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.

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INDIANAPOLIS — Things are heating up a bit today. The lobby of the Marriott in Downtown Indy is abuzz with the possibility of a deal that would send Curtis Granderson from Detroit to New York (reportedly, scenarios are being considered that would either be a two-team deal between the Tigers and Yankees and a three-team trade between the Tigers, Yankees and Diamondbacks).

If such a deal goes down, it could represent a domino that will allow others to start falling. If Granderson lands in New York, then it could impact the discussions about Jason Bay, Matt Holliday and other outfielders, since it would offer some evidence that the Yankees — whom many in the industry suspected as a possibility to get involved in the conversations about both players — might not be in on the two biggest free agents of the offseason. That, in turn, could help to hasten negotiations with the teams that are actively involved in the Bay dealings.

A couple of random items picked up in the lobby:

–Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports reported that the Red Sox met with Bay’s agent, Joe Urbon, this morning.

–The Angels’ interest in Bay appears legitimate, according to a major-league source, though one hears conflicting accounts of the interest from Seattle, in part because the Mariners value defense so highly, and because right-handed pull hitters have struggled in Seattle (witness: Adrian Beltre). That said, Seattle’s defense everywhere else should be so good that the team would seem to have an ability to mask the field limitations of one hitter in order to provide a middle-of-the-order menace. As for the Angels’ interest, that’s not such a significant surprise – when both a team owner (Arte Moreno) and GM (Tony Reagins) tell reporters that their club is interested in a player, well, it doesn’t come as a surprise when they bid on that player.

–Outfielder Brian Giles has heard from five or six teams. The Red Sox — to whom Giles vetoed a trade in the 2007 season — are not among them. Of course, it’s not just the repercussions of Giles’ veto that has led to that disinterest; the Sox also view the outfielder whom they’ve already acquired this offseason, Jeremy Hermida, as being a Giles-like player — a left-handed hitter with patience and some pop who can handle a corner outfield spot.

–The details of reliever Scott Atchison‘s non-guaranteed deal with the Red Sox are as follows: he’ll make $420,000 in 2010, and the team has two options, one for $440,000 in 2011, another for $600,000 in 2012. Atchison does have one minor-league option remaining, so he will be brought into spring training with the chance to compete for one of the Sox’ bullpen openings, but with no guarantees.