MLB Free Agents 2012: 5 Most Likely Destinations for Coco Crisp

Starting his career in 2002 with the Cleveland Indians, Coco Crisp has had a fairly decent career with the Indians, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, and the Oakland Athletics.

Missing most of the 2009 and 2010 seasons due to injury, Crisp was able to have a good 2011 campaign, perhaps signaling a return to his glory days where he would consistently hit in the .300s.

Prior to this "comeback" season in 2011, many were speculative about his future career, but it now seems likely that Crisp definitely still has some good years left in the tank.

His numbers for the 2011 season were: .264/.314/.379, 136 games, 8 home runs, 54 RBIs, 27 doubles, and 49 stolen bases

At 32 years of age, Crisp still has the potential to put up good numbers and will likely be able to ink at least a 2-year deal with a team in need of a center-fielder.

In fact, many consider Crisp as the premier free-agent center-fielder in this years free agency, and many teams will definitely give him a consideration.

Here is a list of the top-five teams that Coco Crisp could be playing for in the years ahead. 

New York Mets

After letting go of Carlos Beltran to the San Francisco Giants last year, the Mets are in need of another outfielder that can compliment Jason Bay, and who better than speedy and veteran center-fielder Coco Crisp.

Not only does will he bring a defensive prowess to center-field that will work very well with Jason Bay in left field, but the Mets can definitely use his speed on the bases to help conjure up some more runs and hopefully improve an offense that was fairly stagnant last year.

Crisp has done his fair share of traveling throughout his MLB career, and may just be headed back East for a year or two with the Mets. 

San Francisco Giants

After a season that was riddled with injuries to not just the outfield but to the entire team as well, the San Francisco Giants will be looking to add some depth to their 2012 roster.

One of the main areas that they will need to address is their outfield, and they may do so by signing Cocoa Crisp. 

Crisp would give the Giants some added depth in the outfield, barring another injury-plagued season for the team, and would also be an excellent player and hitter at the top of their order. 

Oakland Athletics

Crisp had one of his better season in recent memory this past season with the Athletics, so why not stay there?

The Athletics are a very young team that need a veteran presence to bring all of their guys together and to rally around when things get tough. Not only will he bring his skills as a baseball player to the field, but he will be a great mentor for the young players going through the Athletics' system.

An added bonus to being in Oakland is that he may be able to take advantage of an always weak AL West Division and help lead the Athletics back from the cellar of the AL West to contend for a playoff berth in 2012. 

Washington Nationals

Another team that is quite young and in need of a veteran presence, the Nationals seem to be on the verge of having a surprisingly good year, and will be looking for a key player to help spark both their offense and defense, and Crisp may be the right player for them.

Florida Marlins

There is no doubt that the Florida Marlins are desperate again for a good outfielder, which they have not seemed to have in recent years, and Coco Crisp could be the solution to their recent difficulties.

Adding Crisp to another young roster will be very beneficial as the Marlins will look to become relevant once again in 2012 and would probably be one of the better offseason moves that they could make.