Kuzul

The big news today is that the Boston Red Sox massively overpaid for former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder, speed demon Carl Crawford. $126 million over 7 years. Whether or not you think that Crawford is worth that kind of money, one thing’s for sure: The Red Sox are likely out of the running for Washington Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham, who once again is rumored to be on the trading block.

However, the Red Sox now have an incredibly crowded outfield. Crawford will likely be in left, JD Drew (consistently my least favorite player on the Red Sox), Jacoby Ellsbury in center, and either Mike Cameron or Ryan Kalish on the bench. Likely Cameron, as Kalish can stay down in Pawtucket for another season.

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Despite a flurry of movement at baseball’s winter meetings, free agent pitcher Cliff Lee remains unsigned.

But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been fielding offers.

According to reports, both the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers are bidding aggressively for the ace and an agreement may soon be reached. However, with some of the contracts that are being handed out (Jayson Werth – seven years/$126 million, Carl Crawford – $142 million), the price for the 31-year-old left-hander has become astronomical.

Lee and his agents have all the leverage right now in negotiations and any number of teams may be interested in his services. Here’s a look at the teams believed to be in the hunt for Lee, and which one may have the advantage in eventually striking a deal.

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MLB Rumors: The Boston Red Sox have stolen all the headlines early on in the MLB offseason.

They pried Adrian Gonzalez away from the San Diego Padres and signed Carl Crawford to one of the richest contracts in baseball history.

But now all the attention is on Cliff Lee.

The most coveted prize of this year’s free agent market has been linked to only a few teams, most notably the Texas Rangers—who he helped get to the World Series last season—and the New York Yankees.

When it’s all said and done, Lee will probably return to Texas or be wearing pinstripes next season.

But what will it be?

Well, I’m here to keep you updated on the latest news concerning the left-handed ace who will soon crush a team’s dreams or make them come true.

I’ll also talk about some of the latest news coming out of baseball’s winter meetings.

There’s no need to refresh this page. It’ll update every few minutes.

So sit back, relax and enjoy the latest MLB rumors.

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The past two days were extremely busy at the winter meetings, highlighted by some shocking developments.  Let’s take a look at everything that happened (for my thoughts on Days 1 & 2, click here and here): 

The Boston Red Sox Signed OF Carl Crawford

Talk about the rich getting richer.  All indications had been that Crawford was headed out to Los Angeles before the Red Sox swooped in with a seven-year, $142 million deal.  It is hard to figure exactly where Crawford fits into the lineup, though you have to figure he’ll hit either third or sixth at this point.

The bottom line is that the Red Sox lineup got so much deeper with the addition of Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez.  Either way, the top six in the lineup features Crawford, Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz.  You will be hard-pressed to find a group with that much talent and that much potential to score runs.  All of their stocks went up just a little bit.

However, if Crawford does ultimately hit sixth you have to think that at least a little of his value will be lost.  He needs to be hitting in front of Gonzalez, Youkilis and Ortiz, where he will be able to utilize his speed and score a significant number of runs.  I have to believe the Red Sox will hit him third, but time will tell. 

The Baltimore Orioles Signed P Koji Uehara

When Alfredo Simon and Michael Gonzalez went down with injuries, the Orioles turned to Uehara to close out games and he responded with flying colors.  He posted a 2.86 ERA and 0.95 WHIP, showing great strikeout potential (11.25 K/9) and impeccable control (1.02 BB/9).  It’s hard to imagine him maintaining those types of numbers, but given the unknown in the Orioles bullpen he will likely get an opportunity to close once again. 

The strikeouts will likely fall.  The walks will probably rise slightly.  Still, he posted his success with a .317 BABIP, so a little more luck and the numbers would still be solid.  He’ll be worth owning in all formats, though it’s hard to call him a lock to close for the entire year.

The Padres Acquired SS Jason Bartlett from the Tampa Bay Rays for P Adam Russell and P Cesar Ramos

The Rays get two bullpen arms, something they desperately needed.  Both pitchers will likely fill a middle relief role, however, so don’t look for them to have much value.

