Josh Beckett tossed three shutout innings on Thursday. (AP)

JUPITER, Fla. — Josh Beckett was not prepared to call Jose Iglesias the best defensive shortstop with whom he’s ever played. After all, he spent parts of seven seasons with the Marlins and Red Sox playing with Alex Gonzalez, a shortstop who is near the top of the list of the top defenders never to win a Gold Glove.

Even so, Beckett was left almost shaking his head at a play that Iglesias made behind him in the second inning of Thursday’s exhibition outing against the Cardinals. St. Louis third baseman David Freese ripped a rocket into the hole to lead off the second inning. With almost no time to react, Iglesias slid to his right, picked the ball, almost instantaneously jumped to his feet and then winged a strong throw to first to retire Freese by several steps.

“That was a great play. That ball was scalded. … It’s nice when they make the great play, but I think when I guy hits a ball that hard, if he’d missed that, I would have understood,” said Beckett. “He’s pretty sick. I can definitely see why they gave him all that money.” Read the rest of this entry »

The Brewers reportedly agreed to terms with shortstop Alex Gonzalez for a one-year deal with a vesting option for 2013. The 34-year-old must pass a physical to make the deal official.

Gonzalez hit .241 with 15 home runs and 56 RBIs for the Braves last season. In addition to the Braves, Gonzalez has played with the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Reds and Marlins over the course of his 12-year career.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said that the team was interested in Gonzalez because of his solid defense, which he said was the difference between Gonzalez and recently bought-out shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt.

“He still has good range; makes the tough plays,” Melvin said of Gonzelez. “He is durable. He’s a very similar offensive player to Yuni, but he’s a better defender.”

FORT MYERS, Fla. — David Ortiz went 3-for-3 and drove in Boston’s only run as the Red Sox fell to the Braves, 6-1, Wednesday afternoon at City of Palms Park.

Two of Ortiz’s hits were smashes through the teeth of the shift, line drives that landed in short right field. He drove in Jacoby Ellsbury in the first inning as the Red Sox jumped out to a 1-0 lead.

Following his line drive single in the fourth, he stole second base while the Braves played the infield back with one out. Ortiz is now 5-for-8 this spring with a homer and four RBIs.

[Recap and stats from Wednesday.]

Former Red Sox shortstop Alex Gonzalez tagged starter John Lackey for a long homer to left field in the second inning as the Braves tied it.

Lackey threw 41 pitches, 25 strikes, over two innings, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out one in his 2011 spring debut.

Lackey faced an Atlanta lineup full of regulars, including Jason Heyward, Martin Prado, Gonzalez, Dan Uggla, Eric Hinske, Freddie Freeman and David Ross.

The Red Sox lineup featured all regulars, except for Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Marco Scutaro, Kevin Youkilis and the rehabbing Adrian Gonzalez. They faced Tim Hudson in the righthander’s first spring start. Hudson allowed the one run in the first but retired the Red Sox in order in the second.

Atlanta scored once in the fifth to break the 1-1 tie and tacked on three more in the seventh to improve to 3-1 in Grapefruit play. The Red Sox fell to 2-2.

The Red Sox host Philadelphia on Thursday at City of Palms before heading up I-75 for a Friday night showdown with the Yankees at Legend Field.

The question of whether Johnny Damon will return to the Red Sox likely hinges on whether or not he elects to exercise his power to veto a deal to Boston. The Sox are one of the eight teams to which Damon can veto a deal.

Damon, of course, has his reasons for having sought the opportunity to veto a deal to Boston. On Monday, he dredged the memories of his acrimonious departure from Boston, and his uncertainty about whether he would want to go back to the Red Sox.

But more often than not, no-trade protection ends up being less a means of avoiding going to a team than a bargaining tool should a trade occur. As one former general manager once explained:

“(The clauses) started out legitimately enough. There were certain places that players did not want to be assigned. … As time marched on, they became a hybrid between not wanting to go somewhere and wanting to leverage a potential deal.

