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Carl Crawford Signing Reactions

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The Red Sox landed another big bat Wednesday night, outbidding other suitors to reach an agreement with Carl Crawford. After Jayson Werth signed his $126MM deal with the Nationals, it was thought that it might take an eight- or ten-year contract to secure Crawford's services; ESPNBoston's Gordon Edes (Twitter link) hears that Crawford was originally seeking $20MM annually over ten years. However, Boston got it done for seven years and $142MM. Here are some early reactions to the move:

  • Dave Cameron of Fangraphs likes the deal for the Red Sox, noting that just because a contract is unique doesn't mean it's bad.
  • ESPN.com's Keith Law (Insider required) is also fairly positive, opining that Crawford figures to hold his value through the length of the contract.
  • At least one AL executive thinks Crawford's athleticism will be wasted in left field at Fenway, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman.
  • Alex Speier of WEEI.com passes along another executive's first impression on the deal: "Holy (expletive). Think about that lineup."
  • It appears few people took news of Crawford's signing harder than Torii Hunter, who congratulated the outfielder, but is disappointed he won't get a chance to play with him. "That hurts my heart, man," Hunter told Scott Miller of CBS Sports. "But hey, what can you do?" (all Twitter links). Speaking to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, Hunter said, "I'm sitting here in a daze right now, like, what the heck just happened?"
  • There's virtually no downside to the move for the Red Sox, writes Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal.
  • A former teammate of Crawford tells Dan Barbarisi of the Providence Journal that, even at $142MM, the Sox got a bargain.

Damon Would Play In Boston; Giants Not Interested

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Johnny Damon told Lou Merloni of WEEI.com that he would love to play in Boston again. He vetoed a trade that would have sent him from Detroit to Boston this summer, but he says things are different now that he's a free agent.

“Obviously, I’d love to return to Boston,” he said. “I loved playing there, and I think it would be a perfect fit, with the chance to win again. I know I could do that in Boston.”

Agent Scott Boras says he'll call the Giants about Damon and Rick Ankiel, but a Giants source tells John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle that the team isn't interested in either player. Though he's previously expressed interest in the Rays and Yankees, Damon would play on the West Coast, according to Boras.

Magglio Ordonez Rumors: Wednesday

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The latest on Magglio Ordonez…

  • Today's workout was only meant for the Tigers and was not an open audition, tweets MLB.com's Ian Browne.
  • The Orioles did not watch Ordonez work out today and president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail refuted the report that they're interested, according to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli (Twitter link).
  • Interestingly, the Red Sox did not have a representative at Ordonez's workout today, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. The Tigers were there, GM Dave Dombrowski told MLB.com's Jason Beck.
  • It's doubtful that the Red Sox would give Ordonez a two-year deal, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe hears (Twitter link).
  • The Red Sox appear to be focusing on Ordonez in their search for an outfielder, reports CBS Sports' Danny Knobler.  This would not be good news for Carl Crawford.  The Tigers, Phillies, and Orioles are also said to be in the mix for Maggs.  Ordonez is coming off a broken ankle, but worked out for teams today.  Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports says Boras is seeking at least two years and $20MM.

Russell Martin Rumors: Wednesday

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Recently non-tendered catcher Russell Martin is drawing plenty of interest on the open market; here's the latest.  He's recovering from a hip fracture, but teams have already examined his medical records.

  • Martin has multiple offers, according to Hernandez (on Twitter).
  • A return to LA seems unlikely, since the Dodgers are nearing a deal with Dioner Navarro, but Martin has at least one offer from another team, according to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times (on Twitter).
  • Boston's interest depends on Martin's willingness to play other positions than catcher, according to Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com (on Twitter).
  • The Red Sox remain in play on Martin but haven't made a decision, tweets Edes.
  • The Dodgers' final offer to Martin was $4.2MM plus $1.5-1.7MM in incentives based on games played, reports Yahoo's Steve Henson.  Henson says letting Martin go was a gut-wrenching decision for GM Ned Colletti.  Will he match the amount he turned down from the Dodgers?
  • Teams are now making offers to Martin's agent Matt Colleran, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, and the Yankees and Red Sox are in the center of the mix.  Gordon Edes' source says the Red Sox are making a strong push.

Strong Interest In Andrew Miller

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3:25pm: The Giants and Red Sox are competing for Miller, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).

WEDNESDAY, 3:00pm: Miller met with four teams yesterday and is still fielding offers, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston (Twitter links). The Red Sox are engaged with Hideki Okajima and Miller and the team would like to re-sign Miller.

TUESDAY, 11:11am: Miller will be at the Winter Meetings in person this afternoon to meet with teams, including the Red Sox, tweets ESPN's Gordon Edes.

4:24am: Cliff Lee isn't the only lefty free agent represented by Darek Braunecker, but I think it's safe to say that Braunecker's other client, Andrew Miller, won't be receiving the same types of offers as the 2008 AL Cy Young winner.

Still, Peter Abraham and Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe relay some information from Braunecker, stating that "a lot" of clubs are interested in Miller, the former #6 overall pick in the draft. Boston would like Miller back on a reasonable deal, but it sounds like they'll have some competition.

The Red Sox flipped Dustin Richardson for Miller last month, but then decided not to tender the 25-year-old Miller a contract due to concerns over what kind of salary he'd command in arbitration. Miller became a free agent, and understandably, several clubs would like to get their hands on a player who was drafted sixth overall and once rated the game's #10 prospect by Baseball America.

The 6'7" southpaw was rushed to the Majors to say the least, when the Tigers called him up on August 30, 2006, just months after he was drafted. The hope was that the projected strikeout machine would help solidify their stretch run out of the bullpen. Miller struggled, but the assumption was that he'd be a solid contributor in the near future.

