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.
Mark Anderson
Boston can keep him. I for one don’t want Josh Beckett as a part of the Rangers. Straighten up your attitude and throw strikes and we may reconsider.
erm016
He’s probably just tired of the beer and fried chicken talk, like everyone but the media is.
Matthew Cushing
I’m so done with his bs attitude and the fact that you can’t count on him. He’s all or nothing and doesn’t feel like he owes anyone anything. Not a good player, regardless of who he’s playing for. Boston is stuck with him for a while.
Duncan Craig
Not a good player? Let’s be reasonable. Sure, he’s having a down year, but the guy is legit
Matthew Cushing
Okay, I’ll agree he does have a lot of talent, but at the point that I wrote this it was probably meant more for his bad attitude than his talent level. Don’t have to worry about him anymore now 🙂
kdub53
Seriously….the Guy knows he doesn’t.have it.right now. If he was throwing ace quality stuff he would be a bit….nicer so to say. (Just speculation ) him and lacky deserve each other and the red sox deserve them…they have a whole.lot of attitude issues with that roster and most ballclubs that have decent team chemistry don’t want one of their problems. Not to mention the ego some of those guys have. I like fenway, Boston’s a decent organization…burning wouldn’t trade my players for their problems. Time for a Boston rebuild.
Tyler Sekula
They are 4 games out of the WC while playing horrible. Adrian is heating up, Papi will be back soon, Buch is pitching very well, they could bring in a minor arm/bullpen help to contribute, and they just took 2 out of 3 from the first place Yankees. Not to mention they have spent almost the entire year without their starting LF, CF and injuries to their starting pitching. This is not a time for rebuilding. They have a decent team. They just need to start playing up to their potential.
YanksFanSince78
You guys are brutal. I know that their club house has had some issues the last couple of years but I think it’s somewhat unfair to say that Beckett has a major attitude problem. He probably has an ego that needs to be in check but he doesn’t seem like a selfish teammate who puts himself ahead of the team. JMO.
notsureifsrs
i’m so conflicted this season. i like the red sox so i want them to win, but i also badly want these people to have their team lose for a long time
so much entitlement and ingratitude. they deserve to see what an actual bad organization looks like for awhile
YanksFanSince78
I understand completely. I can not speak of his club house attitude but you would think the guy was owed more patience than what he was shown.
YanksFanSince78
Actually…this was meant for a comment regarding Youk and not Beckett but I guess it can still apply here to an extent.
MeowMeow
I feel so cool and old-school since this doesn’t feel like anything new to me. The one solace is that we’re weeding some of the post-2004 bandwagoners out of the fan base
Bubbaray88
Chugging beer, eating fried chicken, and playing video games instead of participating with the team on the field before and after games is a huge attitude problem, what are you talking about?
melonis_rex
how do we know any of this is actually true and not media conjecture?
User 4245925809
Because nit wit reporters said it was true Rex.
elclashcombo
Send Lackey and Beckett to Liverpool.
Spit Ball
Oh man that’s funny. You just put a visual in my head of those two runing a breakway for a soccer goal, touch passing up the field out running Raunaldo.
Chris Waters
I would take Beckett, on the possibility that he could regain his form pitching in the NL. His familiarity of the AL could help if a team makes it to the World Series.
To net a decent prospect, BoSox have to eat all of the remaining portion for this year, and atleast 8 million over the final 2 years. Braves had to eat 10 million to trade Derek Lowe, Bosox will have to do the same to dump Beckett.
