It was just reported that the Sox signed Carl Crawford to a 7 year, $142 million deal. This changes the look of the AL East for the time being.

So much for me thinking they would only add middle reflief after trading for Gonzalez.

Wow

:humpty:

Yeah Baby....probably running out of cash....but a quality starter would be pretty pissah right about now too...

Great! 2 overpaid rightfielders???? What are we doing with JD Drew's 16 mil a year contract??? They said Crawford will be in right???

So we just got another 1st baseman.....which we didn't need......and another right fielder??? When we needed a catcher and middle relief???

He is a big deal,, good for us
Should be fun watching ball this spring , :jump1:lot's of speed :rotf2::rotf2:
Short right field , :uhuh: starting next year ! Very interesting 4 sure

this is going be an exciting team!

ells- 50 sb
pedroia- 25 sb
crawford- 50 sb
gonsalez- 40 hr
papi- 30 hr
youk- 30 hr
drew- 20hr
lowrie/scoutaro-?
catcher-?

Hey Big Fish Larry, I take it U don't approve of the weeks festivities. It's worth it just to watch the Yankits squirm and besides I ain't payin' 'em....:jump::eyes:

Crawford is a Left Fielder....Guy has Speed and can hit for Average. Crawford, Elsbury, and Drew for our outfield is pretty sweet.

We needed a Third Baseman......we picked up a 1st baseman and we can move Youkilis to 3rd....which is what he was in the 1st place. Our corners are pretty solid now w/ gold glove players at both positions....who also both have power and hit for average.

Yeah, we need a catcher....but we will need to come to terms w/ the fact that we will be weak at that position this year.....unless we can miraculously find a diamond in the rough somewhere.

Middle Relief!!! If the Sox were m#^&#^&#^&#^&#^&g around w/ middle relief this early in the free agent season I think my head might have exploded. I'd love to see them get another quality starter and send Dice-K to the pen for long relief stints.

they just made the team so much better by leaps and bounds.

So we just got another 1st baseman.....which we didn't need......and another right fielder??? When we needed a catcher and middle relief???

So..you're happy that Tek was signed but unhappy with the addition of Crawford and Gonzo???:confused:

Guess this means no Cliff Lee?

Rays have been stripped down pretty good with the loss of Crawford and Pena.
I would think Cameron's name has to be getting offered around in trade talks for pitching.....

This brings them 4 million short of 300 million in contracts this year so far. I will humbly offer myself to pitch middle relief for 2.5 million a year. A big lefty with a heater and change up around 60mph. I will need a clause in the terms-I wont be available to pitch a week before or after certain moon/tide cycles. This leaves 1.5 for another relief pitcher. Who else is in?

Guess this means no Cliff Lee?

Doubtful....but it would be a huge FU to the Yank-mees if they swooped in and grabbed him out from under them

As good as it gets. I've had the feeling that Theo has been sitting on his hands last few years, letting the catcher and third base position be weak.
Youk at third is no problem at all. He does not care were he plays. Its sooooo nice to see we got the goods and NY is picking their nose. lol.
After they let Beltre go, I thouight this was going to be another humbug winter.

Sox made a 7 year offer to Lee. Probably just to drive up the price and tweak the Yankees. Cashman seems to be a little on edge the last couple of days.
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Sox made a 7 year offer to Lee. Probably just to drive up the price and tweak the Yankees. Cashman seems to be a little on edge the last couple of days.
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WEEI said it was a "Lowball" offer, of 7 years. Supposedly others have offered 6 year deals. This could be a good start.

Now that they signed crawford the need for a quality catcher is less important, partly due to the fact that they wont have to try to throw Crawford out trying to steal 19 games a year X 4 at bats per game...

wow. like I said Theo always seems to have a plan, it doesn't always work out but he is always thinking. A little left handed heavy but I don't care, we'll live with it . K Y to third which is where he would rather be and JD gone after next year. Left field Lawrence. You would rather have Beltre and Youk instead of Youk and A G.? Wrong. Going to be a fun year no matter how it pans out.

I like it.. he was always been a sox killer when he was in Tampa...

What I lreally like is the prospect of the 4 teams...Celtics are crushing everyone put in front of them ( now they will lose to the Nicks tonight) the Bruins are playing inspired hockey most nights.. the Pats seem to be hitting stride in time for the playoffs... and with the New additions to the sox.. there is hope...

Not a typical Sox team.This year the opposing catcher has to sweat.

red sox trying to buy the pennant! That is what is always said about the Yankees.

