largely dependent on how much salary the Red Sox are willing to eat. He's owed approximately $37.3MM over the remainder of the contract. For a bit more from Passan regarding Beckett, check out his article here.
Earlier tonight, both Jon Heyman of CBS Sports and Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reported that the Red Sox were looking to move Beckett. The Braves and Rangers have both been linked to nearly every starting pitcher available on the trade market this summer, but it's not known what kind of interest either club would have in Beckett.
Blue jays will take him for some doritos lol
Cool Ranch and you got yourself a deal.
If the Dodgers don’t give up too much for Beckett prospects-wise, I could see this making sense for them. I don’t think he’s worth all that many good prospects.
Take on his contract and give up a mid-level prospect or two and I’m sure the Sox would let them have him. Beckett could probably have a pretty nice rebound in the NL West and that ballpark too.
I don’t mind the idea of trading Beckett in general (he’s paid a pretty good amount of money, and he’s getting older, so he’s likely to decline from here), but I’m not really sold on doing it right now because his peripheral stats suggest he’s quite a bit better then his results suggest, so they’d be selling really low on him right now.
This theory relies on a significant rebound, which cannot be counted on. He’s signed to large money through 2014. No matter which team takes over his contract, if he doesn’t bounce back, he becomes an immediate and long-term drag on both the payroll and the starting rotation. Very risky.
I’m sure the Sox would be willing to pay a significant portion of his contract if they were getting real prospects in return. I only talked about the Dodgers taking on his contract because the person I was responding to was talking about not giving up anything significant prospect-wise. You could likely either get him for real prospects and little money, or all/most of the money and nothing real significant for prospects; the Red Sox aren’t going to pay a significant portion of his contract and get nothing in return.
I know. My operating assumption is that the Dodgers won’t be too keen on committing much of their fairly thin farm organization to a questionable veteran who will be around for several years whether he works out or not. At least I hope they would not. And if they don’t throw a lot of bodies at the BoSox they would instead inherit a potential payroll sinkhole.
beckett, salary consideration and 1/2 bucket of fried chicken to the braves for randall delgado and a ptbnl.
If you think the Braves would send a top prospect for Beckett, you’re absolutely high. Try asking for a handful of mediocre prospects and eating about half of that salary.
If the sox are getting nothing back, they won’t eat more than half his salary. dream on.
Maybe 4-5m per year of his salary for delgado
Or we could expand the trade with another bat/reliever to get more value back.
I would say the Braves would want the Red Sox to eat $15 on his salary (1 year).. that basically gives them Beckett at 2 years, $22 million which for a player like him – is right up their alley. I could see Delgado and a PTBNL getting it done. Wouldn’t be garbage mind you – the PTBNL that is – but maybe a B-level guy.
That’s insane. If 2 months of Ryan Dempster is worth Randall Delgado, then if the Red Sox eat salary on this – which is inevitable, The Braves are coughing up *at least* Delgado. No way Braves – or anyone for that matter – gets away without giving up a major prospect.
‘Allegedly’ tried to deal Delgado for Dempster. And if Wren did offer that, I don’t think he would’ve pulled the trigger without the possibility of an extension.
“Allegedly*
That’s adorable.
Is it? Care to prove that specific offer was made? No?
Seriously? Jon Heyman, Mark Bowmen, Ken Rosenthal all confirmed he was the piece. Keith Law confirmed it, too. That of course is assuming you think they’re all lying or something.
Come on, you can prove it…….right?
That’s ridiculous. Beckett hasn’t been as good as Dempster this season and hasn’t been dominant by any means since 2009. The Red Sox would be selling pretty low on Beckett and I figure it would be a game of seeing how much salary the Sox could convince any team to take on.
On what planet is Ryan Dempster a better pitcher than Josh Beckett?
Beckett’s sitting on a 3.52 FIP in the AL East this year while Dempster’s entire 3.41 FIP is propped up by a rock bottom .242 BABIP and an 84 LOB% and that’s not even getting into how awful on the whole the NL Central is. Even if we use tERA to scale their performances, Beckett’s still slightly better (4.31 vs 4.49).
Over the course of their careers, I don’t think there’s even really a question. So it’s either that Beckett’s having a better year and has had a better career (see: better pitcher) or Beckett’s had a better career and an equivalent year to Dempster (gives you equivalent value).
Beckett’s more or less cost-controlled from the Braves standpoint, they get two years of him at better than market rate even for his (for Beckett, at least) middling performance vs 3 months of Dempster right now. Even if they extend Dempster, hard to see him costing much less than $22 million.
So basically – long story/short – there’s no way you’re getting out of the deal without popping Delgado, especially if the Red Sox eat salary. It’ll probably take Delgado and something else.
No argument on the ‘Beckett is better and makes more sense than Dempster front’, but the Sox are gonna have to eat a ton of his salary to acquire Delgado. Of course, this is just my opinion. I wouldn’t trade Delgado if the Sox ate every bit of Beckett’s remaining salary. No sense in giving up 4-5 years of a high-upside starter for a declining, inconsistent headcase.
I said dempster has outperformed beckett this season and he has. Huge gamble for the braves to take at even ten mil a season. No way do the braves ship over a top young pitcher for a guy with injury issues who has been the center of clubhouse drama as recently as last season.
