2:29pm: An announcement from Crisp's new team should come today or tomorrow, Comte tells Joe Stiglich of the Bay Area News Group. Comte ruled out the Cubs, while Stiglich gets the impression Crisp could return to the A's.
TUESDAY, 7:33am: Though the Orioles talked to Crisp's agent, Heyman does not believe they are the team he chose. The O's are looking elsewhere for a leadoff hitter.
MONDAY, 8:55pm: The Orioles have been talking to Crisp in recent days and they’re interested in signing him, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports. However, it hasn’t been confirmed that the Orioles are the mystery team.
7:19pm: Coco Crisp won’t be on the open market much longer. The free agent outfielder has decided which team he’ll sign with, agent Steve Comte told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.
"Basically, we just have to let that team know," Comte told Slusser.
The Athletics want to re-sign Crisp, according to Slusser. They’ve been in touch with him all offseason, but 12-13 other teams have discussed Crisp with Comte. The A’s have also spoken to free agent Ryan Ludwick, according to Slusser. Oakland selected Ludwick in the second round of the 1999 draft and traded him to the Rangers three years later.
The switch-hitting Crisp led the American League with 49 stolen bases in 2011, hitting .264/.314/.379 with 27 doubles as Oakland's center fielder. The California native seems to prefer West Coast teams, but explained in September that he’s also looking to play on a winner and find a good "financial situation" for himself.
Please not the Cards.
That would be quite odd and surprising considering they currently employ 5.5 outfielders PLUS a Rule 5 pick.
The signing of Beltran counts them out. I think someone like the Braves or Marlins sign him. Though if he wanted badly to stay on the West Coast, I could see the Padres going after him, given that his speed and defense would play well at Petco Park. Granted they just acquired Quentin, but they could either move Maybin to right or just move Crisp himself and then bench Venable as a forth outfielder, depending on how the Padres view him in their future plans. I know the Padres are still in the rebuilding mode, but if Crisp were having a good year, he could be flipped to a contender at the Trade Deadline for prospects, which for a rebuilding club is always good news.
The Decision
Coco: I’m taking my talents to Baltimore.
Three people plus his mom would watch that.
Three people plus his mom would watch that.
The Giants better not think about crisp! We have been quiet lately,which is crap but it could get crappier if they sign coco
Sabean said that the Giants were done making major moves awhile ago. Plus, where would they play him? They already have Cabrera, Pagan, and Schierholtz in the outfield, and I doubt any one of them are benched as Crisp wouldn’t be an upgrade over any of them (other than Cabrera defensively, though he is more or less starting for his bat which is why J. Sanchez was traded for him).
Goes to show you how bad the Giants’ offseason has been when signing Coco Crisp would qualify as a “major” move.
I would take CoCo over Jay in a heartbeat
Red Sox.
I actually thought that to myself. But im not sure hed play rf with aviles, mcdonald, kalish out there
I would love to see him back in Boston. An outfield with Elsbury, Crawford and Crisp would put up 150 bags (provided Crawford has the bounce back year that we hope for).
imagine crawford, ellsbury,crisp probably the fastest outfield in the MLB
Yankees lol
Crisp doesn’t have the arm for right field. People would be taking 3rd like it was a hot cake.
I would still take him as the super 4th type OF and let him play RF part time regardless of the weak arm issues until Kalish is ready from his surgery and rehab.
crisp can help a team in so many ways.. his arm and lack of power are the only 2 chinks in his game.
Don’t get me wrong I like the guy. He is a great defensive player and the speed is nice, but he is looking to get paid and our remaining cash has to go towards a starter and some depth. If we get someone for RF I wouldn’t bet against it being someone who gets dropped from another team during ST.
Nats?
makes too much sense…rizzo will miss the boat
underrated player based on WAR. He could set off a pretty good chain-reaction for Florida: Crisp to CF, Coghlan to LF, LoMo to 1B, trade Sanchez for a 5th starter (Zambrano? makes sense for both teams).