Benjamin Edwards
Josh Beckett has 2 WS rings and a career 130-90 record with an ERA of 3.88. He’s a very solid pitcher and almost single-handedly won the 2003 WS and the 2007 ALCS. Just LAST YEAR he was top-ten in Cy Young voting with a record of 13-7 with a 2.89 ERA. His problem is that he cannot pitch well in any even-numbered year. Since 2003, he’s gone 74-36 (3.28 ERA) in odd numbered years and 47-45 (4.63 ERA) in even numbered years. Do I think this means anything? Only that you silly Rangers bandwagon fans should grow up and have some respect.
notsureifsrs
here’s another washed up player with an attitude problem, according to all of you goofs: kevin youkilis, the guy tearing it up in chicago right now like he did every single year in boston before the one half-season that he didn’t and you immediately called for his head
Marino
Hitting .262 is not tearing it up. Plus his .850 OPS in Chicago is still a lot less than it’s been in Boston.
notsureifsrs
batting average everybody
melonis_rex
an .850 OPS is a well above average hitter.
notsureifsrs
he knows that. will middlebrooks has an .848 OPS and he was the guy we just haaad to get rid of youkilis for, because he’s a wicked supastah dood
redsox4434
Youkilis would not have an .850 OPS if the Rrd Sox had held onto him.
notsureifsrs
his current streak started before he was traded. since june 15th, he has an .893 OPS
not that i expect you to be able to connect the dots here, but his career OPS is .874
David Hynes
Glad Youk is gone.. Great run in Boston but it was time to move on for him and the Sox… All things come to an end and his time was ending. Happens to everyone, I dont think the Sox fans wanted him out because he was washed up, It was just time. Middlebrooks is a Wicked Supastah in a year or two.. He already put better numbers… .300. 12 HR’s 45 RBI and .517 Slugging in 230 AB’s… Compared to Youks .245 10 HR 36 RBIS & .418 Slugging in 249 AB’s… Yeah i see how the Sox were dumb to dump him…
MeowMeow
^ This, ladies and gentleman, is how we identify someone who listens to too much Boston sports radio.
David Hynes
And you would know this how??? Oh… You must listen to too much Boston sports radio yourself…
rickjimbo
Their contracts are markedly different for such similar production. Also the hot corner is not a bad place to get younger.
MeowMeow
2013 would be a great time to do that
the_show
He won 5 games single handily for us in a week and half…Ill take him
notsureifsrs
you don’t miss zach stewart’s 5 k/9…in AAA?
the_show
Nope can’t say that I do….Hopefully you guys can get him straightened out
Doug
Hmmm, overpaid Clubhouse Cancer who’s arm is shot? Pass.
Jwick22
I cant say i watch alot of the red sox games but i did last night since the braves already played and there wasnt much else on. But i saw beckett get ejected for taking up for his team. Really dont see the club house cancer. The beer and chicken was blown up due to the collapse and fans needed an excuse. That info should have never reached the media in the first place. So if boston would eat a large portion of his salary send him atlanta’s way. Rather him than dempster. Getting out of the a.l. east should help some too
JB Knox
Honestly his attitude is atrocious. Golfing the day after he misses a start due to a back strain. His interviews are filled with zero accountability and tons of arrogance, but he still does have talent and I agree that if the Sox picked up a large chunk of his contract there is no doubt he could help a contender. Plus if you look at his career stats, he has a tendency to pitch well every other season which is why I think the Sox hang onto him thru the winter and deal him at the deadline next season. His value on the market isn’t worth the trade right now plus those 10 and 5 rights he has, so why not wait and see if he pitches well the rest of this season, hope that carries the Sox into a wild card berth and deal him this winter or wait a bit longer to deal him next season at the deadline. No need to swallow $25-30 million of his remaining $42 million of this year and the $34 mill he’s owed thru 2014
Stephen Luna
may i ask you why it is so bad to golf after a back strain if he feels better the next day? i mean, it’s not like he said he would not be able to pitch the day he golfed… and also, you do not know him while his teammates do. they all look up to him and like him in the clubhouse. the only place all the negitive look on him comes from is from fans and the media. the beer and chicken? well, LOL that’s rediculous… IT’S FREAKING FOOD AND BEVERAGE! it’s not like they are getting wasted or gaining 50 pounds! and i am willing to bet money that there are many other players who do that too on other teams and the only reason why it blew up so much in the sox clubhouse is cause of the collapse. nobody is to blame for the collapse for bad atmosphere. everyone gets a little angry if they begin to lose and it gets to your head. that is why they lost. because the little slump became a losing streak that scared them and got to thier heads. they got stressed over loses. it isn’t thep layers and if anyone is to blame it is the higher up members of the ball club. the whole “i never wanted crawford signed” thing said by was it john henry? and the whole tito and the sox organization heads not seeing eye to eye.
