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Beckett trade is finalized

This time, they didn't wait until the day after Thanksgiving. They did it on Thanksgiving Day itself . . . albeit rather LATE in the day.

Late Thursday night the Red Sox announced that their deal with the Florida Marlins for ace pitcher Josh Beckett was official. It's the second time in three years the Sox acquired a No. 1 starter over the Thanksgiving holiday; in 2003, they snared Curt Schilling from the Diamondbacks in a deal that was finalized on Friday, rather than on Thanksgiving Day.

But the deal had a twist that wasn't included in the original trade, news of which leaked out Monday. In addition to Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell, Boston also got some bullpen help in the person of veteran reliever Guillermo Mota. And the Sox, according to the Associated Press, will send minor league right-hander Harvey Garcia to the Marlins in addition to shortstop Hanley Ramirez and pitchers Anibal Sanchez and Jesus Delgado.

The Red Sox will hold a news conference Friday, and a conference call with the players involved is expected to be arranged, as well.

Red Sox Nation has had four days of anticipation about the acquisition of Beckett, with confirmation of the trade held up pending an examination of Beckett's medical reports. The Sox reportedly had concerns about the shoulder stiffness that prompted Beckett to skip his final two starts after the Marlins had been eliminated from postseason play. Beckett, for his part, insisted he was fine -- an MRI showed no damage -- and said he would have pitched had Florida been alive in the playoff race.

As it turns out, the teams took the additional time to expand the deal slightly. Mota, 32, has played seven seasons in the majors with the Expos, Dodgers and Marlins, and was 2-2 with 2 saves and a 4.70 ERA in 56 games last season. He gives the Sox' thin bullpen some additional depth.

-- Art Martone

Posted by Art  at 11:29 PM | Permalink