Bartlett is a nice player, but his fantasy appeal is limited.  He offers no power (29 career HR in 2,501 AB despite hitting 14 in ‘09 alone) and moving to San Diego, he’s going to have even less.  There’s a little bit of speed there, but you are probably talking about 20 SB with little upside in runs and average.  He’s a low-end option, at best, especially in what figures to be a low-powered offense. 

The Phillies Signed P Dennys Reyes

The Phillies get their left-handed reliever.  That’s good for them, but it is meaningless to fantasy owners.

The Royals Signed OF Melky Cabrera

Now things get interesting in Kansas City.  You would have thought that they’d want to give their youngsters an opportunity, like letting Jarrod Dyson be a spark plug at the top of the order and in center field.  Instead they bring in an outfielder who brings no power and no speed.  Hopefully he’s going to be the fourth outfielder for the Royals and not take at-bats from someone who could be useful.

The Chicago White Sox Signed 1B Paul Konerko

His value would plummet if he left Chicago, though you have to expect a regression anyway.  He posted a 19.5 percent HR/FB rate and a .326 BABIP, two numbers that could fall in 2011.  He’s going to be usable for sure, but we’ll go into much more detail in the near future.

The Seattle Mariners Signed DH Jack Cust

He’s one of those potential high power, low average guys.  Of course, his HR/FB has fallen for four straight years, from 31.7 percent in 2007 to 14.9 percent in 2010.  If he’s not going to hit over 30 HR, he’s not going to have any value.

The Kansas City Royals Signed OF Jeff Franceour

I feel like he has been rumored to be going to the Royals for the better part of a year, but he finally landed there.  He’s a streaky hitter and really doesn’t bring enough in the power, speed or average department to justify trusting him.  However, when he gets hot, he has value.  Hitting in the middle of the Royals lineup, he could be worth using in five-outfielder formats at times.  Keep an eye on him, but don’t consider him a regular.

The Milwaukee Brewers Signed C Will Nieves

He’ll be a backup for the Brewers and as a career .227 hitter with five HR in 701 AB—you can easily forget him.

The Atlanta Braves Signed P George Sherrill

He was once a closer, but those duties will likely fall to Jonny Venters, Craig Kimbrel or a combination of the two.  There’s little chance that he gets opportunities for saves, so he’s not going to have value to fantasy owners.  Obviously, if something changes you’ll want to scoop him up off waivers, but for now he can be ignored.

The Cincinnati Reds Signed INF Miguel Cairo

He’s a utility infielder, meaning his value is nil.

The Los Angeles Dodgers Signed C Dioner Navarro

Navarro could share time with Rod Barajas to replace the departed Russell Martin behind the plate.  There was a time that people thought Navarro could develop into a must-use option, but he’s never hit more than nine home runs in a season and sports a career .249 average.  Maybe he finally puts it together, but even those in two-catcher formats can ignore him for now.

The New York Mets Signed P Boof Bonser

At this point Bonser figures to be organizational depth and nothing else.  He’s not worth worrying about.

The Arizona Diamondbacks Signed P Mike Hampton

Remember when he actually was fantasy viable?  Not anymore.

The Seattle Mariners Signed C Miguel Olivo

He certainly has power, consistently posting a HR/FB of 12 percent, leading to 12-16 HR a season (outside of his 23 HR breakout in 2009).  He’s not going to hit for an extremely high average, though then again most catchers aren’t going to.  Considering he figures to get regular at-bats (the only other option they have is Adam Moore right now), who should be worth considering in two-catcher formats.  As far as where he sits in the rankings, we’ll address that soon enough.

The Baltimore Orioles Acquired SS J.J. Hardy and INF Brendan Harris from the Minnesota Twins for P Brett Jacobson and P Jim Hoey

Hardy’s one and only season in Minnesota did not go as planned, hitting .268 with six HR and 38 RBI.  He still holds significant upside, as it wasn’t long ago that he hit 50 HR over two seasons with the Brewers.  As a late-round flier, he’s well worth the risk.  It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see him hit in the 18-HR range.

It appears that the Twins are prepared to hand everyday at-bats to Alexi Casilla.  He has some speed, but no power and likely is only going to hold value in the deepest of formats.

