Sports Insider by Frank Coppola: Question of the Week: Should the Red Sox trade Coco Crisp?

February 23, 2008

Question of the Week: Should the Red Sox trade Coco Crisp?

What should the Red Sox do with Coco Crisp, trade him or keep him?

Frank Coppola
Seacoast Media Group assistant sports editor
They should deal him, preferably sooner rather than later. Now that Crisp has said he will likely request a trade from the Red Sox if he is unable to beat out Jacoby Ellsbury for the starting center-field job, his trade value is only going to decline the longer he’s here. Barring injury, Ellsbury is going to win the job, so Crisp will be nothing more than a backup if the Red Sox wait to deal him. Chemistry is a big reason why Boston has won two World Series in four years, and the last thing the Sox need is an unhappy guy sitting on the bench. Remember Nomar’s final days in Boston? Besides, Bobby Kielty is an adequate fourth outfielder. With Curt Schilling sidelined, the Red Sox should trade Crisp for the best starting pitcher they can find.

Roger Brown
Seacoast Media Group sportswriter
The Red Sox should keep Crisp, assuming he’s willing to accept his role as a fourth outfielder and a late-inning defensive replacement. Crisp isn’t as good as Jacoby Ellsbury, but he would be a luxury coming off the bench. Offense isn’t his strength, but he’s excellent defensively and he can steal bases. He would also provide insurance in case of an injury to one of the team’s starting outfielders, or if Manny decides he want to take a couple of weeks off. If Crisp insists on being a regular in the lineup, however, then the Sox should entertain offers. He’s not a player who’s going to make or break the 2008 season.

Mike Zhe
Seacoast Media Group sportswriter
Deal him. Coco’s had two years here and he is what he is: a .266 hitter who’ll give you 20-something stolen bases, 20-something doubles and good defense. In other words, Darren Lewis. In theory, it would be nice to have him available off the bench and for a start every four or five days, but if he can fetch anything on the market, it’s better to trade him and start grooming a younger guy who can one day fill an outfield role full-time. Manny is 35 (and in the last year of his contract) and J.D. Drew is 32. Management — and fans — are clamoring to see exciting center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury in the line-up every day, making Crisp as essential as a bench coach. Pat him on the back and give him a change of scenery.

Jay Pinsonnault
Seacoast Media Group copy editor
The market for center fielders is not great right now and the Sox wouldn’t be able to get full value for Crisp’s skills (defense, speed), age (28) and contract (two years, $10.5M; 2010 $8M team option). Therefore, Crisp should be kept as a pinch-runner, a primary backup for Jacoby Ellsbury, and late-inning defensive replacement for Manny Ramirez as the Sox did last year in the postseason. And it’s only time before the oft-injured J.D. Drew needs some time off, and the Sox could do much worse than moving Ellsbury to right for a few games. And who knows, perhaps the Sox let the 35-year-old Ramirez walk at season’s end, save $20M, shift Crisp to left field, and go after a starting pitcher in a strong free-agent class consisting of John Lackey, Rich Harden, Brad Penny, C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets.

Mike Sullivan
Seacoast Media Group columnist
Keep him — for now. While Red Sox manager Terry Francona tells us the center field job is an open competition between Coco Crisp and Jacoby Ellsbury, nobody believes that. But what if Ellsbury’s late-season performance and memorable playoff run last season were flukes? Granted, he seems like a sure thing, but we know such a thing doesn’t exist at that level. Wait and see what Ellsbury does, and if he looks good, trade Crisp. If Ellsbury can’t cut it, remember that Crisp is among the elite defensive center fielders in the game who once upon a time in Cleveland had a decent bat. The one thing the Sox brass can’t do, though, is wait too long; Crisp won’t be happy sitting and you don’t want him to become a distraction.

Posted by Frank Coppola at February 23, 2008 05:52 PM

Comments

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30	31