The Boston Red Sox are still in the playoff race, but sources say the team is looking to deal Josh Beckett sooner rather than later.
With his big contract and underwhelming performance, Beckett has drawn the ire of fans for quite some time. Now, the team is trying to trade the big right-hander, according to Yahoo Sports.
In the report, Jeff Passan says Boston has been in contact with the Texas Rangers and Atlanta Braves. Both teams have been forward about their need for starting pitching to bolster their chances in September and October.
One sticking point is the 10-and-5 clause in major league baseball, which states a player with 10 years of big-league experience who has five years of service with his current team has an automatic no-trade option. However, it's believed Beckett would waive that to join either one of the aforementioned teams.
The Red Sox are supposedly also willing to eat some of his enormous contract in order to move on, and move Beckett out of town.
For more on the Red Sox, please be sure to check out our blog Over The Monster and SB Nation Boston for all the latest news and updates.