According to Peter Gammons of the MLB Network via Twitter, the Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners free agent third baseman Adrian Beltre have reached a preliminary agreement on a 1 year, $9 million deal with a player option for $5 million in 2011. Gammons states that Beltre will take a physical before the deal is formally announced. Obviously the Red Sox will now try to move their current third baseman Mike Lowell, who is recovering from thumb surgery, during spring training once he's healthy. He is expected to be ready around the start of spring training. Beltre put up a career year in 2004 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That year he hit .324 with 48 home runs and 121 RBIs with seven stolen bases. That season landed him a 5 year, $64 million deal with the Mariners. His best season in Seattle came in 2007 when he hit .267 with 26 home runs, 99 RBIs and 14 stolen bases. He hit .265 with 8 home runs, 44 RBIs and 13 stolen bases in 2009. He also won two Gold Gloves at third base with the Mariners in 2008 and 2009. In 16 career games at Fenway Park, Beltre is hitting .179 with no home runs and four RBIS. Remember folks, the Red Sox will probably have to eat at least $9 million of Lowell's salary so the third base position will probably cost them $18 million in 2010. no comments

It looks like Mike Lowell will be a member of the Boston Red Sox in 2010.  The question is whether or not he still fits into the plans of general manager Theo Epstein. According to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe and Rob Bradford of WEEI.com, Lowell has a torn ligament in his thumb and will need surgery. Bradford tweets that Lowell has a torn radial collateral ligament in his thumb and will have a recovery period of 6-8 weeks after surgery. So if he has surgery now, he'd be ready to go just after the start of spring training. It will be interesting to see how the Red Sox proceed from here. no comments

Earlier on Wednesday morning, there were reports that the Boston Red Sox were stepping up their efforts to acquire first baseman Adrian Gonzalez from their old pal Jed Hoyer, GM of the San Diego Padres. Of course this all came about after the Red Sox signed free agents Mike Cameron and John Lackey. First up is this from Bill Center of the San Diego Union-Tribune:

At the moment, the Padres and Red Sox are not talking. And Hoyer’s last discussion with Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein last week at the Winter Meetings in Indianapolis did not involve Gonzalez. But there is speculation in Boston that the Red Sox might try to reopen talks about Gonzalez, who is contracted to the Padres through the end of 2011. Are the Red Sox desperate enough to make Hoyer a deal he can’t refuse – even if he might be hesitant to have his first major move as the Padres’ general manager a trade that sent the Padres’ most productive and popular player to his former team?

And this from FOXSports.com:

A deal is not close, and might not happen at all, sources said. Jed Hoyer, the Padres’ new general manager -- and Red Sox’s former assistant GM -- wants a high price for Gonzalez, whose contract is one of the biggest bargains in baseball. "Jed has been asking for a ton," one source said. The Padres would be tempted to move Gonzalez if they could get Buchholz and Ellsbury in the same deal, sources say. However, the Red Sox would be very reluctant to include both, according to another source.

And of course Gordon Edes of ESPN Boston debunked those rumors via his Twitter page on Wednesday afternoon.

Take a deep breath, Boston fans. Adrian Gonzalez won't be walking through the door anytime soon. Nothing going on on that front. Red Sox know what it would take to get Gonzalez, and they're not trading Buchholz and Ellsbury, baseball source tells me. SD asking a ton.

So would you include Ellsbury in a trade for Gonzalez? Conventional wisdom says no but if I'd think about it. It would be hard to replace what Ellsbury brings to the Red Sox (defense, stolen bases) but when you can get player of the caliber of Gonzalez, you really have to consider it. Buchholz in all of this is a no-brainer. But if you can make the trade with Buchholz and a few prospects, I think the Red Sox would be better off in the long run. It's hard to replace what Ellsbury does for them. Hoyer will most likely end up trading Gonzalez if the deal is right but why not now while his value is at it's highest. no comments

Roy Halladay will get a chance to pitch in Toronto in 2010. It just won't be as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. The Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners finally completed a three team trade on Wednesday that sends Halladay to the Phillies and pitcher Cliff Lee from the Phillies to the Mariners along with a few prospects heading to the Blue Jays. Here's how the whole trade breaks down: Phillies get:

• RHP Roy Halladay (from Toronto)
• RHP Phillippe Aumont (from Seattle)
• OF Tyson Gillies (from Seattle)
• RHP Juan Ramirez (from Seattle)
• $6 million cash (from Toronto)

Mariners get:

• LHP Cliff Lee (from Philadelphia)

Blue Jays get:

• C Travis d'Arnaud (from Philadelphia)
• RHP Kyle Drabek (from Philadelphia)
• OF Michael Taylor (from Philadelphia)

The Blue Jays then flipped Taylor to the Oakland A's for 1B/3B Brett Wallace. Halladay waived his no trade clause to go to Philadelphia and also agreed to a 3 year, $60 million contract extension. In 12 years with the Blue Jays, Halladay was 148-76 with a 3.73 ERA in 313 games (287 starts). In those 287 starts, Halladay has 48 complete games and 15 shutouts. If the Phillies rotation works out, Halladay will get a chance to pitch at Rogers Centre in Toronto when the Phillies visit there from June 25-27, 2010. no comments

