With the recent injury to Jed Lowrie, the Red Sox have accelerated their search for a big-league shortstop. That search has led them to claim Cristian Guzman from the Nationals, says Nick Cafardo at the Boston Globe. The Nationals can either allow Guzman to be claimed, pull him back from waivers, or try to work out a deal in the next 48 hours.
Guzman is in the first year of a two-year, $16MM contract, and the Sox would likely be on the hook for his prorated salary this year and $8MM next year. The 31-year-old Guzman is batting .315/.333/.437 this year. If the Sox are awarded the claim, which has not been confirmed, this means he has likely been passed on by all of the NL and a significant portion of the AL, or that the Sox were awarded the claim over the other claiming team(s).