“It’s gone full circle. … Where we are now, a ‘no trade’ doesn’t always mean you don’t want to go to that club. In many cases, it means exactly the opposite.”

Often, players simply use no-trade clauses to get some kind of bonus if they are sent to a team. The Red Sox’ recent history of deals (and near-deals) for players who had the right to veto a deal to Boston suggests as much:

Billy Wagner (2009): The Sox acquired the left-hander from the Mets a year ago. Wagner had a full no-trade clause in the deal he’d signed with the Mets, and as he continued his rehab from Tommy John surgery, he considered using his power to veto a deal, feeling that the pressure of a pennant race might be a less-than-ideal scenario in his efforts to recuperate.

But Wagner ended up agreeing to go to Boston after the Sox guaranteed that they would not exercise his option for the 2010 season. The deal was consummated, and Wagner ended up being a contributor not only over the duration of the 2009 season, but, perhaps more importantly, for the long haul, when he declined the Sox’ arbitration offer and signed with the Braves as a Type A free agent, giving the Sox a pair of compensation picks (No. 20, which turned into first rounder Kolbrin Vitek, and No. 36, which the Sox used for Bryce Brentz) in this year’s draft.

Alex Gonzalez (2009): The Sox made a waiver deal with the Reds for shortstop Gonzalez last August. Gonzalez had the power to nix a deal, armed with a no-trade clause, but he didn’t want to do anything to impede the deal.

“I didn’t ask for money,” Gonzalez said last year. “I didn’t ask for anything.”

Brian Giles and Mark Kotsay (2008): The Sox were scrambling to add outfield depth in August of 2008 (sound familiar?) as a result of an injury that sidelined J.D. Drew for most of the final six weeks of the season.

The team made a move to acquire Brian Giles from the Padres, but the veteran outfielder elected to exercise his no-trade clause to block the deal, citing his desire to stay close to his family on the West Coast. Undeterred, the Sox kept exploring outfield options, and near the end of August, they made a deal with the Braves for outfielder Mark Kotsay. But Kotsay was also armed with a limited no-trade clause that included the right to veto a deal with the Sox. In exchange for not exercising that power, Kotsay received $325,000 from the Sox.

Eric Gagne (2007): Gagne represented the evolution of no-trade protection. Prior to the ’07 season, the Sox did not have a closer (Jonathan Papelbon was being converted to the rotation), and the Sox had talked to the free-agent about signing to join their bullpen. Gagne had been interested, but had a better offer from the Rangers. Afforded the opportunity to pick a list of clubs to whom he could not be traded without his consent, he included the Sox — a team he said he was thrilled to join after being dealt at the 2007 trade deadline.

“(The clause) is not really where you want to go or not go,” Gagne conceded in the summer of 2007. “I think it was more leverage than anything else.”

The power of that clause proved significant. Gagne leveraged his veto power to have the Sox guarantee $2.5 million in potential bonus money.

Alex Rodriguez (2003): Rodriguez had a full no-trade clause from the Rangers in his landmark 10-year, $252 million deal. But he was more than willing to waive it in order to join the Sox following the 2003 season. In fact, the deal that would have brought him to Boston fell apart not because Rodriguez was seeking concessions, but instead because the MLB Players’ Association felt that he was giving up too much (approximately $28 million) in order to go to Boston.

The no-trade clause was not the hang-up in this failed deal.

Curt Schilling (2003): Schilling’s full no-trade clause created tremendous leverage in his negotiations with the Sox. He used his veto power to get a two-year, $25.5 million extension from the Sox (which became a three-year, $40.5 million deal once Boston won the World Series). The clause did not stop a deal; it just made it more expensive for the Sox.

Johnny Damon has been claimed off trade waivers by the Red Sox. That we know.

