Red Sox sign Carl Crawford

[jersey cubs fan]

Why is this a good signing?

 

Because they can afford it even after giving Adrian Gonzalez 160m?

 

So every contract ever signed is a good idea.

 

Not at all. Pittsburgh had to trade Aramis Ramirez because of some stupid deals they signed. The Cubs have had to go cheap do to contracts they've signed. Boston won't have to half ass it elsewhere after this deal, and the player is still in his prime and likely worth the money for the foreseeable future.

[davell]

I give the Red Sox more leeway than most teams when it comes to making "splash" type signings than most. It's a given that impact free agents that actually hit the market are going to get more than their perceived worth is to begin with. But sometimes, a team who's perceived to be close NEEDS to make these type of moves. And considering the Red Sox also do their damndest to come up with cheap young guys as well to accent moves like this, it makes it easier to forgive them for making these type moves than most teams. They are a large market team and they act like it.

[Guest]

Why is this a good signing?

 

Because they can afford it even after giving Adrian Gonzalez 160m?

 

Technically speaking they haven't signed Gonzalez to anything, and is still costing them only $5 million this year. Obviously they're going to try and sign him, but yeah. Crawford is the only big contract they've given out so far this year

 

Hmm. I was under the impression that the only thing missing from the 7/154m deal was the ink, and that it is simply waiting until a magical date in 2012 that keeps Boston from having to pay more in luxury tax.

 

I was also under the impression that the principles involved in the trade going back to San Diego was dependent on Boston getting an extension.

[Clem Fandango]

Why is this a good signing?

 

Because they can afford it even after giving Adrian Gonzalez 160m?

 

Technically speaking they haven't signed Gonzalez to anything, and is still costing them only $5 million this year. Obviously they're going to try and sign him, but yeah. Crawford is the only big contract they've given out so far this year

 

Hmm. I was under the impression that the only thing missing from the 7/154m deal was the ink, and that it is simply waiting until a magical date in 2012 that keeps Boston from having to pay more in luxury tax.

 

I was also under the impression that the principles involved in the trade going back to San Diego was dependent on Boston getting an extension.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/12/a-gon-no-extension-has-been-agreed-to.html

 

Adrian Gonzalez hasn't agreed to anything more than a trade. In a phone interview with the Mexican blog Puro Beisbol (link in Spanish), the normally tight-lipped first baseman denied reports from Sports Illustrated, USA Today and other sources that he and the Red Sox have tentatively agreed to an extension that won't be announced until April in order for the team to avoid luxury tax.

 

"Nothing about that is true," Gonzalez told Fernando Ballesteros. "It's false. I haven't signed any contract." Indeed, by Gonzalez's account, the two sides have yet to even delve into specific figures, despite word that he asked for, and received, approximately $161MM over eight years. "We discussed the trade, but we didn't reach any agreement, and we didn't negotiate numbers," Gonzalez explained. "The only thing I have for sure is the contract that I had already signed with the Padres, and what I can tell you is that over the course of the season we're going to negotiate to reach an agreement."

 

Either way, there's probably a 95% minimum chance they'll ink him to that contract, but technically speaking he's not signed yet

[Guest]

Why is this a good signing?

 

Because they can afford it even after giving Adrian Gonzalez 160m?

 

So every contract ever signed is a good idea.

 

Now sure how you generate that conclusion from my response. I actually posed my response as a question since I'm not really sure whether it's a great signing. If the Cubs had that team and just traded for Gonzalez and then offered up that package for Crawford, I'd be in heaven.

[Guest]

Why is this a good signing?

 

Because they can afford it even after giving Adrian Gonzalez 160m?

 

Technically speaking they haven't signed Gonzalez to anything, and is still costing them only $5 million this year. Obviously they're going to try and sign him, but yeah. Crawford is the only big contract they've given out so far this year

 

Hmm. I was under the impression that the only thing missing from the 7/154m deal was the ink, and that it is simply waiting until a magical date in 2012 that keeps Boston from having to pay more in luxury tax.

 

I was also under the impression that the principles involved in the trade going back to San Diego was dependent on Boston getting an extension.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2010/12/a-gon-no-extension-has-been-agreed-to.html

 

Adrian Gonzalez hasn't agreed to anything more than a trade. In a phone interview with the Mexican blog Puro Beisbol (link in Spanish), the normally tight-lipped first baseman denied reports from Sports Illustrated, USA Today and other sources that he and the Red Sox have tentatively agreed to an extension that won't be announced until April in order for the team to avoid luxury tax.

