Rangers Rumors

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.