As a Cubs fan, would LOVE to see that, but Miami would never do that
just as a base for a deal, CHC would probably have to toss something in (a reliever?), but counting on Sanchez being made irrelevant by the chain reaction and Ozzie loving Zambrano? not that Sanchez has an amazing bat for a 1b, but he’s a better stopgap for the Cubs than LaHair
Hey you don’t have to convince me haha. Hey, I’d rather have Sanchez than a lot of guys at 1st
you think florida would take that god awful salary??? i think not
I thought that the reason they inquired about Coco is because they have a taker on Soriano. Putting Coco over in left is the obvious spot. But I am sure that the Cubs would eat a large portion of Soriano’s contract to ship him elsewhere. So who knows.
wouldn’t make much sense for the Cubs, they have a superior version in Dejesus, an inferior version in Byrd, and a junior version in Sappelt. Far more likely to see them trade Byrd and/or Johnson at the deadline and see what Jackson has than to add OFs
Depends on the deal. A switch-hitting outfielder with good defense is always a valuable commodity at the deadline, and having him allows the team to promote Jackson when they feel he is ready rather than because of a need on the big-league club. That is assuming they were to also have a taker for Soriano, of course.
And none of that precludes trading Byrd and/or Johnson at the deadline; neither of those players figure into the Cubs’ long-term plans, so they remain as expendable as they are today.
It will be hard for Coghlan to land an opening day spot. Regardless of his issues with the franchise, Bonafacio is a better fit in LF, assuming Sanchez is traded for a pitcher.
Underrated by many fans who have never watched him play on a consistent basis IMO. His ability to do the small things well, play GG defense, steal bases are under rated by a lot of fans.
Have a feeling GM’s and front office people do not make that same mistake and blindly swat away people of his caliber.
The tigers need the speed
We have Delmon, Jackson, Boesch and look to be pursuing Cespedes hard. No need here.
Not to mention Raburn and Kelly are both likely to be retained (as in not traded/released). I suppose they could sign him in case Jackson slumps hard, but that would be fairly expensive insurance.
White Sox? Dealt off Quentin and could use a leadoff hitter
Indians? make a nice little return to Cleveland?
I’d love this. A few weeks ago, I’d have said we didn’t have the money, but they made a big offer to Beltran. They could probably get Crisp. Only question is if he’s willing to play left.
What happens to Brantley then? Although Crisp would be great insurance for the inevitable Sizemore injury.
What happens to Brantley then? Although Crisp would be great insurance for the inevitable Sizemore injury.
Tigers…Coco in center, move Jackson to right…
That would mean no Cespedes.
you ain’t getting cespedes anyway….hate to inform you of that
Lol. And who do you think is?
i look for the nats to grab him……it’s a hunch but rizzo makes it like they are national defense secrets holding to the vest…he doesn’t talk about it until it’s done.tigers could be in the running but who knows…..besides you have austin jackson right???
Austin Jackson couldn’t hit his way out of a wet paper bag. He’s not a worthy leadoff hitter and even DD has said that. The Tigers have been looking at Cespedes for 3 years now, so I’m pretty sure Dombrowski has his eyes set on him and will do whatever it takes.
i will put it this way….if the nats don’t sign fat a##{fielder} they will definately be in on cespedes….rizzo likes him alot too and it’s laughable that the pirates want cespedes too…{now that we ought to have a mutual laugh about}
I really don’t want 2 SO kings and light hitting offensive players in the outfield.
Except Jackson is much better with the glove. It’s be pretty stupid to move him out of center
Why would Jackson move to right? Jackson is wayyyy better on D than Crisp. We don’t need him.
mets?
He said he wants to play for a winning club
boooom
Red Sox?
The Nats make the most sense. The fits Z’s MO in Seattle. Cleveland would be interesting but probably not. I wouldn’t count Miami out. Lastly, would Philly give him two years to play LF these year and then take over CF when Victorino leaves?
thats what im saying…the nats….do you know if he plays leadoff?? {didnt watch many A’s games or look at thier box scores} but i am aware of him
Last year Coco batted lead-off until the A’s promoted Weeks and then he batted second behind him.
thanks as it dont matter now……he goes back to oakland
I doubt he would take a utility role, but I hope the Twins sign him.
In Minnesota he would be the best player on the team… not a utility player. (I am only half joking).
