There isn’t much going on in the baseball world that NESN Red Sox Insider Peter Gammons doesn’t know about.
So of course, Gammons got the inside scoop on the recent meeting between the Red Sox and free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford in Houston.
“I heard the meeting went very well,” Gammons reported. “There’s clearly a mutual interest.”
However, this offseason acquisition will not be an easy one for the Red Sox, as there are other MLB suitors out there waiting to woo Crawford into their city. As one of the larger markets, Boston has a chance to land the high-profile free agent, and the Red Sox reportedly are working very hard to sign him.
As expected, however, acquiring Crawford will not come cheap. In the original report by the Boston Herald, Crawford is asking for an eight-year deal and will likely command somewhere in the neighborhood of $16-19 million per season.
“I think there’s a possibility,” Gammons said of the Sox signing Crawford. “It’s going to be expensive.”
Despite the successful meeting, it may be a while before Crawford makes his decision on what uniform he’ll be wearing next season. As Gammons said during Red Sox Hot Stove Live on Tuesday, the big splash free agents are waiting to see what route Cliff Lee pursues before making their ultimate decision.
Once Lee chooses his next destination, however, the hot stove season will really kick into high gear.
“Everyone is going to wait until Cliff Lee gets done,” Gammons said.
