Red Sox sign Adrian Beltre, Mike Lowell trade inevitable

Peter Gammons is reporting that the Red Sox have agreed to terms with 3B Adrian Beltre on a 1 year contract worth $9 million with a player option for $5 million. The deal is contingent on a physical.

Though he is coming off a down year offensively with the Seattle Mariners, Beltre, 30, is considered an elite defender at third base, having won the American League Gold Glove Award for his position in 2007 and '08.

And what about Mike Lowell, who has been Boston's primary third baseman since 2006? Last month, the Red Sox had a deal in place to send Lowell to the Texas Rangers, but the trade fell through for medical reasons.

Lowell underwent surgery last week to repair the radial collateral ligament in his right thumb. His recovery is expected to be six to eight weeks, putting the veteran in position to be ready near the start of Spring Training. It is unclear if the Red Sox will be able to trade Lowell until he proves his health in Grapefruit League games.

Then again, there's a chance Lowell could be dealt before Spring Training. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com posted on Twitter on Monday night that the Red Sox have spoken to the Mets about a potential Lowell-Luis Castillo trade.

With the addition of Beltre, the question is not if Mike Lowell is going to be traded, but when.

Sammy Sosa reportedly tested positive for steroids in '03

Now you can add Sammy Sosa's name to the growing list of players who have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. Sosa's name was leaked yesterday as being one of the names on the list of the 104 anonymous players who tested positive in 2003.

This really doesn't come as any surprise to anyone who has been following baseball for the last 15 years. Sosa has long been suspected of being a steroid user. Now the proof is apparently there.

Sosa, who is now 6th on the all time home run list, recently told ESPN Deportes that he would "calmly wait" for his induction into Baseball's Hall of Fame. He will be eligible in 2013, however this news will seriously damage his chances if not kill them altogether.

Sosa joins a list of players who have tested positive, Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettite among them.

The positive test could also cause legal trouble for Sosa, who testified under oath before Congress in 2005 that he had never used illegal performance enhancing drugs.

'Big Unit' wins 300th

Randy Johnson became the 24th pitcher in major league history to win 300 games today when he beat the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals were a fitting opponent for Johnson, who started his professional career with that franchise when it was known as the Montreal Expos.

Johnson is the second-oldest pitcher to reach the 300 mark -- behind only Phil Niekro, who achieved the feat when he was 46 years and 188 days old on Oct. 6, 1985. Johnson is 45 years and 267 days old.

Johnson pitched 6 innings, giving up just 2 hits, 2 walks, no runs, and struck out 2. The Giants won the game 5-1.

Johnson also became only the 5th pitcher in history to do it on his first attempt.

J.J. Hardy to Boston??

Rumors are circulating that the Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox are talking trade. The Brewers are reportedly offering shortstop J.J. Hardy in exchange for some pitching. Most likely either Clay Buchholz or Brad Penny.

The Red Sox are also reportedly interested in Pirates shortstop Jack Wilson.

Manny had planned to appeal suspension

According to the L.A. Times, Manny Ramirez abruptly dropped an appeal of his 50-game suspension after realizing that Major League Baseball had his medical records.

The records showed his prescription of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), a substance banned by MLB policy. Teams are required to release medical records under the league's new performance-enhancing drug prevention program and Manny was basically cornered. He hasn't spoken publicly since the punishment was levied.

hCG is used to stimulate testosterone production and is frequently used by steroid abusers after ending a cycle.

Manny Ramirez suspended for 50 games

Manny Ramirez has been suspended for 50 games, beginning immediately, after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The former Red Sox and current Dodgers outfielder is by far the biggest name to be suspended yet under the sport’s drug-testing and punishment system that began in 2003.

Ramirez waived his right to challenge the ruling, attributing the test results to medication he received from a doctor for a personal issue.

Manny issued a statement this afternoon:

"Recently I saw a physician for a personal health issue. He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was OK to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons."

"I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation."

Ramirez had been hitting .348 with six home runs and 20 RBI in his first 27 games for the NL West leading Dodgers, who will be without Ramirez until early July.