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Red Sox, Rangers Talked Beckett, Ellsbury, Shoppach

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The Red Sox and Rangers discussed a trade that would have sent Josh Beckett, Jacoby Ellsbury and Kelly Shoppach to Texas, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. It’s unclear what the Red Sox would have obtained in the potential trade, which was discussed in the days leading up to yesterday’s non-waiver trade deadline.  

Bradford’s sources are divided on how serious talks were before the Rangers moved on and acquired Geovany Soto and Ryan Dempster from the Cubs in a pair of trades. GM Ben Cherington said the Red Sox explored a lot of options before deciding to complete one low-profile deadline deal.

"We did feel empowered to do something bold, we just didn't find something bold that made sense for us," Cherington said.

Trade talks never advanced to the point where the Red Sox asked Beckett about the possibility of waiving his ten and five rights. Beckett would have provided the Rangers with some rotation depth and Texas could have paired Shoppach with Mike Napoli behind the plate. Ellsbury, who’s under team control for 2013, would have represented insurance for the Rangers in case they don’t re-sign Josh Hamilton when he’s eligible for free agency this coming offseason.

NL East Notes: Pence, Victorino, Johnson

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The Phillies traded Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino this morning and the Marlins followed up those moves by trading Gaby Sanchez and Edward Mujica later in the day. The Braves welcomed new acquisitions Paul Maholm and Reed Johnson to Atlanta, but deadline day was relatively quiet for the Mets and Nationals. Here are the latest notes from the NL East…

  • The Phillies are slightly under the luxury tax limit following today’s trades, GM Ruben Amaro told reporters, including Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The Phillies opened the season with a $172MM payroll, and the MLB luxury tax affects teams that spend more than $178MM.
  • At one point the Phillies considered trading Hunter Pence, obtaining a center fielder, and re-signing Shane Victorino for right field, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Instead, the Dodgers acquired Victorino, and the Giants traded for Pence.
  • Marlins right-hander Josh Johnson drew interest from the Rangers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Reds and others, but Miami kept him, Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports writes (on Twitter).
  • GM Mike Rizzo said the Nationals made all their splashy moves this past winter, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports. "We like who we are, and we like where we’re at and we like the composition of the roster,” Rizzo said.

AL East Notes: Qualls, Blanton, Blue Jays, Beckett

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The Yankees acquired Casey McGehee and the Red Sox acquired Craig Breslow, but the Blue Jays, Orioles and Rays remained relatively quiet on trade deadline day. Here’s the latest from the AL East…

  • The Yankees had planned to designate Chad Qualls for assignment to create roster space for Joba Chamberlain, so trading him to Pittsburgh wasn't a problem for the club, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports (on Twitter).
  • The Yankees were in on Ryan Dempster, but talks "never got to crunch time," Marc Carig of the Star Ledger reports (on Twitter).
  • The Orioles continued general discussions about a possible Joe Blanton trade, but never took the next step, Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter). "We would have liked to have done a deal or two today, but I don't think we're done adding to the team," executive VP Dan Duquette said, according to Eduardo A. Encina of the Sun (on Twitter).
  • The Blue Jays were discussing a trade late Monday, only to see the deal fall apart, GM Alex Anthopoulos said, according to Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star (on Twitter). Griffin suggests the deal was with the Cubs, who were discussing trades involving Matt Garza last night.
  • Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said he didn’t ask Josh Beckett if he’d waive his ten and five rights, according to Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal (on Twitter).

Indians Acquire Lars Anderson

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The Indians acquired first baseman/left fielder Lars Anderson from the Red Sox for Double-A starter Steven Wright, the teams announced. WEEI's Alex Speier first reported the trade (on Twitter).

The Red Sox have promoted Anderson in each of the last three seasons, but he has never played more than 18 games or collected more than 43 plate appearances in any one season with Boston. He has spent most of this year at Triple-A, where he has a .259/.359/.415 and nine home runs in 401 plate appearances. The 24-year-old bats left-handed and was considered one of the top prospects in baseball as recently as 2009.

Wright, a 27-year-old knuckleballer, posted a 2.49 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 115 2/3 innings at Double-A this year. He started 20 games this year and has started for most of his six-year minor league career.

Red Sox To Acquire Craig Breslow

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Craig Breslow - Arizona (PW)

The Red Sox will acquire left-handed reliever Craig Breslow from the Diamondbacks, Jack Magruder of FOXSportsArizona.com reports (Twitter links). The Red Sox will send Matt Albers and Scott Podsednik to Arizona to complete the trade. 

Boston had been seeking left-handed relief. The Angels were also looking at Breslow, according to Magruder. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe first reported that the Red Sox might acquire Breslow.

Breslow has a 2.70 ERA with 8.7 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 in 43 1/3 innings this year. The 31-year-old earns $1.8MM and will go to arbitration again this coming offseason. He's on track to reach free agency following the 2013 season.

Podsednik, 36, posted a .387/.409/.484 batting line in 70 plate appearances this year, but missed substantial time with a groin injury. He earns $750K at the MLB level and will become a free agent after the season.

Albers has a 2.29 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 in 39 1/3 innings so far in 2012. He is earning $1.08MM this year and will remain under team control as an arbitration eligible player through 2013.

Photo courtesy of US Presswire.

Red Sox Seek Lefty Relief; Rangers Out On Beckett

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The latest on the Red Sox, with less than two hours remaining for Ben Cherington to make a deal…

  • The Red Sox are in the market for a left-handed reliever, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter McAdam credits Peter Gammons for first reporting the news). Adding a lefty reliever would allow the Red Sox to move Franklin Morales back to the rotation, McAdam writes. Here are some southpaw relievers for Cherington to consider.
  • The Red Sox and Rangers definitely won't revisit the possibility of a Josh Beckett trade, Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reports. The sides could re-engage next month if the right-hander clears waivers.

