Red Sox Sign, Introduce Crawford



Crawford tries on his new cap

 The Boston Red Sox made another big splash this offseason, signing outfielder Carl Crawford to a 7-year deal worth $142M. Crawford was the top hitter in the free-agent class, hitting .307 with 19 HR 90 RBI and 47 SB while playing one of the game's best left fields. The 29-year old got the deal he was looking for, but it was quite surprising that it was the Red Sox who stormed in and grabbed the speedster.  The Industry believed it was teams like the Angels or Yankees that would haul in Carl, but the Red Sox gave Crawford the money he wanted when it counted.  The price-tag is a little steep, no matter how deep your walletbook is, but the Sox look like the best team in the league after adding both Crawford and  Adrian Gonzalez into the fold.

Free-Agent Predictions: Part 1

I'm going to be predicting where some of the top free-agents will be going next year. Let's see how close I can get to actuality, eh?

1. Cliff Lee: The prized left-hander, who I consider the second best pitcher in the game today, is not-suprisingly going to test the free-agent waters. Lee has proved to be dominant in the playoffs and will commend a TON of money on the open market. I have to predict the New York Yankees will sign the lefty, as they obviously have the cash and need another top-flight starter to pair with C.C. Sabathia. It will be interesting to see how a 1-2 punch of lefties will work in the postseason though. 5-years $125M

2. Carl Crawford: Was the star left-fielder for the Tampa Bay Rays, will definitely be on a new team next year. Had over 90 RBI in 2010, hitting .300+ and stealing a whopping 47 bases. While it might be bit of a hometown bias, i'm going with my Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim signing Crawford. It won't be cheap though, probably in the 6-year $120M range. He'll slot nicely into the top of the Mike Scioscia line-up.

Scott Kazmir May Be Available

Joel Sherman of the New York Post believes that the Tampa Bay Devil Rays will indeed dangle ace Scott Kazmir and listen to offers. The left-hander is still 3 years away from free-agency, and 2 years of Kazmir has gotta be as good as 1 year of Johan.

I can't see Tampa making this deal as Scott's been lights out and is only 24-years old. If a major deal is thrown at them, however, why not entertain it?

Sherman also writes that the Devil-Rays have made only B.J. Upton untouchable, allowing outfielders Carl Crawford and Delmon Young to be traded. Seems like Tim Lincecum for Carl Crawford may make sense for the Giants, but they still need more specs in the package.