BALTIMORE — It’s not a white flag, the Red Sox insist.

Yes, the Red Sox have parted with a member of their big league club on the Aug. 31 deadline for waiver trades, and yes, they got a 21-year-old, Single-A prospect in return. The deal that came down featured veteran reliever Manny Delcarmen heading to the Rockies in exchange for right-hander Chris Balcom-Miller, a player who is years away from pitching at the big league level.

“This is not one of those moves that helps us tomorrow at the big league level,” Sox manager Terry Francona said of Balcom-Miller, “but we think down the road it could be great.”

That said, GM Theo Epstein said this deal — made with the Sox seven games behind both the Rays and Yankees in both the AL East and wild card races — was not to be confused with the sign of surrender that was hoisted four years earlier, when the Sox (trailing in the division by eight games, and 6 1/2 games back in the wild card) traded David Wells to the Padres for George Kottaras.

The difference, Epstein suggested, is that whereas Wells was a key member of the rotation at the time of being dealt, Delcarmen had become “a diminishing asset,” someone whom the Sox were no longer using in the highest-leverage relief situations. Once he had been supplanted by Felix Doubront on the bullpen depth chart, the Sox made the decision — following his having been claimed off waivers by the Rockies — that they were willing to part with the former first-rounder, who had spent his career in the organization for which he’d rooted while growing up in Hyde Park.

“[The Wells trade] was a bright line, an example where our hopes for contention that season had completely dissipated based on the injuries and the talent we had left on the roster, whereas I think this club is capable of winning games,” explained Epstein. “Let’s be honest: We need to get really hot in order to make this thing interesting. Really hot. Hotter than we’ve gotten at any point in the year. We haven’t done that yet. It doesn’t mean we can’t do that. I don’t think moving what had become for us a lower-leverage reliever is going to make the difference one way or the other in that.”

Delcarmen had entered the year as a pitcher whom the Sox anticipated using in key late-inning situations. Indeed, over the early stretches of the season, he was one of the team’s most effective pitchers. But he endured mechanical inconsistencies that manager Terry Francona said made it difficult to know whether he was going to be a dominant reliever or one who was unable to retire opponents.

That, in turn, led to different usage patterns for the right-hander, who was 3-2 with a 4.70 ERA this year, a mark that included a 9.00 ERA since June 3.

“Manny wasn’t necessarily pitching in the highest leverage situations any more. We had a couple guys who had passed him on the depth chart, most recently Doubront,” said Epstein. We ran Manny through waivers, which we do as a matter of routine with all our players. “The Rockies were motivated to acquire him. We ended up getting a prospect we liked. Manny gets a change of scenery. It’s not a reflection of any grander plan than that.

“We’re constantly looking for guys we can lean on in high leverage situations,” Epstein continued. “The way the season evolved, at this point in time, Manny wasn’t one of those guys, so we thought it worthwhile to get an asset that can really help is in the future for what was now becoming a diminishing asset for us.

“Manny has been a pleasure to have around, a hometown kid originally drafted by the Red Sox who’s helped us win a lot of games over the years. We certainly wish him well and will be watching him pitch in the National League now.” Read the rest of this entry »

Catcher George Kottaras has been released by the Red Sox. (AP)

With Jason Varitek set to return to the Red Sox as a backup catcher and Victor Martinez returning for the 2010 season, the Red Sox’ catching situation seemed set for the 2010 season. As a result, it comes as little surprise that the Red Sox put catcher George Kottaras on relief waivers, according to a team source. UPDATE: According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, the Brewers were awarded a waiver claim on Kottaras on Wednesday.

Kottaras hit .237 with a .308 OBP, .387 slugging mark, a homer and 10 RBIs in 2009. The 26-year-old — who was acquired from the Padres in exchange for David Wells in 2006 — served primarily as Tim Wakefield‘s personal catcher over the first half of the 2009 season, working well enough with the pitcher that Wakefield was named to the All-Star team for the first time in his career.

Kottaras was out of minor-league options, and so rather than trying to pass him through outright waivers, the Sox put him on unconditional release waivers. As of today, he will be a free agent, free to negotiate with all clubs. (NOTE: Kottaras did not achieve free agency due to the Brewers’ waiver claim.)

Fernando Cabrera, who was placed on outright waivers by the Sox earlier this month, also elected free agency. The right-hander allowed five runs and struck out eight in 5.1 innings for the Sox after forging a 1.71 ERA for Triple-A Pawtucket.