[ MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL ]
Red Sox beat After a lost season, Benny Agbayani may have found someone who wants him.
Mariners to the
punch for Benny
Agbayani could be sent
to Triple-A before
joining the big clubStar-Bulletin staff
Agbayani, a former Hawaii Pacific University and St. Louis School standout, was claimed off waivers by the Boston Red Sox yesterday, ending his disappointing run with the Colorado Rockies. He hit .205 with four home runs and 19 RBIs this year while battling injuries before being sent down to Triple-A Colorado Springs on July 6.
Agbayani was hitting .272 with 11 home runs in 43 games for Colorado Springs when he got the news.
It was his work there that caught the attention of the contending Red Sox, who are seven games behind the New York Yankees in the American League East.
"He's had a lot of experience in September with a team that's trying to make it into the playoffs and even into the postseason," Boston manager Grady Little told Redsox.com. "He's playing good, he's impressed the people we sent out to see him play. We're glad to have him with us. He'll give us a good right-handed hitter. I don't know exactly what his role will be until I sit down and talk to him."
The Red Sox could either have Agbayani report to the big club immediately and send a player down to Triple-A Pawtucket or send Agbayani to Pawtucket until Sunday, when major league rosters expand and it would not cost them a roster spot.
Boston won't have to pay much money for Agbayani, either. He is making only $600,000 this season and if there is no strike, the Red Sox would only be responsible for one-sixth of his salary ($100,000) plus the $20,000 that comes with claiming anyone on waivers.
The Providence (R.I.) Journal speculated that the Seattle Mariners were also interested in picking up Agbayani, but Boston beat them to it. Waiver claims go in the reverse order of standings, meaning that the entire National League passed on him and the Red Sox got dibs over Seattle by having a worse record.
He played for the New York Mets in 2000 when they won the National League pennant, hitting .289 in 119 games. He hit in 13 of 14 playoff games for the Mets, including a game-winning home run in the 13th inning of Game 3 of the National League Division Series against San Francisco.
He was traded to Colorado in an 11-player, three-team deal with the Mets and Milwaukee on Jan. 22.
Major League Baseball
Boston Red Sox
