Got Gagne, but no Dye-ing Sox … yet

Got ‘em.

That has to be the feeling among Sox brass this afternoon, who surreptitiously swept down and snatched up Eric Gagne from the Rangers before the deadline, stealing him away from the Yankees and Mets, both of which were in hot pursuit, among others.

Someone start getting a hat dirty, Eric Gagne is coming to Beantown.

The deal was first confirmed by NESN, just after Gagne agreed to waive his no-trade clause and become a second set-up man for the Sox (along with Hideki Okajima, obviously). The bearded-Canadian once known as “Game Over” for his Cy Young brilliance as a closer has a 2.16 ERA with a 2-0 record and a whopping 16 saves as the Rangers closer, impressive numbers considering how few chances for saves he’s had with the awful Rangers, and the fact that he shuttled with the now-injured Akinori Otsuka as the team’s closer.

Now, the bad news. On the way out are Kason Gabbard, David Murphy (meh, not such a big deal) and a 16 year-old prospect named Engel Beltre (who?). The loss of Murphy is no big deal, as the outfield prospect clearly had no long-term future with the team and it’s ever-present outfield logjam. And we have absolutely no idea who the hell Engel Beltre is. Look, the kid is 16. He should be a high school sophomore. Who knows if he’ll ever be anything. If he eventually is, props to the Rangers.

As for Gabbard, Stiffler will clearly be missed. But can you blame the Sox for shipping him? After the last round of starts, combined with upside and his emotional comeback story, it seemed clear that Jon Lester was going to stick as the fifth starter. That meant that a Curt Schilling return would key a Gabbard demotion to the pen or - perhaps - Pawtucket.

Then, consider the future. Could Gabbard have earned a spot in the rotation circa 2008? Sure. But he would have had to beat out either Lester, the surging Clay Buchholz and even Justin Masterson, the latest hot name on the team’s minor-league circuit. And that, of course, is assuming Schilling doesn’t re-sign, and that the Sox don’t add another starter, both of which are always distinct possibilities with Theo Epstein and co.

NOW, for the deal that didn’t happen, and perhaps may be just as important: Jermaine Dye.

Sox: No dice on Dye.

The White Sox outfielder has a no-trade clause to block a move to Boston, and he made it clear that he wanted to be an everyday player if he went anywhere. Both of those considerations may have been factors in Dye retaining his current zip code, but another was Boston’s reluctance to part with Manny Delcarmen. It’s an interesting juxtaposition: the Sox were willing to ship a young lefthanded starter, but weren’t willing to move a young power reliever. That, of course, speaks to just how important power arms are in the bullpen; you just can’t get enough of them. With Mike Timlin’s shoulder ailing, the acquisition of Gagne means the team has two strong right-handed options before going to Okajima and Jonathan Papelbon. That’s a nice luxury.

Now, whether a team which has to rely on Eric Hinske and Wily Mo Coyote as the top bats off the bench can score any runs for those set-up men to matter is another question, and it’ll be a very good one down the stretch. Unless we learn two hours from now that Dye actually did agree to the trade and it just beat the wire.

Here’s hoping …

For what it’s worth, here’s the AP’s Gagne story:

CLEVELAND — With Eric Gagne finally pitching like his old self following two elbow operations and back surgery, the Boston Red Sox agreed Tuesday to acquire the reliever from the Texas Rangers, who also unloaded first baseman Mark Teixeira to Atlanta in a seven-player swap.

Gagne, who has a limited no-trade clause, was asked to give his consent to the trade Tuesday afternoon, a person familiar with the talks said, speaking on condition of anonymity because an announcement had not yet been made.

Unidentified major league sources told NESN that Gagne agreed to waive his no-trade clause and agreed to serve as the team’s set-up man.

Once one of baseball’s premier closers, Gagne was to join a Boston bullpen that already has two All-Star relievers: closer Jonathan Papelbon and setup man Hideki Okajima.

But the Red Sox, who entered Tuesday leading the AL East by eight games over the New York Yankees, didn’t want to take any chances of blowing their big lead and acquired Gagne to bolster the back end of their bullpen after consecutive implosions last weekend by Papelbon and Manny Delcarmen.

Boston was to send left-hander Kason Gabbard as part of a package to the Rangers. Also reportedly included in the deal were outfield prospects David Murphy and Engel Beltre.

Milwaukee, clinging to its NL Central lead, also had been interested in obtaining Gagne.

– Cameron Smith