So, what does it all mean? Here is a primer for what you should know regarding the Damon saga as it pertains to the outfielder, his current team, the Tigers, and the Red Sox as we live through the next 48 hours:

THE FIRST REASON WHY THE RED SOX CLAIMED DAMON

The impetus for the Sox’ claiming Damon off trade waivers (which is different than regular waivers) is most likely for defensive purposes, and we don’t mean anything to do with a glove. The Red Sox reside just in front of Tampa Bay and the Yankees in the order of getting a crack at players who are passed through waivers, allowing them to implement the kind of tactic they did in the case of Damon.

If the Red Sox didn’t claim Damon, Tampa Bay would have almost undoubtedly put in a claim since its biggest weakness is one of the 36-year-old’s remaining strengths. He can help an offense. While Tampa Bay is third in the majors in runs scored, this month it has the second-worst team batting average for the month of August among American League clubs.

While Damon wouldn’t be expected to carry a club, for a team like Tampa Bay – which has had their designated hitter position total a .238 batting average with the second-fewest runs scored in the American League – he could help.

Regarding the Yankees, there has already been a precedent of how much Damon can serve as a complementary piece to New York’s already powerful lineup. He would certainly seem to be more valuable to the Rays than the Yankees, but it would be an addition that certainly couldn’t hurt the Yanks.

THE SECOND REASON WHY THE RED SOX CLAIMED DAMON

While Damon isn’t nearly the player he was when he last wore a Red Sox uniform, he could provide some value to the current club. His numbers aren’t bad (.270 batting average, .355 on-base percentage), although he is hitting just .219 in August. But the fit in the Red Sox’ lineup would seemingly be a natural one, either manning the No. 2 spot behind Marco Scutaro, or with the pair switching places with Damon taking the top spot. It should be noted, however, that Damon has only hit leadoff six times this season.

Would he better than the likes of Bill Hall, Darnell McDonald, Ryan Kalish and Daniel Nava? In some ways, yes. But not enough for the Red Sox to overpay for the outfielder.

Another aspect of Damon’s arrival that might make such a deal worthwhile for the Red Sox is the energy it might supply a team desperate for a boost. That was certainly the vibe relayed by players in the Sox’ clubhouse.

Read the rest of this entry »

TORONTO — John Lackey was sub-par in the second game of the Red Sox’ series with the Blue Jays on Saturday, failing to escape the fifth inning and taking the loss in a 9-5 defeat. Though the game’s early innings featured offense that suggested a potential continuation of Friday’s 14-run showing, the Red Sox were unable to keep up with the Toronto bullpen. The Sox have now lost their last five games not started by Jon Lester.

Jose Bautista was among the mashers for the Blue Jays on Saturday, as he hit his major-league-leading 24th homer in the eighth inning. Sunday’s matinee with the Blue Jays will be their final game before the All-Star break, which should prove beneficial as many of their bigger contributors continue to recover from injuries.

WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE RED SOX

- The Red Sox gave Lackey every chance to be the team’s third 10-game winner (Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz), but it simply wasn’t the right-hander’s day.

Lackey consistently fell behind in the count and the Blue Jays hit him hard, as they mustered eight hits and seven runs in Lackey’s 4 2/3 innings. All of the runs were earned for Lackey, but it didn’t end there. He walked six batters to bring his season total to 43. Lackey’s WHIP is now 1.54, which is fifth-highest in the American League.

Statistically, Lackey wouldn’t have fit in well among the other American League pitchers to reach the plateau this season. Of the seven other 10-game-winners as of Saturday in the AL, none had an earned run average of 4.00 or higher and only CC Sabathia had allowed 100 hits, as he had given up 102.

- Old friend Alex Gonzalez was a problem for the Red Sox, as he crushed his 17th homer of the season in the top bottom of the fourth off of Lackey. He also doubled in the game.

- Two of the stars of Friday night’s game, Mike Cameron and Terry Francona, were both ejected in the top of the seventh inning by home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg. Cameron was tossed for arguing balls and strikes after being struck out looking by Jason Frasor. Francona emerged from the dugout and received the same treatment, upon which he mockingly gave Kellogg the hook.

