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 leaguer 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.
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.
Over the weekend the Texas Rangers were considered the frontrunner to land Beckett, the MVP of the 2003 World Series. The Rangers were offering third baseman Hank Blalock and one of their two top pitching prospects, either Thomas Diamond or John Danks, for Beckett.
"In the end, a deal wasn't there," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told The Dallas Morning News.
Before Texa was told they were 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.
The Angels and Tigers at one point were involved in the bidding on Beckett.
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.
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.
Over the weekend the Texas Rangers were considered the frontrunner to land Beckett, the MVP of the 2003 World Series. The Rangers were offering third baseman Hank Blalock and one of their two top pitching prospects, either Thomas Diamond or John Danks, for Beckett.
"In the end, a deal wasn't there," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told The Dallas Morning News.
Before Texa was told they were 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.
The Angels and Tigers at one point were involved in the bidding on Beckett.
