Could Rays move Crawford at Winter Meetings?
By Bud L. Ellis
The Hot Stove is fired up, and Carl Crawford is the hottest ember as baseball heads to the Winter Meetings next week in Indianapolis.
The Tampa Bay left fielder very well may be traded during the gathering of GMs and baseball execs. Even with the talk of Crawford inking a long-term deal with the Rays, there will be plenty of speculation the speedy outfielder will be with another organization once the meetings adjourn.
The Rays picked up Crawford’s option for 2010 in the days following the end of the 2009 season, at a price tag of $10 million. And while there is quite a lot of evidence suggesting Crawford will be in the Rays’ lineup come opening day, his skill set makes him a highly sought-after piece of some team’s puzzle.
Trading Crawford would allow the Rays to land valuable parts to reconstruct a roster that fell short of the playoffs last season, one year after Tampa Bay won the 2008 AL pennant and advanced to its first World Series in franchise history.
Crawford hit .305 in 156 games last season, with 15 homers, 68 RBIs and a career-high 60 stolen bases. Defensively, he’s one of the better outfielders in baseball with his speed, and many teams would love to have him in their fold come next season.
But will that happen? Stay tuned.
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