Coco not going to the Mets

Apparently there was a rumor going around that the Red Sox were going to trade Coco Crisp to the Mets for Angel Pagan.

I hadn’t heard this rumor until just now, probably because I was too busy fixing the site after I borked it last night. Anyway, it turns out that it’s a fabrication. So there you go.

Beckett’s back worsens, Crisp and Lugo still hurt

Josh Beckett’s back flared up today, and he feels pretty pessimistic about his chances of pitching soon.

At this point it seems unlikely that Beckett will be making the trip to Japan, which was my original fear. 

In other injury news, Coco Crisp didn’t take batting practice today because his left groin is still sore.

Damnit Coco, don’t you know it’s hard to trade you when you can’t play?

And why stop there?

Lugo is still out with a sore back. He was expected to take some swings today, but didn’t show up at BP.

Meanwhile, I’m waiting for a smallpox epidemic to hit camp.

Cubs, Red Sox talking Crisp trade

The Chicago Sun Times reports that the Cubs are interested in Coco Crisp.

The Cubs are rumored to be offering Jason Marquis and Sam Fuld, but the Red Sox aren’t going to give Coco away for a dead weight starter plus a minor league center fielder. Where’s the utility, man? Where’s the sacrifice?

The Globe speculates that the Cubs would need to offer bullpen help or prospects to get anything done.

Josh Donaldson could be a nice pickup if the Cubs package him with someone like Bob Howry or Carmen Pignatiello and a player to be named later.

Nothing else matters: Crisp just wants to play

It must have been a tough winter for Coco Crisp.

For most of the offseason, he faced the immediate possibility of having to pack up his bags and move to a new city. He saw his skills and personality repeatedly dissected on the national stage during the Santana talks. And once those talks fell apart, he knew that he was probably going to lose his job. Not the best vacation you could ask for.

A lot of people would have spoken up about one, if not all of those issues. But Crisp remained silent, just as he did when he was benched in the World Series.

Instead, he left most of the talking to his agent, who repeatedly maintained that his client just wanted to play. It didn’t matter where.

It sounded like rhetoric when it came from his agent’s mouth.

Moving isn’t fun.

Being a stranger on a new club isn’t fun.

Losing your job to a rookie in the World Series after you worked your ass off all season to get there isn’t fun.

Getting traded and playing on turf in an empty ballpark after experiencing two summers worth of sellouts and a World Series victory isn’t fun.

Playing couldn’t be all that Crisp cares about, right?

Well, after months of uncertainty, Crisp is still on the Red Sox roster—and he’s finally decided to speak for himself. Turns out, just as his agent said all winter, there is only one thing he cares about:

He just wants to play.

“I would honestly rather be somewhere else and play than be on the bench. I’ll take whatever comes and deal with it. It’s no knock against Boston. The fans have treated me well. It’s ultimately for myself.”

I don’t remember the fans ever really treating him very well, but the sentiment is nice. And as a fan, how can you not appreciate a guy who just wants to play? A guy who, by his own account, was “considered no better than a fourth outfielder” when he first came to the big leagues?

A guy who made this play?

If he won’t get to start in Boston, Crisp is still hoping for a trade. He speculates that he might be moved in a trade to fill the hole left by Schilling.

“I know with Schill going through what he’s going through, they might want to fill another spot in the back of the bullpen and bring one of those guys to the front to fill a starting position. I don’t know it’s going to work out, but I could definitely see (a trade) happening.”

The Red Sox have stated that they have not made up their minds as to who will start the season in center, and that it will largely be up to the players to duke it out on the field.

I happen to believe them.

The Herald thinks they’re full of crap.

We’ll see what happens.

Coco Crisp should start in center for Red Sox

Terry Francona told reporters today that Coco Crisp will be the incumbant center fielder, meaning that Ellsbury will have to fight for his roster spot.

Seeing how all of New England has a horrible man crush on Ellsbury, this probably won’t be a popular decision. Tito will surely be criticized in the media once the season starts and Coco hits the inevitable slump. But this is the decision I hoped they would make.

Crisp is still on the trading block, and at this point it seems unlikely that he will be traded by the end of spring training. Unless Billy Beane wants to take a gamble now and hope that he can flip Crisp at the trade deadline, there aren’t a lot of potential fits out there at the moment.

In the end, what the Red Sox get from Crisp will depend on how valuable he is to them. When a team trades one player for another, the players that switch hands are essentially compensation to the other team for their loss. If the Red Sox are only giving up a backup outfielder, then they aren’t going to get a whole lot in return.

Keeping Crisp in the starting nine builds his trade value.

As an added bonus to starting Crisp in center, the Red Sox will retain control of Ellsbury for an extra year if he stays in Pawtucket until May 15th.

It’s nice to see the club making another logical decision. It’s a good time to be a Red Sox fan.