Beckett and Lowell, come on down!

Looks like the Sox have reached an agreement with the Fish for pitcher Josh Beckett and third baseman Mike Lowell (all players have to pass physicals over the next few days, so it could still fall apart). They had to give up shortstop prospect Hanley Ramirez (this guy is supposed to be something else!), but they get immediate pitching help and noted Yankee killer Beckett (MVP of the 2003 World Series, when he totally baffled the Evil Empire's batters). I guess this means that Bill Mueller is out at third. Lowell is a pretty solid 20-homer, 90-100 RBI guy for about the past five seasons, although his numbers were a little off last year.

The most intriguing thing about this deal is that it was done sans GM. Assistant GM Jed Hoyer worked with Larry Lucchino on pulling the trigger in the three weeks "Post Theo." Interesting.

On its surface, this is a good deal. You hate to give up bright prospects, especially one as good as Ramirez is supposed to be, but Beckett is the real deal. My first reaction is that this is worth it, and it's a good trade. Well done! (I'm sure Lucchino was sitting on pins and needles waiting for my approval).