Then why give it up for a few months of a declining, over performing pitcher like Dempster? If Delgado was the guy going in the Dempster deal – there’s just no way the Braves get away with not including him for a pitcher who’s significantly better and can be had at a reasonable rate for two years provided the Red Sox cover money.
And for the record – I agree with you. I wouldn’t trade Delgado for anything, really – but it’s going to be hard for the Braves to wiggle out when they showed their hand in the Dempster deal.
Do it Frank!!!!! Beckett can be a beast and may just need a change of scenery. Plus, when teams are calling about getting rid of a player rather than asking for one of yours that means cheaper!!!
At this rate, if we have to pay anything and give up a rotation spot to someone like Beckett, thus blocking one of our younger arms from entering the rotation in the near-future, that’s too much of a price to pay. He doesn’t seem like a “change of scenery” is really going to improve his pitching all that much. His best years are behind him, but his salary won’t reflect that.
Michael Young for Josh Beckett. Lets just trade crappy played set to make too much money.
No way that Young agrees to leave a no-tax state…and he’s also a 10-and-5 player.
It wasn’t a serious trade proposal…
Also, the Red Sox would really have no place for Young.
I could see Beckett doing well in a pitcher’s park like the Ted with good defense behind him. Could be an absolute steal for the Braves at the right price.
Looking at Beckett’s peripherals, he’s pitched better than the numbers this year and pitched worse than the numbers last year. Quite odd how those numbers fluctuate every year for him (good year, bad year alternates)
Beckett to the Marlins for Ricky Nolasco!!
I bet that was one of the shortest conversations Jon Daniels has ever had.
How much of his salary would boston have to eat to get decent prospects?
How much do we think the Sox would have to eat of the remaining salary? $10-12M at least?
To ship Beckett, I think the Braves would want them to swallow $15-$16 million. Puts them in the $20-$22 million range for the next two years with him. That way he’s somewhat moveable for them if they want to bail – OR – he doesn’t punch a hole in the budget.
Yeah I could see that. I was more thinking 10-12 after this year so that’s about spot on. I don’t know if the Braves want to take a chance on another aging veteran with a lengthy injury history. We already have Shields who is only 3 starts in, and Hudson with his bad ankle.
Sheets, not shields. Got my mind on all these pitchers…
The injury potential and youth of the rotation is exactly why I’d want Shields first.
Ben SHEETS.
It is an interesting idea, but I’m not sure if it’s the best idea for the Braves. The Red Sox would have to eat a ton of salary and the Braves would have to supply them with a worthy prospect in return (if they ate enough on his contract). I just feel like Josh Beckett wouldn’t really improve the Braves. Yes, he COULD return to form and pitch well, or he COULD continue to look ineffective. I know his FIP and xFIP look pretty good, but the Braves need consistency in the rotation and I’m just not sold on the idea of giving up a solid young arm for an aging Josh Beckett.
I’m sure the two GMs could find some common ground. Delgado’s name has been floated around a lot.. maybe the Sox pay about half of his contract for Delgado + a PTBNL. Beckett has struggled at times this season, but has not necessarily been terrible. A change of scenery would probably do him good and it couldn’t hurt the Braves to add an experienced (perhaps former) ace to their young staff for a playoff run.
I’d offer you Dan Uggla and Jurrjens, and a B prospect like Spruill- only way the deal would make sense from Braves end.
Jurrjens would be a decent start, but where would the Sox plug in Uggla? If they move Beckett, it’s because they want to shed some payroll and open up their options for the rotation next year. Right now Beckett, Lester, Lackey, Bucholz, and Doubront are all under contract… and they obviously need to improve the rotation. Maybe Jurrjens, Gilmartin, and a fringe prospect for Beckett, cash and a PTBNL?
Beckett is Locker Room Poison!!
How about Beckett and Sweeney for pastornicky and spriull. Sox eat 15 mil of salary
how about hanson and his 9.5 era in his last 3 games and the pastor
Isn’t Hanson like 12-5 and have the highest K rate on the team?
Come on, no one is going to give the Sox anything decent for Beckett. But if anyone is willing to just take on his whole salary (and give us back nothing), then hey, why not :P
If that team is contending, I can give you about 37 million why-nots.
I meant “why not ship him out.” I know no team would actually want to do that.
how about the braves go all in, beckett, johnson,dempster. Then finish the season with the five old horsemen, beckett,johnson,sheets,dempster,hudson
Becket plus $25 mil for Delgado might get it done.
Braves won’t do that. That’s not a good deal for them. If the Red Sox get rid of Beckett, it would have to be for a lesser prospect. You can have JJ
The Braves should swap failing pitchers with the Red Sox. Give them Jurrjens and we get Beckett.
I’d do that trade if the Sox weren’t eating a ton of Beckett’s salary.
I could see Beckett and Cody Ross going to the Rangers as a package with some cash for David Murphy and two prospects.
The same package to the Braves for DelGrado and Prado. Ross is suppose to be good friends with Uggla
Or to the Giants or Dodgers not sure the return.
Beckett, Kalish or Gomez, to the A’s for one of their better young pitchers.
BenC. needs to hurry esp. if physicals have to be done.
beckett, kalish, Gomez, cash, Brandon Duckworth, and Andy Laroche or Nate Spears to Oakland for Tommy Milone and Daric Barton
i think offering anything for beckett is madness. one of our best young pitchers? if prado took over for second, who would we have to play left? beckett isn’t a pitcher i would have any interest in.