I’m a little worried at the moment…although a 1-2 of Bourn and Crisp would be pretty sweet
He’s pretty bad option at the top of the order, but a really sweet one in the lower end.
He looks like a pretty solid top of the order guy. Tons of steals, solid bat that should only improve after leaving Oakland.
You want OBP at the top. Coco’s decent, but on a good team, he’s not top of the order.
He wants a player friendly contract on a contending ball club, which means he won’t be playing for Seattle.
Ozark Mountain Ducks
how do the Orioles make sense? Reimold, Jones, Markakis, Chavez, and Angle/Hudson bumming around is solid enough. Only makes sense if Crisp later becomes a tradeable asset, and that depends on the contract…then again, I am assuming sense on the part of the Orioles
This could potentially mean an Adam Jones trade is in the works.
they want the friggin world for jones…that’s whats been bantied about in the b-more area anyway….
And they’re right to do so.
You should check out the avatar on Coco Crisp’s twitter account.
let’s stop pretending we care where coco signs. my only question, is whether he will also wear number 00 for ‘oo oo ah ah’
Damn you Covelli for keeping us in suspense like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
coco crisp is black? i always thought he was just really spanish.
It’s Coco CRISP, not Coco Rodriguez.
O’s are not a contender Crisp has said he wanted. Makes no sense from the O’s point of view either. If any team needed to be concentrating full time on rebuilding, it is the O’s. But they never stick to that focus which largely explains why such a former proud franchise has been so mediocre for so long.
that doesn’t largely explain anything
Did anyone even ask him where he wanted to sign? What if the team he wants to go to doesn’t want him?
The O’s or the A’s for really cheap might be the only teams interested in Crisp. He can’t be too picky. No Winner, no big money, maybe not a west coast team.
um, who are all the west coast contenders that would want him anyway?
Broke or money has been spent
Coco Crisp would be a welcome addition to the Team!
I would be very happy if decides to join Team Oriole!
… until he gets traded from Team Oriole before the deadline.
wouldn’t make a lot of sense for the cubs at this point unless soriano and byrd are both moved. right now he would be a 4th outfielder and only useful for a defensive replacement/pinch runner at the end of games, which campana can do for a lot cheaper. i think he signs with the giants.
If the O’s sign him it could mean Jones would move to left or there may be a trade in the works…
read a rumor that jones to braves is being discussed again…
where?
yeah but baltimore is trying to be straight gangster in what they are asking for him…around here {b-more} they want jurrjens and prado
Around here (everywhere else) we heard the same rumors. Except that the Orioles were stupid enough to ask for two of the Braves top pitching prospects as well. Silly Orioles.
I haven’t been this excited since The Decision, starring Lebron James.
EDIT: Joke already made several times. My apologies.
i’m posted outside o’hare waiting to see if he flies in.
He would be a welcome addition to the Phillies, Throw him in LF where his arm wont matter as much and then we dont have to worry about Jimmy Jogsalot leading off for us.
The Dodgers don’t need Crisp…they need a middle order power hitter…Cody Ross or Ludwick makes sense. With their pitching, this would be a line-up good enough to challenge the D-Backs/Rockies:
SS-Gordon
2B-Ellis
RF-Either
CF-Kemp
LF-Ross
1B-Loney
3B-Uribe/Kennedy/Hairston
C-Ellis
P-Kershaw/Billingsly/Lilly/Harang/Capuano
A deadline deal to add a legit 3b and shore up the pitching staff, and you have a contender. Unfortunately LA is content with a Sands/Rivera platoon in LF and Tony Gwynn Jr. as an alternate. And it’s unlikely they’ll make any real move to fill the hole at 3B. As it is, they may finish somewhere around 3rd or 4th in the NL West, and a pitching injury or two drops them into last.
eoavaldi isn’t too bad…
As much as I hate Rivera, he’s not any worse than Ross.
You can’t possibly speculate in January that a deadline deal 6 months later will make the Dodgers a contender. That depends entirely on both their record at the time and the quality of player they’re trading for.
And what prospects do they have that would land a “legit” 3b?
