Carl Crawford $142 Million Dollar Man

He was fine, until he nearly got his head taken off by....CARL CRAWFORD!!!

 

Worse signings should begin and end with Julio Lugo, who actually just stopped getting his Red Sox checks last Friday.

 

Yes. Not comparing J.D. Drew and Carl Crawford. Both fine players. Both probably worth three or four million dollars less than they're making.

If I'm Theo Epstein, I would have rather just waited until Shin-Soo Choo leaves Cleveland and give him $15 million a year and not give Crawford $21m a year. But Theo didn't have time to spare.

Go look up the numbers. Choo is a better player where it matters.. OBP, slugging, pure hitting ability (important to note once they both get into their early 30s and the wheels aren't quite there). Crawford steals about 20 more bases a year and is clearly a better outfielder...but he's playing left field in Boston, so who gives a shit? Choo won't get 21m. If Choo gets 21 million in two years, I'm wrong. But I don't think he will.

Because Boston has the means and can't just wait two years to contend, they pay a little more. It works for them. I'd do the same if I were them.

 

That wasn't what messed him up, it was his shoulder. He tried to pitch through the pain in his shoulder, not knowing he had torn ligaments, calcium deposits, bone spurs, etc. in his throwing shoulder. The Crawford thing was scary as hell, but it was the shoulder that did him in. Shame, too, because he had amazing stuff. His slider was wicked.

 

I doubt Choo leaves Cleveland. Management has made signing Choo and Carmona to extensions a priority. If Choo leaves, however, it will probably be to Los Angeles or Anaheim. He wants a city with a bigger Korean population if he goes anywhere. Meanwhile, look at a couple of the trades the Indians have made recently...Choo for Eduardo Perez and getting Carlos Santana for Casey Blake. While they may not have hit a home run with the Sabathia deal (LaPorta and Brantley) or the Cliff Lee trade (Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald), they have done well for themselves with some of these minor deals.

 

Choo can leave Cleveland -- when he's 32. He's eligible for arbitration for them, which is why the Indians want to lock him up for a long-term contract. But if they keep him until 32 and then someone else pays him big bucks in his 30s, fine with me.