SB Nation Boston - Red Sox Rumors 2012: Derek Lowe Wants To Return; Carl Crawford On Waivershttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48863/boston-fave.png2012-08-24T13:57:37-04:00http://boston.sbnation.com/rss/stream/29340612012-08-24T13:57:37-04:002012-08-24T13:57:37-04:00MLB Trade Rumors: Red Sox Put Jacoby Ellsbury And Jon Lester On Waivers
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a> appear to be headed towards a major roster shake-up this offseason. They have started to gauge interest on their players by placing them on waivers and <span>Jacoby Ellsbury</span> and <span>Jon Lester</span> are the latest two Red Sox eligible to be claimed.</p>
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<p>Jon Lester and Jacoby Ellsbury are the latest Red Sox to be placed on trade waivers.</p>
— Nick Cafardo (@nickcafardo) <a href="https://twitter.com/nickcafardo/status/239024883777032192" data-datetime="2012-08-24T15:42:27+00:00">August 24, 2012</a>
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<p>Ellsbury is making a little over $8 million this season and is set to become a free agent in 2014. He is arbitration eligible next season.</p>
<p>Lester makes $7.6 million this season, $11.6 million next season and has a $13 million team option in 2014.</p>
<p>If either player is claimed, Boston can let the player go, pull him back or work out a trade with the team that claimed him.</p>
<p><i>For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">our team page</a> and blog, <a href="http://www.overthemonster.com/">Over the Monster</a>.</i></p>
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https://boston.sbnation.com/2012/8/24/3265743/mlb-trade-rumors-red-sox-jacoby-ellsbury-jon-lester-waiversDavid Cassilo2012-08-02T17:12:14-04:002012-08-02T17:12:14-04:00Derek Lowe Rumors: Red Sox GM Ben Cherington: 'If It Makes Sense To Pursue, We'll Do So'
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a> and pitcher <span>Derek Lowe</span> could be headed for a reunion. Lowe was designated for assignment by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> on Wednesday and has expressed interest in returning to the Red Sox (<a href="http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2012/08/derek_lowe_woul.html" target="_blank">via Boston</a>). </p>
<p>Lowe has headed to Florida to his Fort Myers home to get a "tune-up." Lowe said when asked if he wanted to return to Boston, "Of course I would. I just need to go back with Chris and get my stuff right again. I know I will. I know I can pitch like I did the first two months of the season." Chris Correnti will work with Lowe in Florida where he is an employee of the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.camdenchat.com/">Baltimore Orioles</a>.</p>
<p>Lowe previously pitched for Boston from 1997-2004. This season with Cleveland, the 39-year-old pitcher was 8-10 with a 5.52 ERA.</p>
<p>Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said that the team has not made decision about Lowe but that it will "take a look." Cherington said, "Derek obviously had a great run here. We'll take a look at it. But we still need to focus on the guys here. We have great respect for Derek and what he did. We'll take a look at it. If it makes sense to pursue, we'll do so. That will be on the agenda today. But we still feel like we have the potential solutions internally for our rotation."</p>
<p><i>For more on the Red Sox, please be sure to check out our blog <a href="http://overthemonster.com/">Over The Monster</a> and <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Boston</a> for all the latest news and updates.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/8/2/3216046/derek-lowe-rumors-boston-red-sox-ben-cherington-cleveland-indians-chris-correntiPat Johnston2012-08-02T16:30:12-04:002012-08-02T16:30:12-04:00MLB Trade Rumors 2012: Carl Crawford Put On Waivers By Red Sox
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<p>The MLB trade deadline has come and gone and outfielder <span>Carl Crawford</span> was not moved to any team by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a>. However, that doesn't mean that Red Sox aren't still trying to trade Crawford. The team put Crawford on waivers Wednesday (<a href="https://twitter.com/Ken_Rosenthal/status/231108275528138753" target="_blank">via Ken Rosenthal</a>). It is very likely that he will clear waivers due to his salary and slumping production at the plate.</p>