They have Zach Lee who is untouchable, Eovaldi is a nice piece but is hardly a centerpiece, Lindblom who is good but isn’t exactly on many team wishlists, and that’s about it.
Simply making an arbitrary claim about a team needing X and Y to be a contender without analyzing the feasibility of such a proposal doesn’t cut it.
He’s coming back to the A’s! HA!
That’s what Jim Bowden of ESPN tweeted
to be honest, i hope not, we’ve cut a clear path and we should be sticking to it. I know we don’t have much in terms of outfielders, but still, let the young’uns get their time
Well the problem is Green & Choice arent ready yet and Carter and Allen are probably going to flop. Crisp, Cowgill, Reddick and Taylor all splitting time equally isn’t a bad thing at all, and could well be a better situation than last year: No more Willingham and his atrocious defense, and no more DDJ and his underwhelming bat. Reddick is a better option than both and we get to see if Taylor and Cowgill sink or swim in the bigs.
Coco isnt exactly known for being a gamer either, other than last year hes been injured a lot and really shouldn’t be relied on for a full year. I think it makes sense to resign him and let him play CF as much as he can, with Cowgill spotting him and Taylor and Reddick in the corners, and if Crisp goes bananas he can always be moved for prospects to a contender. I like the idea of bringing back Coco.
Also, you could just let crappy stopgap guys like fiorentino or pridie fill in until green and choice are ready
And get no prospects back for them? I think the idea of signing a FA just so you can trade him if he pans out is perfect. Its like the “you have to spend money to make money” idea, only its “you have to buy a player to turn him into prospects”.
Its a really smart move to keep stockpiling the farm for 2014. Hell, I’d grab Oswalt, Harden and whoever else pitching-wise too, just for flipping purposes. Its not really blocking anyone other than Gray and the guys gotten for Cahill/Gio, and Beane wants to hold off starting those clocks as long as possible. Turning Oswalt or Harden into a young C+/B- prospect at the deadline instead of playing AAAA crud is great business.
Well yeah, i guess, as long as it doesn’t take away from the budget to bid on soler
I Bet it’s the Tigers…I wouldn’t surprise me with all the cheap moves they made all off season…Just trade young for someone decent please.
I’d like to see him in left for the Phillies, though I imagine I am in the minority among Phils fans.
I had suggested the same though now it seems my post was deleted?!
At least we wouldnt have to worry about Jimmy Jogs-Alot leading off for us.
Maybe Crisp should hold a prime time special to announce his decision.
All this? I mean who does he think he is? Kim K? Diva needs his 24 hours to annouce he’s re-signing with the A’s. Sucka please.
Meh, i dunno, i liked him while he was on the a’s, but i’d rather they stick the course and not resign him, save any money they can to throw at soler
I thought he wanted to go to a contender? Guess not if it’s the A’s.
This is almost as exciting and self serving as Lebron’s “The Decision”
The Jays! (JK, i just want to see Angry3’s head explode)
Well thank you for ruling out the Cubs… I could have ruled them out after their signings thus far… They are gunning for the #1 draft pick of 2013… LoL!!
I can see A’s fans burning his jersey on the streets if he signs with another team!!! FLASHBACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coco’s Decision: 2012
Who really gives a flying puff?
I didn’t realize Coco Crisp was the co-star of “Ice Loves Coco”, only someone who’s shooting some lame reality show would even begin to tinker with the idea of “Coco Crisp holds the baseball nation hostage as the world awaits his decision to sign a one year incentive laden deal with a club option for 2013”, that was the original name for the special actually, but Coco’s Crispy Decision ended up winning the honor in the end.
This is bordering on Coco doing a LeBron impersonation and where he will be taking his talents. Just tell us where you will be spending half the season on the DL.
Oh just tell us what team gets you CoCo its not like you are some major superstar like Prince or Albert (Price Albert?) and its not like all MLB teams want you or anything. This is more ego prima donna than anything. Hes trying to be Lebron James ..
Why all the secrecy—-Crisp isn’t Pujols?
Agreed, but why is this website posting a headline like that? A reporter probably asked him and his agent and they have to wait to make it official.
“I’m taking my talents to…”
This is ridiculous. It’s Coco Crisp, people.