The agreement between Boston and Wagner at the time of his acquisition from the Mets was that Wagner would help set up games for Papelbon before the Red Sox would offer him arbitration this offseason only so that he could deny it and pursue a closer's role elsewhere. In doing so, Boston would receive draft picks, so it was a win-win deal for everyone involved.
But that was then, and this is now — and Wagner liked what he saw in the Hub. So much so, that Wagner's agent, Bean Stringfellow, told the Boston Herald that Wagner is interested in accepting arbitration and returning to Boston as a setup man.
"Will Billy reject [arbitration]?” Stringfellow, asked last week. “I just visited with Billy and his family the other day and I can tell you this much: Billy thoroughly enjoyed his time in Boston. It was one of the best experiences he has ever had in baseball. So, does he rule out accepting arbitration? No, he doesn’t. One thing that’s important to him is the chance to win a championship and that’s not a minor detail. Based upon his experience in Boston and his desire to win, to say he has completely ruled it out, certainly he has not.”
General manager Theo Epstein would be happy to have Wagner back, despite the fact that the club would miss out on free draft picks and would have to restructure the agreement. Last season, Wagner finished up his four-year, $43 million deal that paid him $10.5 million in 2009.
"In an ideal world, we'd love to have Billy back if he were willing to accept a non-closing role," Epstein told CSNNE.com. "It seems like he is. But we would we have to restructure a few things with some other pieces of the club to be able to afford that luxury of having him with what he's likely to make."
