"Whether it was a chance to pitch in a pennant race, a factor based on finances and his future, or simply the assurance that the Red Sox won't overuse his repaired left arm, this much is certain: Billy Wagner had a change of heart, and he's coming to Boston after all.

The lefthanded, long-time closer, who was claimed by Boston on waivers from the New York Mets on Friday, waived his no-trade clause this afternoon after the Red Sox and Mets worked out a trade before the 1:30 p.m. deadline. The Red Sox will pay the remainder of Wagner's salary this season.

The Red Sox will send two players to be named later to New York in exchange for the 38-year-old Wagner, a 15-year veteran who has accumulated 385 saves in his career but who returned last Thursday after missing 11 months following Tommy John surgery. A major league source said it is not expected that any more than one of the two players the Sox are giving up will come from the 40-man roster, and neither is considered an upper-tier prospect.

The source said the Red Sox have agreed to Wagner's wishes and will not pick up his $8 million option for 2010, the final element of the four-year, $43 million deal he signed with the Mets as a free agent before the 2006 season. Notably, the club will retain the right to offer him arbitration, meaning they would get two compensatory draft picks if another team signs him.

That was a major sacrifice for Wagner, who had previously said he would utilize his no-trade clause to block the deal if the Sox offered him arbitration. He is hoping to sign with a club next season that will use him as a closer so he can reach a couple of milestones, including 400 saves and perhaps surpassing former Met John Franco's record for saves by a lefthander, at 424. With Jonathan Papelbon entrenched as the Red Sox' closer, Wagner will work in a setup role for the Red Sox, and it would have less appeal on the free agent market with the two picks attached.

Leading up to the 1:30 p.m. deadline, it appeared Wagner would choose to stay in New York rather than join the Red Sox, a decision that received much criticism in New York. A source said the primary concern for Wagner was not his contract status, but his desire to protect his surgically repaired left arm in a low-pressure situation during the final month of the season. "