AL East Notes: Red Sox, Teixeira, Blue Jays

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The Blue Jays traded two outfielders for two relievers in a pair of late-night trades Monday, while the Orioles continued engaging the Phillies on Joe Blanton. Here’s the latest from the AL East as today’s 3pm CDT trade deadline draws closer…

  • Though some fans and analysts insist it's time for the Red Sox to trade Josh Beckett, he's not the negative clubhouse presence Manny Ramirez was, Alex Speier of WEEI.com writes. The Red Sox don't feel compelled to move Beckett, who's still well-respected by many teammates and club officials. Speier breaks down the reasons for and against a Beckett trade in detail at WEEI.com. It doesn't sound as though the Red Sox will move him today.
  • The Red Sox are on the lookout for an outfielder who bats from the right side, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). Scott Hairston and Alfonso Soriano are among the potentially available outfielders who bat right-handed.
  • The Red Sox aren't involved on Matt Garza, Nick Cafardo reports (on Twitter).
  • Mark Teixeira's left wrist injury shouldn't affect the Yankees' trade plans, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (on Twitter). The Yankees continue looking for a third baseman who plays strong defense.
  • Brad Lincoln probably can't start for the Blue Jays, but he can be a strong setup man and won't be worse than a right-handed specialist, ESPN.com's Keith Law writes. Travis Snider, the player Toronto gave up to acquire Lincoln, still has flaws, but could become an everyday outfielder with power. Law doesn't anticipate either Eric Thames or Steve Delabar will have a major impact on his new team. Within the Insider-only piece, Law also breaks down the Chris Johnson and Francisco Liriano trades.

Nationals Interested In Shoppach

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11:20am: The Brewers aren't in on Shoppach, Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald reports (on Twitter).

8:21am: The Nationals and Brewers have interest in Red Sox catcher Kelly Shoppach, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.  The 32-year-old backstop has performed well as Jarrod Saltalamacchia's backup, hitting .261/.343/.513 in 136 plate appearances.  Shoppach has about $470K remaining on his contract this year.

Josh Beckett Rumors: Monday

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Despite a report of the Red Sox shopping righty Josh Beckett to the Rangers and Braves, there was a clear vibe from reporters this morning that a trade is unlikely.  Beckett can veto any trade given his 10-and-5 rights, and he's owed $37MM through 2014.  The latest on the 32-year-old Texan…

  • The Red Sox won't trade Beckett before the deadline, Gordon Edes tweets.
  • The Rangers haven't ruled out the possibility of trading for Beckett, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com.  Yet a rival GM estimates that there's just a 2% chance of a deal being completed. "Too much money involved, and Beckett isn't pitching that well," the GM told Edes.
  • Beckett will not be traded to the Rangers, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford.
  • Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com has a different take on the Beckett situation.  He says the Red Sox are willing to listen but not aggressively seeking to move him, and it is the Rangers, Braves, and Dodgers who called to inquire on Beckett.  McAdam says the Sox won't assume much of the $37MM owed to Beckett, and the chances of a deal are less than 50-50.
  • Asked by Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe whether reports of him trying to move Beckett were accurate, Red Sox GM Ben Cherington said no.
  • The Braves are not a viable landing spot for Beckett right now, reports WEEI's Rob Bradford.  Bradford says the Braves are not in position to assume Beckett's financial obligation, even if the Red Sox pick up a significant portion.  MLB.com's Mark Bowman says the Braves are not a likely fit for Beckett, but Atlanta would be more interested in Jon Lester.  The Red Sox are saying no, flatly, regarding calls about Lester, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney.
  • Rangers people aren't too excited about the Beckett speculation, tweets Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
  • There is a sense that Beckett might waive his 10-and-5 rights for certain teams, tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, but clubs are concerned about his attitude and performance.  In comments made to Bradford a couple days ago, Beckett said he prefers to stay, "But if people don’t want you, you don’t want to be there. Obviously I have some things where it would be very difficult for them to trade me if I didn’t want to be traded. But you have to think realistically. If you’re not wanted somewhere, why stay there? Know what I mean? It kind of makes it a little more difficult. But [GM Ben Cherington] assured me during spring training that he wants me here, so as far as I’m concerned, it’s just made-up fodder."
  • Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says there is no longer a required 24-hour waiting period for 10-and-5 players to approve a trade, so trade talk for players like Beckett and Ryan Dempster can go right down to the wire.

Red Sox Notes: Saltalamacchia, Masterson, Ellsbury

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The Red Sox have a 51-51 record after taking two of three from the Yankees in New York over the weekend. Here are the latest rumors surrounding the Red Sox as they host the Tigers at Fenway Park…

  • Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Mike Aviles have drawn interest from rival teams, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. The Red Sox are looking to add at the trade deadline, but a modest deal is more likely than a blockbuster.
  • The Red Sox remain interested in Justin Masterson, even though they saw him struggle in his most recent start, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reports (on Twitter). The Indians have told teams they will consider trading Masterson, who pitched for the Red Sox in 2008-09.
  • A few teams inquired on Jacoby Ellsbury, but the Red Sox will likely wait until the offseason to seriously consider trading him, Cafardo reports (on Twitter). The Reds asked about Ellsbury, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter).
  • The Rangers have pursued Red Sox players more aggressively than other teams, Cafardo reports (Twitterlinks). Texas has scouted both Aaron Cook and Kelly Shoppach and while Rangers officials have backed off on Cook, they maintain interest in Shoppach.
  • Here’s the latest on Josh Beckett.
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