The Commish
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Red Sox on verge of acquiring Beckett, Lowell
By Peter Gammons and Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
Updated: Nov. 21, 2005, 8:41 PM ET
The Red Sox and Marlins have come to a tentative agreement on a trade that would send Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston for shortstop Hanley Ramirez, right-handed prospect Anibal Sanchez and a minor-league pitcher.
The deal is contingent on the finalization of paperwork and all players passing physicals, sources outside the Red Sox organization have told ESPN's Peter Gammons. An official announcement is not expected for a day or two, which leaves open the possibility that it could still fall apart, Gammons said on SportsCenter.
Only some last-minute haggling over dollars appeared to be holding up the deal, a baseball official with knowledge of the discussions told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Florida would include cash in the trade to offset some of the $18 million owed to Lowell over the next two seasons.
In return, the Red Sox would give up Ramirez, their much-ballyhooed shortstop prospect, and Sanchez. The Marlins originally had targeted left-hander Jon Lester, but Boston balked at including him in the trade, so the Red Sox agreed to add a second minor leaguer if Florida took Sanchez instead, Stark reports.
Over the weekend the Texas Rangers were considered the frontrunner to land Beckett, the MVP of the 2003 World Series. The Rangers were offering All-Star third baseman Hank Blalock and one of their two top pitching prospects, either Thomas Diamond or John Danks, for Beckett. Blalock, who turned 25 on Monday, hit .263 with 25 homers and 92 RBI last season and led AL third basemen in fielding.
New Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said he received a call Monday afternoon from Marlins GM Larry Beinfest, who told him "the Marlins are going to go in another direction with their trade."
Before Texas was told it was eliminated from the running, Florida asked the Rangers to expand their deal even further, to include hot shortstop prospect Joaquin Arias, along with Blalock and a pitcher. In return, the Rangers would want a second pitcher back -- possibly setup man Guillermo Mota.
The Marlins, if that deal would have been completed, then would turn around and trade Blalock, who would block Miguel Cabrera's return to third base if Florida kept him. Teams known to be interested in Blalock include the Twins, Phillies and Devil Rays.
Beckett went 15-8 with a 3.38 ERA last season, when he had problems with his shoulder and recurring blisters on his right middle finger.
Lowell hit .236 with eight homers and 58 RBI while winning the NL Gold Glove at third base last season. He averaged 24 homers and 94 RBI per season in the five years before that.
Beckett is expected to earn between $4 million and $5 million next season.
By Peter Gammons and Jayson Stark
ESPN.com
Updated: Nov. 21, 2005, 8:41 PM ET
The Red Sox and Marlins have come to a tentative agreement on a trade that would send Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell to Boston for shortstop Hanley Ramirez, right-handed prospect Anibal Sanchez and a minor-league pitcher.
The deal is contingent on the finalization of paperwork and all players passing physicals, sources outside the Red Sox organization have told ESPN's Peter Gammons. An official announcement is not expected for a day or two, which leaves open the possibility that it could still fall apart, Gammons said on SportsCenter.
Only some last-minute haggling over dollars appeared to be holding up the deal, a baseball official with knowledge of the discussions told ESPN.com's Jayson Stark. Florida would include cash in the trade to offset some of the $18 million owed to Lowell over the next two seasons.
In return, the Red Sox would give up Ramirez, their much-ballyhooed shortstop prospect, and Sanchez. The Marlins originally had targeted left-hander Jon Lester, but Boston balked at including him in the trade, so the Red Sox agreed to add a second minor leaguer if Florida took Sanchez instead, Stark reports.
Over the weekend the Texas Rangers were considered the frontrunner to land Beckett, the MVP of the 2003 World Series. The Rangers were offering All-Star third baseman Hank Blalock and one of their two top pitching prospects, either Thomas Diamond or John Danks, for Beckett. Blalock, who turned 25 on Monday, hit .263 with 25 homers and 92 RBI last season and led AL third basemen in fielding.
New Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said he received a call Monday afternoon from Marlins GM Larry Beinfest, who told him "the Marlins are going to go in another direction with their trade."
Before Texas was told it was eliminated from the running, Florida asked the Rangers to expand their deal even further, to include hot shortstop prospect Joaquin Arias, along with Blalock and a pitcher. In return, the Rangers would want a second pitcher back -- possibly setup man Guillermo Mota.
The Marlins, if that deal would have been completed, then would turn around and trade Blalock, who would block Miguel Cabrera's return to third base if Florida kept him. Teams known to be interested in Blalock include the Twins, Phillies and Devil Rays.
Beckett went 15-8 with a 3.38 ERA last season, when he had problems with his shoulder and recurring blisters on his right middle finger.
Lowell hit .236 with eight homers and 58 RBI while winning the NL Gold Glove at third base last season. He averaged 24 homers and 94 RBI per season in the five years before that.
Beckett is expected to earn between $4 million and $5 million next season.
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