The Houston Astros Signed P Ryan Rowland-Smith

He’ll likely battle for the fifth starters spot, but with a career 5.46 K/9, he’s not going to hold much value.

What are your thoughts on these moves?  Who is the biggest winner?  Who are you now targeting?

Make sure to check out our early 2011 rankings:

• Top 15 Catchers
• Top 15 First Basemen
• Top 15 Second Basemen
• Top 15 Third Basemen
• Top 15 Shortstops
• Top 20 Starting Pitchers
• 2011 Fantasy Draft First Round Breakdown

THIS ARTICLE IS ALSO FEATURED ON WWW.ROTOPROFESSOR.COM

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Thank Jebus for Proctor and Gamble, because Bounty paper towels did a great job cleaning my vomit off the floor after I read about the Carl Crawford signing.

The dude is now the highest paid outfielder in history and he’s not once hit 20 home runs or knocked in 100 RBI’s.

Meanwhile in Colorado, Carlos Gonzalez has an erection—but I digress.

I needed to step away from the insanity of free agency, so I decided to take a closer look at the re-vamped Blue Jays coaching staff. Since the beautiful (overly sentimental) departure of Cito Gaston, GM Alex Anthopolous has hired former Red Sox Pitching Coach John Farrell as his replacement.

I’ll admit I knew little about Farrell before the interview process began. However, his pedigree with young arms like Bucholz, Papelbon and Lackey, not to mention endorsements from respected baseball people like “Un-named GM” really impressed me.

In the end, I was sold after watching the press conference where his hiring was announced. Relatively platitude free, Farrell seemed like an honest, straight shooting guy with the requisite savvy needed to relate to today’s pampered athlete; he also appeared to have a nice blend of older brother aloofness and cool dad authority that seems to gel with young players.

The proof will be in the pudding, but he will nonetheless be a refreshing departure from the comatose managerial style of Cito Gaston.

Zombies eat brains; Cito ate my soul.

So without further ado, here is my humble examination of a few key (non-managerial) Blue Jay Coaching hires.

Don Wakamatsu – Bench Coach:

I’m not sure what was more alarming about this hire: The fact that Don was just fired by Seattle because the Mariners sucked, or because he doesn’t look even remotely Japanese. 

Either way, I needed to really dig into this.

Turns out Tokyo Don was a career minor league Catcher who built a reputation as a superb game caller. If only he could hit a lick, he may have played more than nine MLB games.

Why is this significant? Catchers are great observers of the game and as a bench coach, his perspective will be a nice counter balance to the pitcher Farrell. 

Not to mention his ability to craft the finer points of J.P. Arrencibia’s emerging talent.

Torey Lovullo – First Base Coach: 

Lady-ish first name aside, I’m really excited by this hire. Luvollo actually interviewed for the Dodgers in 2006 and the Pirates in 2007, while he was the Manager of the AAA Buffalo Bison’s (Cleveland).

Most recently, as the Manager of the Red Sox AAA affiliate Pawtucket team, Luvollo brings a wealth of experience for such a young guy, as he won’t turn 46 until late July.

In short, Luvollo is a natural leader and his talents as a utility infielder and teacher offer insurance in case Brian Butterfield departs.

Pat Hentgen – Bullpen Coach: 

Outside of a stint in the minors, this is a great place for a first crack at MLB coaching. 

Know the line-up, know the hitters tendencies, work on the pitches and game-plan to get the one to three outs needed from the arms in the pen.

As I evaluate this hire, it’s tough separating my insatiable love for Paddy Hentgen, the former Blue Jay and Cy Young winner, from Coach Hentgen, member of John Farrell’s staff.

However, this move intrigues me.

I fully realize that there is an undercurrent of pandering chauvinisim involved here; be that as it may, Hentgen is no shrinking violet nor party hack.

On the contrary, Pat won a Cy Young due to balls and brains. He was never a lights out type like Halladay or Clemons, nor was he a sharp shooter like Maddux or Cliff Lee.

Rather, Hentgen was known as a pitcher who would throw strikes early, and then break your ankles with a 12-6 curve if you gave him the count.