They need to get rid of a couple of "Albatross" contracts.....JD and Dice K. They both make way too much for what they give. Crawford is NOT a 20 mil a year player and that is for damn sure!!!! 20 mil a year players either hit 40+ dingers a year, drive in 130 and win an MVP award or they win 25 games and whiff 300 a season and win a CY!!! You can have Crawford....he is all yours.....I choose to think it was a horrible deal for what we will be getting......he is a Gold Glove First Baseman?????? Big Deal, they don't get much better than Youk at first???

19 homers and 107 RBI are his best for a season......20 mil a year???? Wow you guys are mad!

Again....he is a Left Fielder. He is a very solid well rounded baseball player. He hits for average, has speed on the base paths, covers a lot of ground in the outfield. a good addition to the team.

It ain't all about just HRs....if Drew was worth 16 mil a year way back when....why isn't this guy worth 20.

Salaries are out of control...at least they can afford to keep up w/ the Yank-mees

Hey Big Fish Larry, I take it U don't approve of the weeks festivities. It's worth it just to watch the Yankits squirm and besides I ain't payin' 'em....:jump::eyes:

TomCat......you have been conspicuously absent! I have missed you....nice to have you back!!:uhuh:

It ain't all about homeruns???? (19 is his best season?) It ain't all about RBI???? (His best season for these 90?) It ain't all about batting average???? (.307 his best season??) What is it all about then????? 20 million dollar a season players should only get that kind of money when they are producing!!!! You people are insane if you think this was a great pickup????

He is a career .300 hitter???? So was Mike Greenwell and there was no friggin' way he was gonna make this kind of money???

JD Drew was a huge mistake in my eyes when they signed him for that money!!! I said it then???? They were signing him for what they thought "HE MIGHT DO"......how did that work out?? And this is what they have signed Crawford for...."WHAT THEY THINK HE MIGHT DO"!!!

I have to think that outside the northeast corridor, baseball fans see no difference between how the Sox and Yankees put their teams together, ie. just go out and buy it. It seems that the only way to compete is by having the big checkbook. I miss the old days of developing a team from within.....

Probably gonna see less and less 40+ HR guys as the years go on. This is the Post steroid era. There will be more and more well rounded players than in the past.

The last time the Redsox threw Crawford out stealing was 2004.

Now that is one the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard Chris??? How old are you??? You do realize players used to hit 40 to 50 homers a year routinely and they were never on the juice!!! Mays, Aaron, Williams, Mantle, Maris, Jackson, Schmidt......ever hear of these guys? I need someone.....anyone to shine the light on this signing and try and express to me why Crawford is worth 20 million dollars a season and for the next 7 years no less????? Any takers??

OK Then...who do we get out of the Free agent market??? There's no catchers worth a crap, Pena is gone and he wasn't the answer....a few more HR's but an anemic average.... We lost 2 bats for us.....we need somebody to score runs and help prevent runs...this guy does that. He's well rounded with a lot of the core tools. Speed, good bat, good defense....between him and Ellsbury there aren't going to be many balls dropping in the outfield...they'll get to them.

Guess what w/ the market these days....the next 50 HR guy you see will be commanding 35 mil a year.

There's no salary cap and its no surprise that salaries are through the roof....and if we don't get him somebody else will....its basic supply and demand.

and they also made their competition in the East less of a threat by taking him from Tampa....you know...the team that won the division last year...that right there is worth a few million.

and he's not with the Yank-mees either.....that is also worth a few million.

We lost 2 bats because the Sox did not want to sign them......Beltre and Martinez were bonafide offensive players and they would have been bargains at their price compared to this guy!!! You keep proving my point Kevin......"Speed, good bat and good defense".........Key word is "GOOD"!!!! He is just good, marginal, average, standard......he is being paid "GREAT" money and he is far from great!

I am hoping Mike P can make sense of this but I am going to bet he thinks Crawford was overpaid?

They need to get rid of a couple of "Albatross" contracts.....JD and Dice K. They both make way too much for what they give. Crawford is NOT a 20 mil a year player and that is for damn sure!!!! 20 mil a year players either hit 40+ dingers a year, drive in 130 and win an MVP award or they win 25 games and whiff 300 a season and win a CY!!! You can have Crawford....he is all yours.....I choose to think it was a horrible deal for what we will be getting......he is a Gold Glove First Baseman?????? Big Deal, they don't get much better than Youk at first???

19 homers and 107 RBI are his best for a season......20 mil a year???? Wow you guys are mad!

The Werth contract set the bar

Probably gonna see less and less 40+ HR guys as the years go on. This is the Post steroid era. There will be more and more well rounded players than in the past.

The last time the Redsox threw Crawford out stealing was 2004.

