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Red Sox Confirm Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Nick Punto Traded to Dodgers

Less than 24 hours later, the deed appears to be done.

A day after reports first arose that Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez had been claimed by Los Angeles on trade waivers, the Dodgers and Red Sox have combined on a deal that will send Gonzalez, longtime Red Sox starter Josh Beckett, left fielder Carl Crawford and utility man Nick Punto to Los Angeles, the Red Sox confirmed in a news conference Saturday afternoon.

The trade was first announced as "complete" by Dan Roche of WBZ early Saturday morning, with Roche confirming that the four Sox players would be headed West in exchange for Los Angeles first baseman James Loney and four prospects.

Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said Saturday afternoon in the news conference that prospects Allen Webster and Ivan DeJesus are part of the deal, with the two other prospects to be named later. Earlier reports have said the final two will likely be Rubby De La Rosa, who was claimed on waivers by the Blue Jays and is unavailable until the offseason, and Jerry Sands – top pieces in the Dodgers organization.

The report was confirmed by Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, who said the Red Sox will also be sending the Dodgers $12 million to offset the $272 million worth of contracts that Los Angeles will be absorbing. Cherington said the Red Sox were contributing "cash considerations" but did not say how much.

Pieces of the deal were coming together all throughout Friday afternoon and evening, with the main sticking point appearing to be the players passing their physicals and Beckett agreeing to the trade since he's spent 10 years in Major League Baseball (five with the Red Sox) as well as Crawford waiving his no-trade clause to the Dodgers.

But the deal came together quickly, with the Dodgers' initial interest in Gonzalez blossoming into one of the biggest baseball trades in years. Los Angeles has also traded for Hanley Ramirez and Shane Victorino this summer.

Gonzalez could start in the Dodgers lineup as soon as tonight, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.

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