Money, obviously, is very important. Playing in an attractive city helps. Having a history of success can never hurt.
The Red Sox have all three. They also have an ace in the hole.
With his well-earned reputation as a players' manager who helps to create a relaxed and supportive atmosphere in the team clubhouse, Terry Francona is the kind of guy who can sway those who might be caught in the middle.
Crawford, for one, was appreciative of the skipper's presence when the Sox sent a contingent to meet with the All-Star left fielder and his agent, Greg Genske. The meeting struck a chord with Crawford, who had his fair share of suitors.
"That was big for me, to feel like I was going to go somewhere where the people actually wanted to have me," he said.
Francona was also along for the ride when general manager Theo Epstein met with free-agent outfielder Jayson Werth, who afterwards described the prospect of playing in Boston as a dream. That was before the Washington Nationals stunned us all with a massive offer that Werth could not turn down.
As for Francona and Crawford, they are no strangers, of course. The manager had the player on a Team USA installment many years ago and has tried to beat Crawford and his former team 18 times a season since the skipper came aboard in Boston in 2004. Half of those occasions involved Crawford coming into Fenway Park and seeing a team that loves to go to work for the guy calling the shots, all in front of an adoring fan base.
It's a scenario that's tough to pass up if you have the option. But what if Francona had stayed behind on that trip to Houston? Would that message that Crawford was truly wanted by Boston be as strong as it was with the skipper in the room?
It may have been immaterial. Reports suggest that Genske put out a deadline for any team to offer seven years and $142 million to land Crawford and that Boston was the first to come in at that level, doing so roughly 10 minutes before the deadline. Still, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim eventually put the same offer on the table, according to reports, leaving Crawford to make a decision.
"His agent asked, 'If everyone’s at the same place [monetarily], where do you want to be?’ And he said, 'Boston,'" Epstein said. "It came together on another team’s deadline.
"We were very happy about that. We were able to get in touch with ownership, and they showed tremendous faith in us and tremendous commitment to winning."
Not that Crawford is the type of player who needs emotional support on a daily basis, but for those free agents that might hesitate to play in a media-mad, energetic place like Boston, it’s nearly imperative that a guy like Francona is in place. Knowing you will have support from the one guy who matters most can make all the difference when imagining that first major slump and how it might be received. Players want to be comfortable wherever they go, and not just in their new home in the suburbs.
Perhaps the most famous of the Red Sox' visits to a player's turf for a negotiation involves the wooing of Curt Schilling in 2003. Over Thanksgiving at Schilling's home, Epstein and others were able to persuade the right-hander to accept a trade to Boston. Francona was not there. In fact, he had not been formally hired, but Schilling knew that the hiring was a near-certainty. Having a chance to play for his one-time manager in Philadelphia cinched it. A year later, both were celebrating the team’s first title in 86 years, in case you forgot.
The thought of such glory is part of what brought Crawford aboard. Knowing he could do it with a manager like Francona didn't hurt.
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