MLB Rumors: Carl Crawford or Prince Fielder, Who is Better for the Chicago Cubs?
As the Theo Epstein situation continues to stretch on, Comcast's Tony Andracki touched on a growing rumor Tuesday that the Boston Red Sox may be looking to dump Epstein's signing of Carl Crawford onto Chicago. Would this be something that the Chicago Cubs should consider? Or would they rather try their hand in free agency?
I honestly am not quite sure. The only reason why I would almost consider that the Cubs should seriously consider taking this offer is because there is no guarantee they will get the Milwaukee Brewers' Prince Fielder, and that is also if they ultimately decide to go for him. I know Cub fans are interested in St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols too, but for the sake of conversation, we will focus on Crawford and Fielder.
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The reason why Fielder and Crawford go more hand-in-hand is that they both present the opportunity to answer the hole the Cubs have with left-handed hitting. Chicago also has a need to improve at both first base and the outfield, but it would be impossible for the Cubs to take on both of these contracts. It would have to be one or the other.
Crawford is definitely intriguing. Apparently, he doesn't have much of a purpose in Boston, and he is expendable at 30 years old. His Alfonso Soriano-sized contract should scare the Cubs at first, but there is reason to take a chance on Crawford. In 2011, Crawford did not perform. He batted .255 with only 11 home runs. His 56 RBI and 14 stolen bases were also very low for what he has done in the past.
For his career, he has averaged .293, 77 RBI, 99 runs and 51 stolen bases. Those are not terrible numbers, especially considering the turmoil year he had in his first season with Boston.
There is no doubt that Crawford has proved that he can be a great player, and perhaps Boston just wasn't the place for him. I wouldn't expect the Cubs to just take on Crawford. They would have to make the Red Sox take on either Carlos Zambrano or Soriano. The Red Sox are looking for pitching, and they could use Soriano as a DH since David Ortiz may be on his way out.
Also, as previously mentioned, there is no guarantee that the Cubs are going to sign any big-time free agents. Pujols isn't likely to leave. The Cardinals are in the World Series, and they have a good chance at winning. Fielder, on the other hand, is very unpredictable. He could definitely jump ship and come to Chicago, as he doesn't exactly seem to care so much about loyalty. However, h poses just as much of a risk as Crawford.
Over the next six seasons, Crawford is owed $122 million. I know Cubs fans are afraid of giving any player significant money, especially after a poor season, but Crawford would potentially come at a much cheaper price then Fielder.
Fielder is likely going to be looking for a contract in the $300 million range. It really depends on if he or Pujols signs first. If Pujols signs first at something of a hometown discount, that could be potentially very good for any team looking to go after Fielder. Then again, he will be highly coveted and his price tag may go up on demand alone.
In 2011, Fielder had a terrific year. He didn't defeat any career highs, but nobody is going to argue with a .299 batting average, 38 home runs and 120 RBI. On paper, Fielder is clearly the better option. Also, the Cubs have more of a need at first then outfield, but they could figure out a way to satisfy either position, depending on what they decide to go with.
The Cubs shouldn't feel that they need to take on Crawford in order to get Epstein, but perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad move. There is always a need for a good lefty, and the Cubs are extremely heavy on right-handed hitting.
If they are looking to get a lefty hitter, they may find themselves out of luck depending on what Fielder decides to do. At least with a trade, the Cubs are guaranteed to get a guy who should at least improve their team.
In the end, it really doesn't matter until the Cubs and Theo Epstein get things going. I don't expect the Red Sox to include Crawford into the Epstein deal, but it could definitely be brought up during the discussions to set up a possible move once Epstein takes over the Cubs front office.
Until things are finalized between the Red Sox and Cubs, no one really knows what direction Epstein is going to take once he assumes position. He may continue to reel in the big fish like he did in Boston, or he may decide to build from the ground up. Whatever happens, this is something to stay tuned for.
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