That looked to be the case, as Miller pitched very well across three minor league levels in 2007 before being called up to once again struggle in the Majors, this time in 13 starts. Still, as a 22-year-old, expectations were high. They were so high, in fact, that he became one of the centerpieces (along with Cameron Maybin) to the trade that sent Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis from Florida to Detroit.

Miller's command struggles continued with the Marlins though, and his fastball velocity continued to drop. In November 2010, the Marlins flipped him to Boston for Richardson, a pitcher who was drafted 157 picks after Miller in the same 2006 draft and has just 16 1/3 Major League innings to his name. Not what Florida was hoping for.

Miller won't turn 26 until late next May though, and that leaves plenty of time for him to put it together. As it wouldn't take more than a minimal investment, many teams have contacted Braunecker. It's not as if high upside, left-handed pitchers grow on trees, after all. Miller may never become the front-line starter he was once projected to be, but that pedigree can certainly provide him with a number of suitors to choose from.

Ryan Ludwick Drawing Trade Interest

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WEDNESDAY, 3:15pm: The Padres would only trade Ludwick for a package that includes two or three pieces, which means he'll likely be in their opening day lineup, according to Scott Miller of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 10:46pm: Ryan Ludwick is generating trade interest, according to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. The Red Sox, Tigers, Orioles and Dodgers are among the teams that have checked in, according to the reporters. At this point – just 48 hours after trading Adrian Gonzalez – the Padres seem reluctant to part with Ludwick.

The Orioles, Tigers and Red Sox have also been linked to another outfielder who bats from the right side and is a year away from free agency: Josh Willingham.

Ludwick, 32, earned 5.45MM in 2010 and has hit 76 home runs over the course of the past three seasons, so he'll surpass the $6MM mark through arbitration in 2011 and could earn close to $7MM. He batted .251/.325/.418 with 17 homers and 27 doubles in 551 plate appearances last year.

Teams Have Inquired On Matsuzaka

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9:40am: The Sox have shown no active desire to trade Matsuzaka, notes WEEI's Alex Speier.

7:27am: In his latest column for the Boston Globe, Nick Cafardo cites Major League sources in saying that Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein has received inquiries on Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Cafardo says Epstein is hesitant to move Matsuzaka because he doesn't want to weaken the depth of starting pitching he's built up for his club without getting a big return. Boston currently has a rotation consisting of Matsuzaka, Josh Beckett, Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz, and John Lackey, with Tim Wakefield under contract for 2011 as well.

It makes sense that with struggles from some of his starters last season, particularly Beckett, and little available via free agency, Epstein wouldn't want to begin moving starting pitchers. There's also the issue of Matsuzaka's full no-trade clause, which would allow the 30-year-old right-hander to veto a trade to any club.

While Matsuzaka has been the cause of some recent speculation in regards to the Carlos Beltran rumors, it seems as though the odds are stacked against Epstein moving him, or any of his starters for that matter.

Carlos Beltran Rumors: Wednesday

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On Tuesday at the Winter Meetings, the idea of the Red Sox acquiring Carlos Beltran surfaced. For the remainder of the day, we heard a few pieces, culminating with a reported meeting between Boston and the Mets to discuss the idea. Here's your early edition of Wednesday's Beltran rumors:

  • A source involved in the discussions told Joel Sherman of the New York Post that nothing was close with Boston and Beltran (Twitter link). Sherman was told yesterday that the Red Sox see Beltran as a fallback.
  • SI.com's Jon Heyman spoke to one NL executive who estimated the Mets would have to eat about half of Beltran's salary in order to move him (Twitter link).
  • Newsday's David Lennon says a deal between the Red Sox and Mets has gained some traction. While a trade is still a long shot, Mets GM Sandy Alderson is not averse to eating salary to move him. Lennon also speculates on a Daisuke Matsuzaka-Beltran swap, as the two are owed nearly the same amount of money ($20MM vs. $18.5MM, respectively). Matsuzaka would need to waive his no-trade clause to facilitate such a deal.

Carl Crawford Rumors: Tuesday

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We heard yesterday that the Angels and Tigers are still in on Carl Crawford. GM Tony Reagins said the Jayson Werth deal doesn't affect the way the Angels approach the rest of their offseason, but it wouldn't be surprising if Crawford's camp has nudged its asking price up a little since Sunday. Here's the latest on Crawford, with more updates to follow throughout the day:

  • Signing Crawford remains by far the Angels’ top offseason priority, multiple sources tell ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.
  • The Red Sox are still in on Crawford, according to Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com (Twitter link).
  • The Angels are likely to have the money to sign just one of Crawford, Adrian Beltre and Rafael Soriano, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown (Twitter link).
  • The Tigers aren't involved at Crawford's current asking price, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
  • Sources tell Alex Speier of WEEI.com that it's premature to rule the Red Sox out of the Crawford sweepstakes, which could take some time to develop.
  • Not surprisingly, the Angels haven't ruled out a high-profile addition, manager Mike Scioscia tells Yahoo's Steve Henson (Twitter link).

Market For Russell Martin Intensifying

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The market for Russell Martin is intensifying, with three AL East teams showing varying levels of interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all interested in the catcher, who may have other suitors. 

The Mets appeared to have interest, but the chances of Sandy Alderson signing Martin seem slim now that the GM has agreed to sign Ronny Paulino. The Dodgers could re-enter the sweepstakes at some point.

ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported this week that Martin, a Montreal native, would like to sign with an East Coast team (Twitter link).

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