Earlier on Monday we had various media reports that  Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim free agent pitcher John Lackey was in Boston to take a physical with the Red Sox. Now later on Monday afternoon, it is being reported by SI.com and ESPN.com that the Red Sox and Lackey have agreed to a 5 year deal worth somewhere between $82.5 to $85 million. There's been no word from any of the local scribes confirming this is a done deal yet but usually when Jon Heyman is the one to report it, it's pretty much a done deal. Once anything official comes out from the Red Sox or any of the local media up here, I'll let ya'll know. Update 12/15: The deal is being held up due to some contract language according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. But it doesn't appear to be too big of an issue as Lackey's press conference is scheduled for Wednesday at Fenway Park. It's being reported too that the deal is for 5 years, $82.5 million which is exactly what AJ Burnett got from the Yankees. no comments

We already knew that the Boston Red Sox would be opening up with the 2009 World Series Champions New York Yankees (I think I threw up in my mouth btw) at Fenway Park. We just didn't know if it would be on Monday, April 5, 2010 as scheduled or if ESPN and MLB would move the game to the Sunday night game. Well now we have our answer as it was announced on Monday afternoon that the Red Sox will host the Yankees at 8 p.m. on Sunday, April 4, 2010 on ESPN2. If you're going to the game, plan on dressing warm. Update: According to Ken Fang from Fangsbites.com via his Twitter, NESN and YES will be broadcasting the game as well. no comments

According to Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus, the Boston Red Sox have made a $15.5 million offer to prized Cuban free agent pitcher Aroldis Chapman.

According to one source close to the negotiations, Boston offered Chapman a $15.5 million dollar package that includes a major league deal. When contacted regarding this story, Red Sox officials declined to comment. Boston has been linked to Chapman since the day he became available, and Chapman is close friends with shortstop Jose Iglesias, a Cuban shortstop that Boston signed in September.

Chapman is scheduled to hold a workout tomorrow in Houston in front of teams with his new agents, the Hendricks Brothers. He had previously visited the Red Sox with his old agent Edwin Meijia. The article doesn't say how many years the deal is for but my guess is that it would be for three or four years. I'm not sure the Red Sox would go five years on him but you never know with them. no comments

It appears the Boston Red Sox may be moving on from Jason Bay after all. A tweet from Fanhouse's Ed Price and later confirmed by Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com says that Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim free agent pitcher John Lackey took a physical in Boston on Monday and a deal could be imminent. According to Rosenthal, the deal could similar in stature to what A.J. Burnett received from the New York Yankees last season. He also has a little tidbit towards the bottom of the article that the Red Sox are trying work on an extension with their ace, Josh Beckett. Lackey has a career record of 102-71 with 3.81 ERA in eight seasons with the Angels. He was 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA in 27 starts in 2009. Against the Red Sox in his career, he is 3-7 with a 5.25 ERA in fourteen starts and is 2-5 with a 5.75 ERA in nine starts at Fenway Park. If the Red Sox do sign Lackey, this provides an interesting scenario for the pitching staff. They already have Beckett, Jon Lester, Daisuke Matuszaka, Tim Wakefield and Clay Buchholz penciled in for the 2010 rotation. Does this mean that Buchholz could be moved in a potential deal for someone? I'm more curious now to see what Theo Epstein has up his sleeve if indeed Lackey signs with the Red Sox Lackey's a bulldog and definitely will fit in with this team nicely but don't the Red Sox really need a bat to replace what Bay gave them in offense. no comments

As we learned last week, the Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers had reached a preliminary agreement on a trade of Sox third baseman Mike Lowell for Rangers minor league catcher Max Ramirez. The deal was being held up by the medicals of both players and now it seems the whole trade may be in jeopardy due to Lowell's thumb. According to Peter Gammons of NESN and MLB.com via his Twitter page, Lowell could need surgery on his thumb that he injured again at the end of the 2009 season. And  Rob Bradford of WEEI.com is reporting that the Rangers will examine Lowell in person at some point during the week. Obviously if the deal doesn't go through this is going to affect the Red Sox plans for 2010. If they were seriously entertaining the thought of signing Adrian Beltre to play third, which I hope doesn't happen, or exploring a trade for anyone, those thoughts will now have to be put on hold. And of course there's stil the whole Jason Bay mess going on right now as well so things aren't getting any easier for Theo Epstein and the rest of the Red Sox brain trust. As always, time will tell what's going to happen with all of this but this one is definitely worth watching for sure. no comments

Nothing like waking up in the morning to find out that the third baseman of your favorite team is most likely heading to the Texas Rangers. According to FOXSports.com, the Boston Red Sox and Rangers have reached a preliminary agreement that will send third baseman Mike Lowell and $9 million to Arlington for minor league catcher Max Ramirez. The $9 million would cover 3/4 of Lowell's $12 million salary he is owed for 2010. The deal is contingent upon both players passing physicals. Ramirez was ranked as the No. 8 prospect in the Rangers organization at the end of the 2009 season by MLB.com. No word on whether or not the Red Sox will ask Ramirez to change his first name to Ramon so they can have three of them in the organization. Update 8:30 PM - Tony Massarotti of the Boston Globe is reporting that the deal is done pending physicals for both players. no comments