<p>If Crawford clears waivers, the team will be able to trade him before the Aug. 31 waivers trade deadline. This season, Crawford was slowed down from making his 2012 debut due to injuries. He's only played in 14 games for Boston this season and is hitting .240 with two home runs and 5 RBI in 50 at-bats. He also has as many strikeouts as hits (12). One thing Boston could potentially sell teams on is a recent hitting streak. Crawford has hit safely in each of the last five games and both of his homers have come during that same stretch.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Red Sox, please be sure to check out our blog <a href="http://overthemonster.com/">Over The Monster</a> and <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Boston</a> for all the latest news and updates.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/8/2/3215923/mlb-trade-rumors-2012-boston-red-sox-carl-crawford-waiversPat Johnston2012-08-01T08:30:05-04:002012-08-01T08:30:05-04:00Dangerous Trade Deadline Passes Relatively Quietly For Red Sox
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<img alt="July 30, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Craig Breslow (32) throws during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Diamondbacks won 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3WbQFAc_iURPAqD3VbpMf_gAPGs=/0x230:4000x2897/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/8129455/20120730_ajl_aj4_324.jpg" />
<figcaption>July 30, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Craig Breslow (32) throws during the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Diamondbacks won 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>For the Red Sox, inaction was the best course of action at the 2012 MLB trade deadline. Instead of blowing it up or taking less to unload troubled starts, the Sox stayed the course and merely acquired pitchers Craig Breslow and Steven Wright.</p> <p>The 2012 MLB trade deadline was a dangerous one for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a>.</p>
<p>Over the past few years, we've seen this front office make some bad decisions, and they've really been at their worst when they need to change headlines. Swept by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a>, under attack for Theo Epstein's "bridge year" comments, they went out and bought John Lackey. Having missed the playoffs for the first time in years, they added <span>Carl Crawford</span>. A dramatic September collapse and a payroll clogged by the bad decisions of the last two years? Splash on Bobby Valentine: big baseball personality, bad baseball manager.</p>
<p>So headed into the deadline just one game above .500 with talks of clubhouse disorder and a very disgruntled fanbase, it seemed all-too-likely that Ben Cherington -- whether on his own volition or at the behest of an ownership group afraid of any further failure -- was going to step to the plate and spend big on a team that did not necessarily deserve the greatest of investments.</p>
<p>Making the situation all the worse was the fact that, for the first time in years, they had truly valuable, important chips to work with. Jackie Bradley Jr., Xander Bogaerts, and Matt Barnes have returned the farm system to heights not seen in years, each one the sort of talent a deal could be centered around, but each one the sort that the team should most covet.</p>
<p>To Ben Cherington's credit, however, despite being given the power to make "bold" moves, he surveyed the scene, saw the talent available and their (often quite high) prices, and thought better.</p>
<p>Oh, the options were there, to be sure. Whether before the deadline or right up to it, the Sox were in on just about every starting pitcher who was available. Liriano, Dempster, Garza, Sanchez, Johnson ... If the Sox had really been determined to make that splash, there's no question that they could have. But instead of thinking about the PR implications and going for the splash, the Sox made the decisions which will give the Red Sox a chance to get back to being a real force in the American League East as soon as possible.</p>
<p>They were not completely inactive, of course, and in <span>Craig Breslow</span> they did find a bargain. Breslow has been an effective lefty out of the bullpen for some five years now. And while he's not ideal for Fenway given his high fly ball rates, he's been pretty good at keeping the ball in the park one way or another in his time. With another year of team control, the Sox will be able to hold on to him relatively cheaply into 2013, adding him to their very impressive core of relief arms.</p>
<p>And what did they give up in return? Not a top prospect, or a middling one, or their opportunity to try to make a miracle run in 2012. Instead, they sent <span>Matt Albers</span>, a reliever whose results seem completely unsustainable given his penchant for pitching up in the zone, hard-hit balls, and inability to miss bats. Given that <span>Scott Podsednik</span> wasn't about to make his way back on the roster anytime soon, it's hard to say if the Red Sox really gave up anything of value at all.</p>
<p>Add in a couple of 40-man roster spots, and the ability to move the very intriguing <span>Franklin Morales</span> back to the rotation, and you've got a move that's hard to question. It is, frankly, an A+ trade, or at least an A if you don't consider Breslow a return worthy of such a grade even if he comes essentially free. On the whole, though, it's hard to give the deadline such glowing remarks. The Red Sox straddled the fence here, going neither one way nor the other, and as a result they didn't do anything particularly well.</p>