It’s this combination of courage, tenacity and craftiness that could provide a marvelous influence on Toronto‘s collection of talented young arms.

Conclusion: Homerism notwithstanding, this an exciting young managerial staff. 

Adding this kind of fresh talent to a group that already includes Batting Coach Dwayne Murphy, Third Base Coach Brian Butterfield and Pitching Coach Bruce Walton further enhances an already strong posse of baseball minds.

In other news, the Yankees jack up their offer to Cliff Lee.

Where are those paper towels?

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There is a certain logic to why the Washington Nationals splurged on Jayson Werth, even if it is a faulty logic. But what was the logic of the Boston Red Sox snagging Carl Crawford for seven years at $142 million? The guy is good, but is he that good?

Unlike the the Nationals, who were a team acting upon a desperate desire just to be relevant, the Red Sox were already a very good team, fresh off of netting Adrian Gonzalez. Additionally, it stands to reason that Boston benefits from a certain wisdom that comes through having a history of winning and being rich.

One would also think that the Red Sox front office learned their lesson the hard way with J.D. Drew.

Like the Nationals signing Werth, Boston had external motives behind the Crawford deal beyond the player himself. For the Red Sox it’s always about keeping up with New York. The Yankees may not have wanted Crawford, but this now puts all of the pressure on them to sign Cliff Lee, lest they walk away from this winter without signing even one of the free agent heavyweights. Boston also finished a lackluster third in the AL East last season, and the Crawford deal was exactly the kind of macho power move that the front office needed to placate a rabid fan base. The Red Sox were World Series contenders before Crawford. With him, they’re the early favorites.

But looking beyond how these external motives may have raised the price on Crawford, it is interesting to note that he might actually live up to his huge worth.

$142 million over seven years might seem high for a guy who, over the past three seasons has a .803 OPS. This, compared to Boston’s big bats: Gonzalez (.910), Kevin Youkilis (.975), Dustin Pedroia (.860), and David Ortiz (.899). But that number is still better than J.D. Drew’s .793.

Incidentally, it is important to mention Drew. For one, Crawford will live in the shadow of J.D.’s five-year $70 million contract. For one, this deal is widely considered Theo Epstein’s biggest free agency blunder, and Crawford’s worth will always judged against the merits of the Drew deal. However Crawford is also linked to J.D. because Crawford’s value truly projects best if switches from left field to right, Drew’s position.

God bless him, J.D. will be gone after 2011, however it is worth having Crawford in right starting this year. Playing left at Fenway takes away Crawford’s speed, whereas Fenway’s right field is among the more spacious in all of baseball. Crawford is widely regarded as a premier defensive outfielder. It would behoove Boston to maximize his talents by playing him in right rather than neutralizing his speed in left.

As for said speed on the base paths? It figures Crawford’s stolen base totals have seen their best days; Boston’s offense does not favor base stealing, neither in style or substance. However Crawford’s speed will still be utilized, albeit in less statistically appreciated ways, such as going first to third on an opposite field blooper by Youkilis or second to home on a ground ball up the middle by Ortiz.

But it all comes back to his fielding. FanGraphs Dave Cameron points to Crawford’s WAR (Wins Above Replacement) value as being the best indicator of just how good he really is. Crawford’s WAR over the past two seasons is sixth-best in all of baseball. Cameron argues that if “you buy into Crawford being an elite defender, then he is worth this contract, and maybe even a little bit more.”

Crawford has landed his big payday, but what will be interesting to see in the future is the price put on top-notch outfield defense. Seattle gave Franklin Gutierrez, arguably the best defensive outfielder in the game, four years at $20.5 million a team option for a fifth year. Gutierrez does not compare to Crawford at the dish (only a .666 OPS) however he isn’t terrible with the bat, and he has speed and obviously compares to Crawford in the field. Would Gutierrez stand to make more now, in the wake of Crawford’s mega-deal? Not that it matters for Gutierrez anymore, but would $10 million a year be out of the question for a player of his caliber?

The price put on slick fielding is still up for grabs, however it seems safe to say that it isn’t an undervalued commodity anymore in light of Carl Crawford, who just might actually live up to his big deal, even if he never hits 20 home runs. Will the same be said of Jayson Werth?

