You SHOULD be smiling, Carl! Photo courtesy of Kelly O'Connor/sittingstill.smugmug.com and used with permission.
I’m giddy. Gid freaking dy.
Before signing off the Internet last night, I hit refresh on my Twitter feed and in an instant it was announced that the Red Sox had signed Carl Crawford. This announcement came a few hours after a reporter or two had tweeted that Theo left the meetings last night saying nothing big was in the works. Oh Theo, how I love it when you mess with the media.
For the second time this off-season, Theo and the trio totally blindsided the sports writers (and the fans) with a deal they never saw coming. I love that. Do I love the contract? I don’t. I’m not a big fan of long-term contracts. I worry about anyone over a lot of years. But with a Carl Crawford, I worry less about the bulk of the contract. If the Sox get five solid years out of his seven, I’m good with that. I will always have a hard time believing anyone is worth $142 million, but we don’t live in the real world with baseball we live in baseball’s world. The numbers are crazy but if the Red Sox can afford it and they’re giving it to the guy they want, I’m not going to fret about the cash that gets thrown at him. I dig Carl Crawford and I’m THRILLED he’s now (or soon to be) with the Red Sox. I genuinely believe we’re going to see really great things from him and now even MORE so I can’t wait until the 2011 season!
I already have an email in my inbox this morning from a Yankees fan telling me I can’t complain about the money that the Yankees spend anymore. In fairness to me, the money the Yankees spend isn’t high on my list of why I don’t like the Yankees. What I do say often is that I think you’re an idiot if you compete in the same division as the Yankees and have money to compete with them but don’t spend it. I don’t think every free agent on the market should get $20 million a year, but if you have the money to acquire a player who is good and will be a big help to your team, why not do it? Throwing this contract at Crawford isn’t equal to buying up every free agent available just because you can. This contract was a move to make the lineup more solid, strengthening your team, especially in your very tough division, while forcing the hand of your rival. Now, the Yankees have to make some blockbuster deal if they want to compete. This, in my mind, was a no-brainer.
I fear I’m being greedy by still hoping Cliff Lee doesn’t sign with the Yankees, but I can’t help it. I have to hold out hope that Cliff Lee has a soul and stays with Texas. Although I will admit to laughing out loud at the rumors that the Red Sox were the secret team who had offered Lee seven years…Theo is not messing around this off-season…well, he’s messing around but only with the Yankees and the sports writers. He’s stunned them all. No one, NO ONE thought the Red Sox would give anyone else a big contract after trading for Adrian Gonzalez. With AGon’s contract extension on the horizon, no one expected the Sox to back up the Brinks truck to another player. You think Theo Epstein is walking around his hotel room right now telling himself how amazing he is? He should be.
Now I’m reading fans and writers saying the Sox won’t pay for bullpen help now or they won’t look into picking up Russell Martin. If this teaches us anything, it should teach us that Theo Epstein has thrown away his playbook from years past. This hotstove season is far from over.
So many people, writers and fans both, questioned John Henry’s dedication to the Red Sox this coming season. People thought he’d be too occupied with his shiny new toy – the soccer team – to give any attention or money to the Red Sox. When the Adrian Gonzalez rumors were swirling, he was called cheap, the team was criticized for not giving long-term contracts, many people, including Taylor Twellman, formerly of the New England Revolution, were saying the Red Sox should be embarrassed by how they were acting.
All those people can go jump into an incredibly deep lake.
Welcome to Boston, Carl Crawford. It will be nice to not have to worry about you stealing on every single one of our pitchers for the next seven years.
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