Thursday, December 09, 2010

Things I Like About Carl Crawford

The guy doesn't seem to be slowing down. Has always averaged 50 SB a year and still has over the last few. His best OBP season was 2009 and his best SLG year was 2010. His best DONG and RBI year was last year, too. And of course there's that whole Nebraska football connection. He could have been my team's QB but chose baseball instead--now, finally he'll be on my team, wearing a regulation cap instead of a facemasked helmet.

So does Ellsbury drop down again? I guess he has to. He might even fit into that "just tell Knoblauch that #9 is a 'second leadoff'" role. I guess Cameron's the fourth OF. Too bad Beltre can't be a fifth IF...

Update: I've been watching the live coverage on NESN with all the Crawford talk, the years, the dollars, the chopping of eggs and onions and ... what? That's not original content, that's paid programming! Red Sox, apparently we've got some serious cash--put some damn shows on the channel you own! I don't care if it's the Mother's Day Miracle every night from midnight to 6, give us something! (But replace Denis and Callahan with paid programming.)

Comments:
He's a fine ballplayer, but I have pretty mixed feelings about this move:
- It looks like a pretty big overpay, and I don't like the perception that we're throwing bags of money around like the Yankees to try to buy success. Not that Theo and John Henry should care how I feel about it.
- He's a lefty with decent, but not spectacular power, when the lineup really needed a big right-handed power bat. I think I would have preferred Magglio Ordonez for 1 or 2 years (or Manny, but I realize that would have been a pipe dream).
- He's kinda wasted in LF at Fenway. Not a huge deal in and of itself, but something to consider when he's being valued at $20mm/year

I also highly suspect that signing Crawford for seven years means that either Ellsbury or Kalish gets traded, probably to bolster the bullpen. My guess would be Ellsbury, since Kalish looks right now like Drew's natural replacement in RF in 2012.
 
About the Yankee argument: we're losing Beltre/Martinez. What were we supposed to do, not replace them? It's not like we're doing unnecessary things just for the hell of it.

Could be right about Ellsbury--however, if we do, Crawford's basically his replacement speed-wise, but hits with more power as a bonus.
 
I guess the point is that VMart/Beltre could have been replaced effectively without shelling out $300mm in long term contracts. And no, the Sox aren't suddenly just like the Yanks, because they'll still be around $40mm below them in total payroll, and probably even moreso in a year when Drew/Papi/Papelbon are gone and another $35mm comes off the books. My problem is more with the overall structure of MLB, and the fact that winning championships by bludgeoning other teams with your wallets just feels a little hollow.
 
Well, you know my feelings on it: make it totally equal for all teams starting right now. Too bad that won't be happening any time ever.
 

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