Carl Crawford has made his decision. He'll be playing baseball in Boston. For 142MM. For 7 years. Is Adrian Gonzalez going to top that with the Red Sox when he finishes his deal with Boston? The Angels? Well, what do they do now?
Most people at the Winter Meetings were totally surprised when news came just before midnight that one of the biggest prizes in the off season had made a decision regarding his new team. With the Angels trying to lock up Carl Crawford, their number 1 priortiiy, word spread quickly that Crawford was going to the Red Sox. For seven years.
Not only has Crawford upset the apple cart in Anaheim, he has ruffled the feathers in Gotham. Even though they need pitching and more pitching, the Yankees had planned on wooing Crawford to New York if Cliff Lee elects to sign elsewhere. The Red Sox have now kept Crawford away from their chief rivals.
Think of the Red Sox with Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford. With their pitching staff and the offensive pieces of the club, the race in the American League should be a war. Just when the Blue Jays and Orioles thought they were getting better, the Red Sox topple the balance of power once again. And the Yankees are left waiting for Cliff Lee and any arm they can add to their rotation.
The Crawford signing should loosen things up for other free agents and other trades. Some of the transactions have been discussed behind closed doors for the past three days. In reality, much will be accomplished after the teams return home.
That's it for me. The meetings, the rumors, the waiting, the listening and everything associated with the meetings has been an incredible experience. Think of all these teams drooling over Cliff Lee. The teams meet with the agents, they talk and they talk. And then the agent leaves the meetings without a decision. It was another surprise. No response from the Lee camp and everybody left waiting. Players like Magglio Ordonez are highly prized and will now get attention. Magglio had a workout here in Orlando that many teams attended. Scott Downs is available. And on and on. So don't make your fantasy plans yet. There's a ton of "back stories" still working.
I'm all out of rumors. I'm all out of energy. But once again I am convinced that baseball is a tremendous industry. There's never a dull moment. Especially at the Winter Meetings.