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In Game 2 and Game 4 of the ALDS in October, Carl Crawford received cheers from the Rays faithful. It was an appreciation for his service as a Ray. They knew he had played his last game at Tropicana Field. The Rays never made an effort to re-sign him, so they understood if Crawford left.

Crawford should soak all of that in. It’s hard to believe he will get a standing ovation when he returns to the Trop in June. After he made his decision to sign with the Red Sox, he will be booed.

The Red Sox are the last team the Rays fans wanted him to sign with.They were okay with him being an Angel or a Ranger. Anyone but the Red Sox and the Yankees.

Crawford thinks he did the Rays fans a favor by not signing with the Yankees. He doesn’t understand they hate both the Red Sox and the Yankees. They don’t like it when Red Sox fans and Yankees fans invade the Trop. 

Judging by the reaction of Rays fans on Twitter and blogs today, it wasn’t pretty. Most of them think of him as a traitor and a bad guy. People wish him failure as a member of the Red Sox. They choose to forget what he did in his tenure as a Ray.

From this perspective, Crawford should be called out for being a mercenary and for taking an easy way out. Rather than play for the Angels, he is playing for a team that will buy a championship every year. It’s getting old seeing homegrown players bail out on their teams and move on to the Yankees or the Red Sox. That’s not right.

Yes, those players want to win a championship. No one is begrudging them, but they should try to be the solutions for their own team rather than jump ship. That’s the problem with professional athletes. They want to have it easy.

No fan likes seeing players leave for greener pastures. It’s one of their pet peeves in sports. This happens too often. Is it any wonder why there is no bond with fans and players? There are too many defections in baseball. It goes back to the days when Curt Flood won his rights to be a free agent.

It’s no wonder why small-market towns have low attendance in baseball. There’s no point going to games when homegrown players come and go.

It wasn’t just the fans that expressed outrage. Several members of the Rays were disappointed that Crawford decided to go to Boston. They did not like the thought of him beating the Rays often. They thought he would do the right thing and play for the Angels. 

That’s fantasy, and in sports, that never happens. Elite players want to get paid and play for a championship. Going to Boston presents the best of both worlds for Crawford.

As good as the Angels are, they may have a tough time to win the division. The Rangers are still the team to beat in the AL West. Most of their players will be returning, and they have a great core of young players that can play together for the next seven years. Crawford did not want to take that risk.

It’s hard to blame him, but it would have been nice if he decided to be a difference maker for the Angels. Sports should feature great competitors not joining the other team if they can’t beat them.

Rays fans were led to believe Crawford would be a Ray. After all, he is soft-spoken. He is not the type of guy that likes to to deal with scrutiny. He never talked about what’s it like to be a big stage.

That’s the problem with assuming. Folks deal with five stages of grief. They deal with denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

For the Rays, they probably are in the acceptance stage. They knew the gang would be gone in the offseason . Rays owner Stu Sternberg mentioned that many times this season. That’s why their one-and-out postseason was hard to accept

For the fans, they have reached the anger stage now. They were in denial when rumors broke out Crawford made his decision. It won’t be long until depression comes. Acceptance should come when exhibition games start.

Fans will be into baseball, and they will worry about how the 2010 team will work out. When Crawford makes his return, then the anger will break out.

This is the same fanbase that booed several Rays this year. B.J. Upton heard it a lot whenever he struck out. The fans let Dan Wheeler have it after bad outings. Even James Shields was not immune to it.

Winning has brought people to teh games. There is interest now. Those fans watched Crawford enough to know what he meant to the team. They are not going to be happy seeing him beat their team too often.

It’s easy to rip fans, but they are emotionally attached to the team. When a player leaves to their team’s rival, it’s like a player spitting on someone’s face. There is a reason why Clevelanders are angry at James. They felt he disrespected them by making his decision on national television. They thought he took their loyalty for granted.

Now, fans should not get caught up in sports. They should view it as entertainment, but that’s easier said than done. When fans are paying money and investing their time in the team, they want players and management to appreciate them.

