Report: Red Sox File Claim For Veteran OF Giles

San Diego, CA (AHN) - The Boston Red Sox have put in a claim for outfielder Brian Giles in an effort to reach a deal with the veteran, a San Diego-based media outlet reported Thursday.

The San Diego Union-Tribune said the Red Sox and the Padres, whose GMs Theo Epstein and Kevin Towers have close relationship in the past, are working on a deal that would move Giles out of PETCO Park and into Fenway Park as the season winds down.

The claim makes the Red Sox the exclusive negotiator for Giles, who is batting .296 with six homers and 37 RBIs in 102 games.

The move is also seen as a significant block for the Tampa Bay Rays and the Los Angeles Angels, two teams ahead of the Red Sox in the AL pennant race.

But Giles, who's been in San Diego for almost five and a half seasons now, owns a no-trade clause with the Red Sox.

The lefty could find himself in a platoon in Boston's outfield, which already has Coco Crisp, J.D. Drew, Jacoby Ellsbury and the recently-acquired Jason Bay.

If the two sides fail to reach an agreement, the 37-year-old right fielder could remain in San Diego, which got him in a trade with Pittsburgh back in 2003.