From Peter Abraham:
The Red Sox have a seven-year, $142 million deal done with Carl Crawford.
This news is unconfirmed confirmed by Ken Rosenthal: Carl Crawford will be a Red Sox next season. My first reaction: that's a heck of a lot of money ($20M per year) to play superb defense in front of the Green Monster. Second reaction: ugh, but at least we'll get a first-round draft pick.
I don't know what surprises me more about this deal: the stealthiness with which it was negotiated, the hugeness of the money involved, that Crawford signed before Lee was off the market, or the fact that Crawford is now a RED SOX. Crawford is officially signed to the largest contract ever given to an outfielder, and the ninth largest contract of all-time. Is there anyone still wondering why the Rays couldn't bring him back?
Well, we're still 36% away from finishing our Crawford "Thank You"; now is a great time to help us get over the top. Crawford's now the enemy, but that doesn't take away from all that he's given to our franchise. Our deadline for collecting donations is Sunday, so if you've loved watching Crawford play these past nine seasons, please help.
Update: The Angels had offered Crawford a 7 year, $108M deal. If that's the next best offer, there's no doubt why Crawford went for the Red Sox. That's not just a couple million here or there - that's a $34M difference between the two. The Red Sox went big.