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Gagne deal moving forward; hurdles remain

Confirming reports on Foxsports.com and SI.com, a source with direct knowledge of the negotiations said that a trade between the Red Sox and Rangers for reliever Eric Gagne is moving forward.

However, the source said, there are still issues to be overcome, including the fact that Gagne must waive his no-trade clause (Boston is believed to be among the teams on his list he can block a trade to) for the deal to go through. One potential stumbling block there is that Gagne wants to be a closer. That job is obviously taken by Jonathan Papelbon.

Another hurdle is how to handle Gagne’s incentive clauses. According to Foxsports.com, Gagne has $3.65 million in potential bonuses for games finished remaining on this deal. It’s possible that he wants those bonuses guaranteed before he approves the deal.

According to ESPN, the Sox would send outfield prospects David Murphy and Engel Beltre and pitcher Kason Gabbard to Texas. A source with direct knowledge of the talks only confirmed that Gabbard has been part of the discussion.