Also must comment on the "more well rounded players than in the past" comment!! There has not been a well rounded player in MLBB since Carl Yastrzemski won the last Triple Crown award in 1967!! Players used to be well rounded......and back in the day pre-1970.......there were so many well rounded players you could not swing a dead cat on the pitchers mound without striking 5 or 6 of them in a swing!!!! Players today can't carry the jock of players pre-1970! They were real baseball players....they not only had more talent in their little pinky finger than players have today but they played with heart, dedication, emotion and brains!!!!

Ill give it a go Larry. First is anyone really worth 20 million a year? No is the answer. Looking at what Crawford will do in this lineup is intriguing though. The best defensive outfielder available. His average stats SHOULD improve plus other intangibles runs scored, doubles triples etc. They overpaid due to market price and they prevented him from playing elsewhere for the same money.
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Nice try Andy. Next?

God bless your wife
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I find it curious nobody can make a case????

I find it curious nobody can make a case????

Larry, he's worth $20 million because he just got a contract that pays him that. It's simple. Werth got $18 million and is 3 years older and played his home games in a much more hitter friendly park. You can't compare Greenwell to Crawford. Greenwell played when revenue was much lower, hence much lower contracts. Crawford gets a huge contract because he's the best available FA and people are willing to pay $95 for a ticket and $9.50 for a beer at the park.

Still not justifying the deal???

Still not justifying the deal???

Justifying a deal is different than making a case about whether a person is worth the money. I don't think anyone can justify why players make tens of millions of dollars playing a kids game.

What someone is worth is much simpler to figure out. A person is worth whatever they get paid. If a player is paid x $'s, they are worth it to whoever paid it. Just like anything else, the market dictates worth. Is a small piece of wood, some metal hardware and paint worth $30? Sure, because people are willing to pay that for a custom wooden plug. But, it doesn't mean that there won't be people complaining about it costing too much.

i don't care what he makes- they're all overpaid imho. is he an average player- no he isn't. hits .300, gold glove fielder, steal 50 bases, drive in 80, cause picthers headaches when on base. i think he's going to be a great addition to this team and flourish with this lineup and ballpark.

Now that is one the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard Chris??? How old are you??? You do realize players used to hit 40 to 50 homers a year routinely and they were never on the juice!!! Mays, Aaron, Williams, Mantle, Maris, Jackson, Schmidt......ever hear of these guys? I need someone.....anyone to shine the light on this signing and try and express to me why Crawford is worth 20 million dollars a season and for the next 7 years no less????? Any takers??

My age is irrelevant but you are not much older. Pay attention to the game for the next decade and you will see for yourself.
Also, no player is worth 20 million but thats what it takes to build a team.

One more thing, (in regards to your condescending comments: my age, ever hear of these guys, and most ridiculous statetment you've ever heard, and I'm quoting you I think: If you don't have something good to say, shut your pie hole!

i don't care what he makes- they're all overpaid imho. is he an average player- no he isn't. hits .300, gold glove fielder, steal 50 bases, drive in 80, cause picthers headaches when on base. i think he's going to be a great addition to this team and flourish with this lineup and ballpark.

Thank You....

First off forget about the money. That is what good ball players make nowadays. Not 1968 anymore. Crazy?, yes. Would I like to see every team on an even playing field ? sure. Your not paying so who cares.:confused: They are still under the luxury tax.
Second why are you so against them trying to better themselves in the incredibly competitive division they are in. They have not even step foot on the field yet and already you are saying they blew it. Let them play the season out and then at the end of the year see what transpired and if it didn't work out then hey you got a legitimate gripe but to get so bent out of shape for something that hasn't even happened, actually playing a game, is nuts. Let it play out and see. I like the trade so far but I may be disgruntled by years end.Sometimes it is as important to keep him out of your competitions hands.
As far as developing your own players. Having a good farm system and developing young players there is as good for getting established players as it is for getting them on the field for the home team.

Now that is one the most ridiculous statements I have ever heard Chris??? How old are you??? You do realize players used to hit 40 to 50 homers a year routinely and they were never on the juice!!! Mays, Aaron, Williams, Mantle, Maris, Jackson, Schmidt......ever hear of these guys? I need someone.....anyone to shine the light on this signing and try and express to me why Crawford is worth 20 million dollars a season and for the next 7 years no less????? Any takers??


Larry, I had some time this morning so I looked up some numbers for you. I think most of us "older" folks look back fondly on the old days of baseball and the great players of our youth. What we don't realize is that their numbers are great for that time, but compared with the "steroid era", they aren't so eye popping.

Aaron - 8 seasons with 40+ hr's and none over 50 in 23 years.
Jackson - 1 season with 40+ and none with 50 in 22 years.
Maris - 1 season with 61 hr's and only 1 more with 30+ in 12 years.
Mantle - 4 seasons with over 40 hr's, with 2 of those being 50+ in 18 years.
Mays - 6 seasons with 40+ with 2 of them over 50 in 22 years.
Schmidt - 3 seasons with 40+ and 0 over 50 in 18 years.
Williams - 1 year with over 40 and 0 over 50 in 19 years.