For Cameron, it was just the third ejection of the of the 37-year-old’s career. Not Surprisingly, Francona is a bit more accustomed, with it being his second of the season (the other came against the Blue Jays on May 12) and 28th of his career.

WHAT WENT RIGHT FOR THE RED SOX

- The Red Sox bats were loud for the second day in a row and made up for whatever struggles Lackey had early on. They were able to rack up five runs off of Blue Jays starter Brandon Morrow in his four innings of work, including a three-run third that saw Gustavo Molina, Marco Scutaro, and Daniel Nava cross the plate.

Four of the five runs the Red Sox put up against Morrow were earned, as Marco Scutaro scored the games first run in the top of the first after reaching on an error at third by Edwin Encarnacion.

- Daniel Nava looked impressive in the No. 2 spot, hitting two doubles and making good contact to center field in three of his at-bats. He also scored two runs.

It was the outfielder’s seventh multi-hit game since joining the Red Sox on June 12. He is now hitting .316 with a homer and 16 RBI. Nava also contributed defensively, gunning Edwin Encarnacion out trying to stretch a single into a double.

- That’s now two clean appearances for Scott Atchison who aside from a sloppy two-run inning on the Fourth of July against Baltimore, has actually strung together a nice little stretch. He was called on Saturday to stop the bleeding when Lackey couldn’t get out of the fourth inning and promptly ended the frame by getting Alex Gonzalez to foul out. He retired the first two batters of the sixth before being pulled. In his last two appearances Atchison has been perfect in 2 1/3 innings. He also had a perfect inning on June 30th, the appearance prior to the Fourth of July game against the Orioles.

While the free-agent market has moved, by and large, at a deliberate pace this offseason, that has not been the case at one position in recent days. The Marco Scutaro is the consensus best shortstop available in free agency. In 2009, his package of offense and defense ranked him as one of the better shortstops in the game.

Beyond Scutaro, however, it is fair to wonder whether there are any viable free-agent options at the shortstop position, particularly given that Alex Gonzalez has signed with Toronto and several other players (Alex Cora, Juan Castro, Omar Vizquel, John McDonald) have already signed deals. If the Sox were willing to sacrifice offense at the position (something they would have done had they re-signed Gonzalez), then one possibility would be to pursue Adam Everett, who is the best defensive shortstop remaining on the market.

According to a baseball source, the Red Sox have contacted Everett to express some preliminary interest in the shortstop. The Sox have not made an offer to Everett, nor have they made a conditional offer along the lines of the one they made to Alex Gonzalez (who was told the Sox would offer him a $3 million deal for 2010 at the Winter Meetings if they hadn’t signed anyone else by then) before he signed with the Blue Jays last week.

Everett, who was a first-round draft pick of the Red Sox in 1998, played 118 games for the Tigers in 2009, hitting .238 with a .288 OBP, .325 slugging mark and .613 OPS. Though his offense is limited, he is considered one of the best defensive shortstops in the game. He has been contacted by a handful of teams that have discussed, in general terms, the possibility of signing him as a starter.

Everett, according to UZR/150 (Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 games, which measures plays made by a position player compared to the average defensive player at his position, and converts that into the number of runs saved or allowed as compared to an average player), ranked as the third best defensive shortstop in the game last year, behind only Wilson and Cesar Izturis of the Orioles. Projected over 150 games, Everett saved 13.6 runs over the average shortstop over 150 games. That number was slightly ahead of Alex Gonzalez, who finished fifth among big-league shortstops by having saved 10.5 runs per 150 games.

According to John Dewan’s Plus/Minus system (evaluating the number of plays converted into an out by a player as compared to an average defender at his position), Everett made nine more plays than would have an average shortstop, a mark that would still have him in the top half of defensive players in the majors.

Of course, it may well be that the contact with Everett is just part of the Sox’ efforts to explore every alternative this offseason, including, reportedly, the possibility of having Dustin Pedroia play at the position.

For more on the free-agent shortstop market, click here.