Ben Cherington Denies Carl Crawford Trade Rumor, Says ‘He’s Our Left Fielder and We’re Glad to Have Him Back’

by John Beattie on Wed, Jul 18, 2012 at 2:01PM

Carl Crawford isn’t going anywhere, according to Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington.

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal wrote on Wednesday that the Sox “are contacting teams to gauge their trade interest in Crawford,” according to his sources. Cherington, however, denies that rumor.

“There’s nothing going on with Carl,” Cherington said. “He’s our left fielder and we’re glad to have him back in our lineup.”

USA Today reported that the Sox and Marlins were discussing a deal that would send Crawford to South Beach for infielder Hanley Ramirez and relief pitcher Heath Bell. Cherington has denied that rumor, as well.

“We have not offered Carl to a single team,” Cherington told USA TODAY Sports. “We have not pursued anything on Carl Crawford. Carl is our left fielder.”

Rosenthal believes that any deal involving Crawford would be difficult, due to the size of the 30-year-old’s contract and recent injuries. Crawford, who is 4-for-7 with four RBIs in two games since returning from the DL, is in the second year of a seven-year, $142 million deal.