JB Knox
He missed a start and golfed the next day and didn’t start again until 5 days later. In that start he was lit up by the Indians for 7ER in 2 1/3 IP. So yes he wasn’t able to pitch the day he golfed because he said his back hurt which also caused the bullpen to get more taxed because the Sox had to call up Aaron Cook up to take his place that game. Cook was spiked on a play at the plate and stayed in for a few innings despite needed some serious stitch work. Where was Beckett? Resting cause he golfed earlier that day and unable to relieve Cook which taxed the bullpen even further. A bullpen that was scuffling and shuffling all hands on deck with Melancon being sent down. Does that sound like a good clubhouse guy to you? Do you really think his teammates think he is a good teammate? Do you know his teammates personally Steve?
Are you seriously gonna blame the front office for straining backs and throwing 88 MPH cut fastballs over the heart of the plate? Have you ever played baseball? Do you know what you are talking about?
Randy Motta
Beckett and other players to Phillies for Cliff Lee…
Tyler Sekula
Not happening.
mets322
Beckett for Jason Bay!!! get it done rather eat the beckett contract then look at bay fall off any more…maybe the change can help them both!!
Jeff Snedden
Beckett seems like a guy that has one more quality playoff run in him before going out to pasture. His contract would be a hurdle, but adding him to an NL team for the stretch run probably be the best thing for both Beckett and the Red Sox. I can’t see him handling being shopped around like this and preforming well in Boston with the media on his ass the rest of the year. I’m sure a team would be willing to ante up a decent prospect, and if Boston ate a bunch of money, maybe even a good one.
coolstorybro222
Man, I don’t want to give up Delgado or Tehran for Beckett.
Abu Abraham
what are the odds that the Dodgers take beckett and the full contract, just like they did with hanley?
Harrison
this sucks he will be with us post deadline
MaineSox
Beckett is definitely an August trade candidate; he likely wouldn’t get claimed on waivers because of his contract, and even if he was they could simply let the other team take him and pay his contract if they want to get rid of it that bad. That said, I’m still not convinced that trading Beckett right now is the best course of action.
Nathan Looper 2
An interesting thought–maybe Beckett still comes to Atlanta. David O’Brien of the AJC tweeted that Boston had a top notch scout at the Atl/Marlins game and he wasn’t watching Josh Johnson. He also tweeted that the scouting was regular coverage. But…I don’t buy that. Who sends a top rated scout to watch a team you don’t plan on dealing with, especially on the night before the deadline? Sounds like a smoke screen.
If I’ve followed the Sox close enough, the only position they really need is OF depth or pitcher right? They have Ciriaco, Aviles, Pedroia, Middlebrooks, and Gonzalez so none of those positions need help. Ross, Ellsbury, and Nava seem to be doing great in the OF.
Despite Cherington’s being adamant about not trading Beckett or Lester, I could see either of them coming to the Braves for someone like Hanson straight up. He’s dominated the AL East when he’s seen them (7-0) and he’s got a 12-5 record after only giving up 1 run in the last 2 starts. He’s young and controllable. This off season will be his first arb, so he’s only making 535k right now. I am a proponent of trading him as the Brave’s farm system is super deep in pitching and Hanson’s had a couple of years now to show his ace stuff, but I dont see it. He’s pitching well enough to eventually be good, but Wren wants to be able to move the others waiting in the wings up and keeping Hanson wont be cheap as he’s a Boras client and Liberty Media has our payroll fixed at 95 million max it looks like. We have more pressing needs.