I wouldn't say that any of these guys were "routinely" hitting 40 or 50 home runs per year. But all of these guys (with the exception of Maris) were considered great because they also did other things well, like running the bases and playing the field.

Forget about the money aspect and look at what has been lost/gained.

Lost- Martinez and Beltre

Gained- Gonzalez and Crawford

Both players gained are better than the ones lost(IMO) but the bigger question is by how much? Is Gonzalez significantly better than Martinez? Is Crawford significantly better than Beltre.

This is where the debate should be focused.

While I do think the club has improved, I do not know that it has significantly. Bottom line will be and always has been:

1.- Can they stay healthy as a group?
2.- Will enough players(especially the mid-level ones) have above average/career years to win another championship.

Last season was lost to injuries and the fact that no one went above and beyond yet they still won almost 90 games.

Don't know about the above and beyond....we got way more than we expected out of Beltre...if we didn't lose Youk and Pedroia for the rest of the season and Martinez for a substantial part of the season.....we would have probably made the playoffs.

there's also a lot to consider about the fact that Crawford will not be terrorizing us on the base paths....especially since it looks like we are going w/ Tek.....he just can't throw anybody out anymore.....now we can use him to terrorize Posada. :hee:

Gonzales and Beltre are a wash....there stats are pretty much identical. But Beltre would be looking for Big Dollars this year and we are only paying $6 mil to Gonzales....next year we may have to pony up for him though as he hits free agency.

Now Crawford's offense was far superior to Martinez. 90 rbi vs. 79 and 110 Runs vs 69 for a net gain of 52 runs for the year....all on the 2nd best offense in the league last year. And then there's Stolen bases where Crawford had 47 and Matinez had 1.....big improvement there for sure.

I'm liking the team for next year....they are in the toughest division in baseball......as long as they stay healthy we should be sitting pretty. Tampa bay has lost a lot this year....and so far the Yank-mees haven't done anything to improve over last year.

Larry, I had some time this morning so I looked up some numbers for you. I think most of us "older" folks look back fondly on the old days of baseball and the great players of our youth. What we don't realize is that their numbers are great for that time, but compared with the "steroid era", they aren't so eye popping.

Aaron - 8 seasons with 40+ hr's and none over 50 in 23 years.
Jackson - 1 season with 40+ and none with 50 in 22 years.
Maris - 1 season with 61 hr's and only 1 more with 30+ in 12 years.
Mantle - 4 seasons with over 40 hr's, with 2 of those being 50+ in 18 years.
Mays - 6 seasons with 40+ with 2 of them over 50 in 22 years.
Schmidt - 3 seasons with 40+ and 0 over 50 in 18 years.
Williams - 1 year with over 40 and 0 over 50 in 19 years.

I wouldn't say that any of these guys were "routinely" hitting 40 or 50 home runs per year. But all of these guys (with the exception of Maris) were considered great because they also did other things well, like running the bases and playing the field.

During their prime years they were producing numbers players today only dream about and they were doing it again pitching that was tough day in and day out and makes todays pitchers look like the molly coddled cry babies that they are!!! I did not mean every year.....but I know the stats John.....by heart!!! Also...every one of those players you mentioned........multiple MVP awards for each one of them!!!!

All the guys you mention were great players and are in the Hall of Fame, with the exception of Maris. Crawfords career average is either better than or within 9 points of all of them except Williams. He also plays in the AL East, which has a lot of very good pitchers. I'm not sure that the pitching back in the "old days" was that much better than it is now, either.

Is it a personal thing you have against Crawford?

I give up....you guys enjoy!:) We will talk more in July I am sure!

Larry, if I get tix to the DD suite at Fenway this summer, I'm taking you as my guest. The only catch is that you have to wear a Crawford jersey. :grins:

Larry I believe you would never change your mind about anything once you set your mind to it, including water boarding , so I guess we will just have to wait till next oct. and see if you were right. Peace.

HOW BOUT THEM BRUINS :biglaugh:

I give up....you guys enjoy!:) We will talk more in July I am sure!

You are a true sox fan...after what we've been through (except the last 6 yrs), cynicism rules.

Peace out. (& go Pats!)

TomCat......you have been conspicuously absent! I have missed you....nice to have you back!!:uhuh:

Hey big guy. Had a real busy season. The fluke were flyin', the blackfish were bangin', the bassin' at the Island was great. Then I had this little health hic-cup about 6 or 7 weeks ago. Doin' pretty good now. A little paralysis on the left side but I can still crank the crank.
Catch'em up,
ThomCat:cheers: