Report: Red Sox Place Josh Beckett on Waivers, Not Expected to Be Claimed

Josh Beckett, like many major leaguers this time of the year, has been placed on waivers, according to a report.

CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman reports via Twitter that the Red Sox have placed the veteran right-hander on waivers, but he's not expected to be claimed.

If Beckett does go unclaimed, the Red Sox would be able to openly explore trading him before the Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline.

If the sources are wrong, and a team does claim Beckett, it opens up some more opportunities for Boston.They could just let Beckett go to the claiming team, and that team would be left to pay the rest of Beckett's salary. The Sox would also be able to work out a trade with the claiming team for Beckett. Finally, they could just pull him back and keep him in Boston.

It's probably unlikely that anything does happen, as anyone will tell you, "just about every player is placed on waivers this time of the year" or something like that. There's also the hefty price tag that comes with the underperforming Beckett. He's still owed $15.75 million in both 2013 and 2014.

CSNNE.com's Sean McAdam reported Wednesday night that first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has also been placed on waivers.