<p>While it's hard to imagine a situation where the Red Sox buy without coming out behind, if they had sold who knows what they could have gotten from the likes of <span>Cody Ross</span>, <span>Kelly Shoppach</span>, etc. It's an opportunity ignored in favor of a likely impossible pursuit of the playoffs with a flawed team, but the decision to ignore it is reasonable enough given business considerations and the possibility that the team could either make something of the season or retain players like Ross for future seasons.</p>
<p>That they couldn't shed a big contract like <span>Josh Beckett</span>? The only criticism that should garner should be directed at those who built it up as a real possibility. Nobody was taking him off the team's hands in any deal that would make even the slightest bit of sense.</p>
<p>While the excitement of the trade deadline tends to be centered around blockbusters and the like, sometimes inaction is the best course of action, and this was one of those times.</p>
<p><i>For more Boston Red Sox coverage, visit <a href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">our team page</a> and team blog, <a href="http://www.overthemonster.com" target="_blank">Over The Monster</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/8/1/3210852/boston-red-sox-mlb-trade-deadline-2012-craig-breslow-steven-wrightBenjamin Buchanan2012-07-31T18:55:45-04:002012-07-31T18:55:45-04:00Red Sox Trades 2012: Josh Beckett Sticks Around; Minor Tweaks Made
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<p>Didn't like <span>Josh Beckett</span>? You aren't alone, but unfortunately for you, you're going to have to tolerate him, likely for the rest of the season. Beckett, who had been the target of trade rumors prior to Tuesday afternoon's non-waiver deadline, was not dealt, and will make his start against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a> on Tuesday night as planned.</p>
<p>While the Sox didn't move Beckett, they did pick up a couple of pitchers.</p>
<p>Boston shipped reliever <span>Matt Albers</span> (who wasn't particularly choked about about leaving Boston -- really, can you blame him right now?) and outfielder <span>Scott Podsednik</span> to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a> for left-handed relief pitcher <span>Craig Breslow</span>, who pitched for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Red Sox</a> in 2006 before being waived.</p>
<p>Breslow, 31, has played for six teams in seven seasons. Aside from the Red Sox and Diamondbacks, Breslow has thrown for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">San Diego Padres</a>, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a>, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/">Oakland Athletics</a>. Breslow has appeared in 335 career games and owns a 14-17 record with a 3.02 ERA and 277 strikeouts. During his brief stint with the Red Sox in 2006, Breslow appeared in 13 games and had an 0-2 record with a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings. His best season came in 2010 with the Athletics, when Breslow was 4-4 with a 3.01 ERA and a career-high 71 punch outs.</p>
<p><span>Steven Wright</span>, a minor-league kuckleball pitcher from the Cleveland Indians system, was also acquired by the Red Sox in exchange for minor league first baseman/outfielder <span>Lars Anderson</span>. Wright, who has never appeared in a major league game, was drafted by the Indians in the second round of the amateur draft out of the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, HI. Through six minor league seasons, Wright has a 38-33 record with a 3.95 ERA, 557 strikeouts and a 1.346 WHIP. Wright has made 103 career starts in 186 appearances and has started all 20 games he has pitched in this season, going 9-6 with a 2.49 ERA and 101 strikeouts. </p>
<p>As for Beckett, who I'm sure many of you would still like to see sent out of town, there is still hope. Boston could deal him via waivers, and the Red Sox have reportedly been in talks with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> to do so in August.</p>
<p><i>For more MLB Trade Deadline 2012 coverage, follow <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/7/19/3170020/boston-red-sox-trade-rumors-2012-mlb-news">our stream</a> and visit <a href="http://mlb.sbnation.com/" target="_blank">Baseball Nation</a>.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/7/31/3207664/red-sox-trades-2012-craig-breslow-steven-wright-lars-anderson-matt-albers-scott-podsednikGethin Coolbaugh2012-07-31T17:03:07-04:002012-07-31T17:03:07-04:00Red Sox Trade 1B Lars Anderson To Indians For P Steven Wright
