Boston Red Sox Claim Cristian Guzman from Washington Nationals

The Boston Red Sox claimed Cristian Guzman. The news that the Boston Red Sox claimed Cristian Guzman off of waivers tips their hand to their need for another shortstop on the roster. Cristian Guzman is currently the shortstop for the Washington Nationals, but with the Nationals out of things now, he has been placed on waivers. The use of waivers is intended to either work out a trade after the Major League Baseball trade deadline, or allow a team to basically give away a player and not have to pay his salary. The Boston Red Sox have put in a claim on Cristian Guzman with the hope that he can come over to the Red Sox before the Playoff rosters have to be set.

As the starting shortstop for the Washington Nationals, Cristian Guzman is hitting .315 with five home runs and 39 RBI so far in the 2009 season. He has played 92 games with Washington so far this season, and has been getting better as a hitter in the Major Leagues. Last season Cristian Guzman was able to hit .316 and was placed on the National League All-Star team for his efforts. He is a two-time All-Star at shortstop and definitely someone that could help out the Boston Red Sox in the following weeks of the season. It seems like a move that the Red Sox are willing to make, but it also seems like they are becoming worried about the make-up of their current team.

The way that MLB waivers work, is that any team can place one of their players on waivers during the season. When a player is placed on waivers, he can then be claimed by another team, and then join that secondary team. The options aren't just limited to the second team taking on the player, as if the trading deadline has already passed, then the team that claimed the player can make a trade for the waiver wire guy. Sometimes it is also used as a way to block other teams from attaining a player, where one team will claim him without the intent of ever actually bringing him to their squad. The waiver wire order works from the worst team to the best team (by record) with the worst team having first crack and the player, up until every team has had a chance. The risk involved is that the claiming team could be forced to pay the full salary of the player that they claim.

Cristian Guzman will be making $8 million in salary next season, as he finished up the second year of a two-year $16 million deal. He still has a lot of money left on his contract for this year as well, so if the Red Sox are awarded the claim, they will then have to pay his salary for the remainder of this season. There is no word if another team has claimed Cristian Guzman just yet, but since the Yankees have a better record, they can't block a possible deal. Each player is on waivers for 48 hours, so now the Red Sox have to wait to see if a team with a worse record tried to claim Cristian Guzman first. If not, the Red Sox can attain Guzman for little risk other than the salary, and it would be a great move for them to make.

Source: MLB Waiver Article