BOSTON — The Red Sox are hoping Marco Scutaro is the solution at shortstop, at least for the next two years.

After cycling through seven shortstops since the middle of the 2004 season, the Red Sox agreed to give Scutaro a two-year deal, according to a baseball official with knowledge of the deal. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity Friday because the deal was contingent on Scutaro passing a physical.

Scutaro hit career highs with a .282 average, 12 homers and 60 RBIs for Toronto last year. He has also played for the New York Mets and Oakland Athletics in his eight-year career.

Scutaro will replace Alex Gonzalez, who left the Red Sox after the team declined his $6 million option and signed with the Blue Jays. It was Gonzalez's second stint in Boston; he also played for the Red Sox in 2006.

In all, seven shortstops have started at least 50 games for the Red Sox since they traded disgruntled two-time batting champion Nomar Garciaparra at the 2004 deadline. Boston got Orlando Cabrera in the deal — and won the World Series as a result.

But the Red Sox let Cabrera go after the season and signed Edgar Renteria to a $40 million, four-year deal. After he committed 30 errors in his first year, 2005, the Red Sox paid Atlanta $11 million to take him and signed Gonzalez (one year, $3 million); they let him go after the 2006 season and signed Julio Lugo to a four-year deal worth $36 million, then shipped Lugo off last season after 2½ years and brought back Gonzalez.

Jed Lowrie, Nick Green and Alex Cora were also part of the solution at times, and part of the problem at others.