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<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a> made a trade for a pitcher at the MLB trade deadline, but not a big name one. The Red Sox sent first baseman <span>Lars Anderson</span> to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> for Double-A starter <span>Steven Wright</span>.</p>
<p>Anderson was once a top prospect in the Red Sox system, but was unable to get promoted much to the big league club with <span>Adrian Gonzalez</span> ahead of him. Anderson was hitting .259 with nine homers and 52 RBI this season for Triple-A Pawtucket. He had similar production last season in Triple-A. In six games with the Red Sox this season, Anderson hit .125 in eight plate appearances.</p>
<p>Wright, 27, is a knuckleballer who is 9-6 this season with a 2.70 ERA for Double-A Akron. Wright is not part of the Red Sox 40-man roster (<a href="http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/this-just-in/21217626/sox-trade-lars-anderson-indians" target="_blank">via WEEI</a>). He has been assigned to Double-A Portland.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Red Sox, please be sure to check out our blog <a href="http://overthemonster.com/">Over The Monster</a> and <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Boston</a> for all the latest news and updates.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/7/31/3207424/boston-red-sox-trade-lars-anderson-to-cleveland-indians-for-steven-wright-mlb-trade-deadlinePat Johnston2012-07-31T15:27:35-04:002012-07-31T15:27:35-04:00Craig Breslow Traded To Red Sox, Diamondbacks Acquire Matt Albers, Scott Podsednik
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<p>Needing to figure out if they're playoff contenders or trade deadline sellers, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a> made a small move Tuesday, as they made a move for left-handed reliever <span>Craig Breslow</span> in a deal with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Arizona Diamondbacks</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/Gambo620/status/230376513000845312">The deal was first reported by John Gambadoro</a>, a talk-show radio host in Phoenix, <a href="https://twitter.com/Gambo620/status/230376676125720577">who also reported</a> the Diamondbacks received outfielder <span>Scott Podsednik</span> and reliever <span>Matt Albers</span> from the Red Sox.</p>
<p>Breslow is a lefty reliever who did spend the 2006 season with Boston. This season, the soon-to-be 32-year-old has compiled a 2-0 record with a 2.70 ERA.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the right-handed Albers had similar numbers (2-0, 2.29 ERA) with the Red Sox, while Podsednik has played just 19 games at the major league level this season. Podsednik <a href="https://twitter.com/Gambo620/status/230379564818382848">is expected to be sent down to the minor leagues</a>.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Red Sox, please be sure to check out our blog <a href="http://overthemonster.com/">Over The Monster</a> and <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Boston</a> for all the latest news and updates.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/7/31/3207147/craig-breslow-traded-to-red-sox-diamondbacks-acquire-matt-albers-scott-podsednikJared Smith2012-07-30T17:24:14-04:002012-07-30T17:24:14-04:00Red Sox Trade Rumors 2012: Josh Beckett Trade To Rangers Is Off, According To Report
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<p><a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a> starting pitcher <span>Josh Beckett</span> will not be traded to the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a>, according to a report (<a href="http://www.weei.com//sports/boston/this-just-in/21217336/source-beckett-rangers-deal-dead" target="_blank">via WEEI</a>).</p>
<p>In recent days, reports came out that linked Beckett to the Rangers and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.talkingchop.com/">Atlanta Braves</a>. Earlier on Monday, the Braves were ruled out of the running for Beckett. The issue for Atlanta was the size of Beckett's contract, even if the Red Sox agreed to assume a large part of the $37 million left on the right-hander's contract which expires in 2014 (<a href="http://www.weei.com/sports/boston/this-just-in/21217196/source-braves-not-beckett" target="_blank">via WEEI</a>). His original deal was for $68 million over four seasons.</p>
<p>It was assumed that Beckett would waive his no-trade clause to join either club. Beckett is 5-9 this season with a 4.57 ERA. The MLB trade deadline is July 31 but it does not seem likely Beckett will be traded at this point.</p>
<p><i>For more on the Red Sox, please be sure to check out our blog <a href="http://overthemonster.com/">Over The Monster</a> and <a href="http://boston.sbnation.com/">SB Nation Boston</a> for all the latest news and updates.</i></p>
https://boston.sbnation.com/boston-red-sox/2012/7/30/3204876/boston-red-sox-trade-rumors-2012-josh-beckett-trade-rangers-atlanta-braves-mlb-trade-deadlinePat Johnston