 

"Nothing about that is true," Gonzalez told Fernando Ballesteros. "It's false. I haven't signed any contract." Indeed, by Gonzalez's account, the two sides have yet to even delve into specific figures, despite word that he asked for, and received, approximately $161MM over eight years. "We discussed the trade, but we didn't reach any agreement, and we didn't negotiate numbers," Gonzalez explained. "The only thing I have for sure is the contract that I had already signed with the Padres, and what I can tell you is that over the course of the season we're going to negotiate to reach an agreement."

 

Either way, there's probably a 95% minimum chance they'll ink him to that contract, but technically speaking he's not signed yet

 

Wouldn't they be breaking some sort of rules to publicly announce they aren't signing the contract until later to avoid Boston having to pay more in luxury tax?

[Clem Fandango]

Seems like there would be some sort of rule against it... maybe that's why they're denying it all?

[shnsajax]

I really don't see why that would be breaking some sort of rule. If they are paying him under the table to delay the process then yes it would be.

[dew1679666265]

I was also under the impression that the principles involved in the trade going back to San Diego was dependent on Boston getting an extension.

 

They may have something in place, but word was at the time that the trade had fallen through because they couldn't get an extension done. Then the Cubs upped their offer and, because of that, the Red Sox went through with the trade without the extension in place.

 

Determine how accurate you feel that is, I guess.

[StarlinOnYou]

So as of now their lineup is something like

 

LF - Carl Crawford

2B - Dustin Pedroia

1B - Adrian Gonzalez

3B - Kevin Youkilis

DH - David Ortiz

RF - JD Drew

CF - Jacoby Ellsbury

C - Jarred Saltalamacchia

SS - Marco Scutaro

 

The bottom of that lineup is still not great. They basically replaced Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre with Saltalamacchia and Gonzalez and then added Crawford.

 

That lineup is incredible.

[Guest]

I was also under the impression that the principles involved in the trade going back to San Diego was dependent on Boston getting an extension.

 

They may have something in place, but word was at the time that the trade had fallen through because they couldn't get an extension done. Then the Cubs upped their offer and, because of that, the Red Sox went through with the trade without the extension in place.

 

Determine how accurate you feel that is, I guess.

 

I was going off an article that was published here, although that one also isn't concrete in anyway. Somewhere, I read that there was an extension that was 7/154 that would kick in in 2012 paying about 22m a year, while he still "just" got his 6.3m this year. And basically giving him the 8/160 he was wanting.

[dew1679666265]

I was going off an article that was published here, although that one also isn't concrete in anyway. Somewhere, I read that there was an extension that was 7/154 that would kick in in 2012 paying about 22m a year, while he still "just" got his 6.3m this year. And basically giving him the 8/160 he was wanting.

 

That's entirely possible. It's really just a formality, though, because there's probably less than a 0% chance they don't extend him eventually.

[Cubswin11]

So as of now their lineup is something like

 

LF - Carl Crawford

2B - Dustin Pedroia

1B - Adrian Gonzalez

3B - Kevin Youkilis

DH - David Ortiz

RF - JD Drew

CF - Jacoby Ellsbury

C - Jarred Saltalamacchia

SS - Marco Scutaro

 

The bottom of that lineup is still not great. They basically replaced Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre with Saltalamacchia and Gonzalez and then added Crawford.

 

That lineup is incredible.

They are going after Russell Martin also, even though he's been a sub .700 OPS player the last two years he's only a few seasons removed from a .780, .790, and .840 OPS.

[Northside Blues]

whats funny is that the sox probably had the als best offense in 2010, or atleast number 2.

[Little Slide Rooter]

In the next 3-5 years, only the Yankeesand Red Sox ill be able to afford the decent free agents.

[Guest]

Would be awesome if Gonzalez leaves Red Sox after next season because Red Sox doesn't have enough money to add him into the mix? I think their payroll is about the same as last year now (which was about 160 M right???) so after next season (don't know who comes off the books for Red Sox) you would have to add at least 15 M on that payroll (Gonzalez making 5 M this year and most likely 20+ M after next season)... That would put them super close to the Yankees payroll...

 

JD Drew's $14m comes off the book, as well as whatever Cameron makes. And if they picked up his option then Ortiz as well. The next year Daisuke's money is gone.

 

Papelbon could be gone also and he made $9.35M last year.

[WilcoFan]

Why is this a good signing?

 

 

For some, it is because the guy who signed him is named "Theo Epstein" and not "Jim Hendry."

[TruffleShuffle]

In the next 3-5 years, only the Yankeesand Red Sox ill be able to afford the decent free agents.

 

completely wrong.

[TruffleShuffle]

In the next 3-5 years, only the Yankeesand Red Sox ill be able to afford the decent free agents.

 

let the record show that four days after you posted this, the phillies signed the best free agent of the 2010-11 offseason.