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Report: John Lackey, Red Sox Reach ‘Tentative’ Five-Year Agreement

The waters are still a little muddy concerning John Lackey's future, but he appears to be headed to Boston, one way or another.

Earlier on Monday, it was reported that Lackey was headed to Boston for a physical. Now, it appears that the deal is almost done.

According to ESPN.com, the Red Sox have reached a "tentative deal" with the free-agent right-hander that will be worth "slightly more" than the five-year, $82.5 million deal A.J. Burnett reached with the New York Yankees last offseason.

Last year, Lackey went 11-8 with a 3.83 ERA and shut out the Red Sox through 7 1/3 innings in Game 1 of the ALDS, which Boston lost in three games. In eight seasons with the Angels, he went 102-71 with a 3.81 ERA.

One small cause for concern could be Lackey's numbers at Fenway Park: 2-5 with a 5.75 ERA in nine regular-season starts.

Reports indicate that the Red Sox' talks with Lackey heated up once their hopes of re-signing left fielder Jason Bay dimmed considerably over the weekend.

A similar report from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal suggests that in addition to Lackey, the Red Sox are also working hard to sign right-hander Josh Beckett, who is entering the final year of his current contract with the Red Sox, to an extension. Beckett, 29, is expected to be asking for "at least a comparable deal" to the one reportedly offered to Lackey.