"Team officials said they planned to proceed with using Billy Wagner against the Phillies today while the former closer is in limbo. Wagner is expected to become a Red Sox reliever by Tuesday. Boston, which claimed the southpaw off waivers, likely either will assume the $3.3 million owed to Wagner with a 2010 buyout, or assume a lesser amount and send the Mets a prospect.

"Certainly, the Red Sox would give him a chance to win a World Series, and this year that's first and foremost," said Wagner's agent, Bean Stringfellow. "From where we sit, that's all that matters right now. Over the next six weeks he'd have a chance to win, and then we could think about next year."

Wagner, who made a faster-than-expected return from Tommy John elbow surgery, pitched a scoreless inning Thursday against the Braves, his first big-league game since Aug. 2, 2008."