It’s understandable for fans to act that way, but that’s not reality. Players are out for themselves. They have their own goals, and that’s making money, winning championships and taking care of their family. Management is all about the bottom line. If fans understand that part of it, they would be better off.

It’s surprising to see Crawford receive that vitriol. Hopefully, everything settles down. The best response would be not giving him any reaction.

There’s no point booing him. It’s crazy to be mad at him. It’s one thing for Clevelanders to boo LeBron James, who had the audacity to tell them on national television he was talking his talent to South Beach. The former Ray played for the organization for 10 years. That’s a long time.

Booing the guy would be showing love. He would get the attention that he doesn’t deserve. It’s okay to root for him to fail. After all, he is playing for a rival, but there’s no reason to go this far.

It would not make the fanbase look good by booing him. Rays fans receive flack for not going to games. Why make it even worse by behaving badly towards a guy that did so much for the community?

It’s time to move on, and support the new group of guys. Let Crawford be a distant memory.

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The Boston Red Sox have officially gotten the ball rolling in Orlando by signing the top position player on the MLB free agent market, Carl Crawford. Thursday morning, the two sides agreed on a seven year contract worth $142 million.

Boston’s colossal signing should cause a domino effect of signings and trades in the last day of the 2010 Winter Meetings and beyond. Here are 10 moves that we could see happen in the coming days of the MLB offseason.

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A whole new chapter was added to the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox bitter rivalry Thursday.

The Red Sox signed all-star outfielder Carl Crawford to a 142 million dollar deal forcing the Yankees to make a move.

Instead of just signing Cliff Lee, Brian Cashman came up with an ingenious plan.

Signing Lee would only improve the Yankees.  Cashman wanted to make a move that would improve the Yankees and hurt the Red Sox at the same time.

Cashman’s response: drafting Daniel Turpen in the MLB’s Rule Five Draft.

The rivalry of rivalries just got taken to a whole new level.

Turpen is a 6’4″ Goliath, a 215 pound tank that can mow down batters at the plate like a John Deer.

He humbly boasts a fast ball that accelerates faster than a Maxximus G-Force at 94 miles per hour.

Don’t blink.

Last season, he absolutely shut down opposing batters.  No one could touch him as he produced a 4.3 ERA.

Nolan Ryan who?

At the young age of 24, he’s not even at the top of his game yet.  It’s almost impossible to dream of him getting any better than he already is, but he has no ceiling.

A few months into next season, C.C. Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez will all be jumped in terms of the greatest Yankees pick up of the past decade.

The Yankees just slapped the Red Sox organization right in the face.

Babe Ruth left Boston a curse that lasted for 86 years.  The curse Turpen leaves could, should, will last a life time.

David Daniels is an NFL Featured Columnist and Writing Intern at Bleacher Report and a Syndicated Writer.  Follow him at One Yard Short.com or on Twitter

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This Article was first featured on New England Sports Online: Carl Crawford on the Red Sox: Double Trouble for the Rays. Follow me on Twitter for an always fresh perspective @neso17.

Carl Crawford is truly an intriguing player. He is arguably the game’s most feared five-tool player, in that he can hit for average, hit for power, steal bases, field well and throw well.

Crawford has stolen 50 bases five times in his career, including one 60 steals season. His lowest steal total for a season (other than his rookie year) came in 2008 with 25, when he only played in 109 games.

At this point, here’s what the Red Sox lineup would presumably look like:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury, CF

2. Dustin Pedroia, 2B

3. Carl Crawford, LF

4. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B

5. Kevin Youkilis, 3B

6. David Ortiz, DH

7. J.D. Drew, RF

8. Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C

9. Marco Scutaro, SS

I have heard people criticizing the decisions Sox’ GM Theo Epstein has made this off-season, saying that re-signing Victor Martinez and Adrian Beltre would make the Sox’ lineup as dangerous as it currently looks.

However, Adrian Beltre has had two great seasons in his entire career, both of which were contract years. In Beltre’s twelve-year career, he’s only hit above .300 twice, and has only topped 25 home runs three times.

Victor Martinez will certainly be missed, especially since it is unclear whether or not his replacement, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, can produce in the major leagues.

