The Red Sox have claimed Billy Wagner off waivers. Now the Sox have until 1 p.m. on Tuesday to work out a deal with the Mets, per John Tomase of the Boston Herald.
If the Mets and Red Sox don't work out a trade, the Mets could do a salary dump and let the Red Sox have Wagner. If that happens, the Red Sox would owe Wagner $2.6 million for this year and have an $8 million option for next year with a $1 million buyout.
If the Mets pull Wagner off waivers, they won't be able to trade him this year.
As Tomase points out, Wagner would likely be a Type A free agent, which means the Mets would be compensated with two first-round draft picks. That makes it unlikely that the Mets let the Red Sox have him without getting something in return.
According to Peter Botte of the NY Daily News, Wagner said Friday about the possibility of pitching for Boston: "That's news to me, buddy. You know what, I haven't heard anything, so I can't speculate anything."
And he's available to pitch tonight (game's currently in 8th inning) according to manager Jerry Manuel: “As far as I know, I haven’t gotten anything to say to not pitch him and today is his scheduled day for work, so if that opportunity presents itself, unless I get something different, I will definitely put him in the game.”
Wagner, who had Tommy John surgery last September, pitched a perfect, two-strikeout eighth inning against the Braves on Thursday. And he hit 96 mph on the radar gun.
