Carl Crawford Update: Six Teams In The Running
Carl Crawford December 5th. 2010, 2:39pm
Let’s take a team-by-team look at the latest news and rumors surroungding Carl Crawford…
New York Yankees:
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post feels the Yankees may be talking to Crawford “to make sure the Red Sox pay a premium should he go to Boston.” He adds that Crawford may only become a factor to the Yankees if they don’t land Cliff Lee, something we have heard before.
- Ken Rosenthal spoke to a rival executive that would be “absolutely shocked” if the Yankees signed Crawford. Roenthal also speculates that the Yankees may just be trying to raise the price for the Red Sox and Angels.
- Jon Heyman tweets that a meeting between the Yankees and Crawford could happen this week.
Boston Red Sox:
- Nick Cafardo can’t see the Red Sox making an eight-year commitment to Crawford. He adds that Theo Epstein is not a fan of long-term deals and notes that Crawford’s defense would be “somewhat wasted” at Fenway, something we have also questioned.
- Jon Heyman tweets that the Red Sox are not concerned that Crawford is a left-handed hitter even though they already have David Ortiz, JD Drew and Adrian Gonzalez.
- However, Jon Heyman also wrote that Jayson Werth is more likely to sign with the Red Sox and that the Angels and Yankees are higher on Crawford’s list.
Texas Rangers:
- Jon Heyman tweets that the Rangers are also interested in Crawford and that they are high on his list. Presumably because Dallas is close to his Houston home.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Near Disneyland:
- Mike DiGiovanna of the LA Times writes that Angels owner Arte Moreno doesn’t like bidding wars and typically makes his best offer up front. And a source close to the Angels says the team would prefer to pay Crawford a higher yearly salary over five or six years, rather than make a seven or eight-year commitment.
Washington Nationals:
- Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post admits that it is a long shot, but that some within the Nationals’ front office are “pushing for the Nationals to pursue Carl Crawford.”
- Jim Williams of The Washington Examiner is reporting that the Nationals will meet with Crawford’s representatives tonight or tomorrow.
Detroit Tigers:
- Lynn Henning of The Detroit News reports that the Tigers are not actively pursuing Crawford, but that they will keep tabs on his demands.
I have to give props to the Nationals front office. I’m sure it’s hard to get guys to sign there (though it’ll probably be easier once the Strasburg/Harper battery becomes a mainstay), but they always seem to be out there trying to put together a good team, or at least a team that’ll get butts in the seats (which is why I think they let Dunn go – he’s not much of a “face of the franchise” guy for the money he was going to get. Crawford, on the other hand, is a super talent and model citizen who is easy to market).
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Cork Gaines, Cork Gaines and James Kallweit, Cork Gaines. Cork Gaines said: 6 teams chasing Crawford http://bit.ly/hmgn7K #Yankees #RedSox #Rangers #Nationals #Tigers #Angels not #Rays [...]
And right on cue, I think you can remove the Nationals now – they just signed Jayson Werth for 7 years. Though who knows, maybe they really want to make a huge splash. I still like them for Carlos Pena.
they still will go after Pena or the Cubs
I think it makes the most sense now with Werth gone for Boston to take their stab at Carl. I disagree very vehemently to those who think his defense would be “wasted” at Fenway. He could do subtle things like positioning. Basically, he could limit any hit to the left side to be a single or any runner on base not gaining more than a base. It will be virtually difficult with his speed to get XBHs on him at that park. With Ortiz off the books, Carl and Gonzalez would provide left sided balance to their lineup.
[...] If you missed it yesterday, we updated you on the six teams (five now that Jayson Werth signed with the Nationals) that are chasing Carl Crawford. [Rays Index] [...]