Martinez is one of the best hitting catchers in the MLB, if not the best, and considering the wear-and-tear his body takes, he is durable, hits for average and belts home runs. His fielding was good, but he was unable to throw runners out.

Also, with four years on the contract he earned from Detroit, he’ll be 36 at the expiration of the deal. Generally, catcher’s careers are shorter than most players, since their body does take a beating. The Sox did not need another Mike Lowell situation down the road.

To see whether or not this Red Sox team is better than the one they would have had by reusing last year’s squad, let’s compare each team position by position.

Right Field: J.D. Drew vs. J.D. Drew;

Wash.

Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Mike Cameron;

Ellsbury. Jacoby Ellsbury is a better player. He has had a better average over his career (albeit a short one thus far) and is brutally dangerous on the base paths.

Left Field: Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Carl Crawford;

Crawford. First of all, we must realize that the team’s left field last season was made up of a platoon of Darnell MacDonald, Daniel Nava, Ryan Kalish and Jeremy Hermida. Crawford is an upgrade over every one of those players.

Against Ellsbury: Crawford has a slight speed disadvantage, but has put up All-Star numbers throughout his career, showing consistency and veteran poise and leadership.

Second Base: Dustin Pedroia vs. Dustin Pedroia;

Wash.

Short Stop: Marco Scutaro vs. Marco Scutaro;

Wash.

First Base: Kevin Youkilis vs. Adrian Gonzalez;

Gonzalez. Both are phenomenal defenders. Youkilis has shown himself to be one of the all-time great defensive first basemen after not only earning a gold glove but also setting the record for most error-less games in-a-row. Gonzalez, although he holds no records, has won two gold gloves.

Offensively, Youkilis has a better career OBP and batting average. However, Gonzalez’s numbers are hurt by his first two years in Texas, where he played sparingly. Once in San Diego, he began to put up massive numbers. His OBP is just 20 points lower than Kevin Youkilis’ ridiculous .394.

His batting average, .288, is just 6 points less than Youk’s .294, and both strike out with the same regularity (both averaging about 120 K’s/season).

However, it is A-Gon’s home run total that sets him apart. He average 32 bombs per season to Youk’s 23, and he also averages more RBI.

Nonetheless, it is not as if the Sox lost Kevin Youkilis, so his abilities are still a part of this lineup.

Third Base: Kevin Youkilis vs. Adrian Beltre;

Youkilis. I think it safe to say that Beltre will not be a part of this team next season, simply because there’s no space for him at either corner of the infield. Youkilis is a more consistent fielder than Beltre, although Adrian does have a knack for flashy, bare-handed plays.

Still, Youkilis isn’t afraid to get down and dirty on any play, and makes his share of highlight plays as well. Offensively, as I mentioned earlier, Beltre has had two good seasons, both in contract years. With a long-term deal likely on its way, Beltre won’t be in a contract year for quite some time.

Youk has better career numbers in terms of average and OBP, and has consistently put up his high numbers. Beltre, if his two fluke seasons are not considered, is a career .265 hitter who barely averages 20 HR/season.

Catcher: Jarrod Saltalamacchia vs. Victor Martinez;

Martinez. There’s no way around this one. Martinez is just a better player compared to Salty. He’s a proven veteran who can put up big numbers in key situations.

Overall:

As a whole, the Sox have a more balanced offensive attack with more weapons, including speed and power. The only flaw I see with the current lineup is how lefty-heavy it is. Only Pedroia, Youk, Scutaro and Salty are right-handed hitters.

Against the Yankees, who will feature C.C. Sabathia, potentially Andy Pettite, and possibly Cliff Lee (all pitchers who are very tough on lefty hitters), the Sox may have trouble.

Luckily, they have players coming off the bench who showed that they had starting capabilities last year, including Daniel Nava and Darnell MacDonald.

It is clear the Sox are a better team with Crawford, but they also cut the Rays’ squad apart by removing their most potent weapon.

Both the Sox and Yankees had a better record than the Rays last year. The Rays have gotten worse, and the Sox have improved.

The AL East is once again a two-horse race between the Red Sox and Yankees.

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