Carl Crawford....Enough Said

In 2010, the Red Sox won 89 games. In markets such as Kansas City or Pittsburgh, that win total would merit a parade through the downtown areas. Here in Boston, however, we are accustomed to totals a fair amount higher than that, generally approaching the century mark. So 89 wins looks pretty bland, until you consider the following:

-Kevin Youkilis missed 60 games due to injury
-Dustin Pedroia missed 87 games due to injury
-Jacoby Ellsbury missed 144 games due to injury (as well as being unable to get the sand out)
-Josh Beckett made only 21 starts due to injury, and was ineffective when he actually was healthy

And oh by the way, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford didn't call the Fens their home last year. After spending the past several off-seasons as spectators in free agency, taking waivers on players such as John Smoltz, Brad Penny, Marco Scutaro, etc., the Red Sox have re-emerged as a force to be reckoned with in the American League.

I touched on it early this week, a lot of the current problems with the Red Sox date back to the failure to land Mark Teixeira in the winter of 2008-09. The following winter, "run prevention" was preached, with GM Theo Epstein admitting that 2010 could be a "bridge year".

Thought the Sox were done after Adrian Gonzalez? Nope. Cue up the Sweet Caroline, because good times have never seemed so good.

Wait a second. This is Boston, home of the second largest payroll in the Majors over the past decade or so. We're a big market team, Theo. Act like it! The memo finally got to Epstein, as the fire under his seat reached the highest levels of his tenure as GM.  With the Rays slashing payroll to depths unimaginable, and the Yankees looking more vulnerable than ever (more on that in a minute), the time was right for the Red Sox to make a seismic splash and get back into the conversation as the best team in baseball.

In Crawford, the Red Sox get a genuine 5-tool player who's worst season wouldn't exactly jump out at you on a stat sheet as even mediocre. A four-time all-star, Crawford is coming off arguably his best all-around season, when he established a career high in home runs (19), took home his first Silver Slugger and Gold Glove award, and finished 7th in AL MVP voting.  His 90 RBIs and .851 OPS also established career highs, while his .307 batting average marked the 5th time in the past 6 seasons he has hit over .300, the only exception being an injury-plagued campaign in 2008. Aside from that '08 campaign, Crawford has displayed remarkable durability, playing in at least 143 games in all of his professional seasons since his rookie year of 2002. He has also led the league in triples and stolen bases four times apiece.

Where does he fit into the lineup? Obviously he will slide in somewhere 1 through 3, depending on how the front office still views Ellsbury as a lead-off hitter. Dustin Pedroia is firmly entrenched in the 2 spot, so it is likely Crawford either leads off or hits third. Personally, I would put Crawford in the lead-off spot, where his speed can be better utilized than it would be in the meat of the order. By having Ellsbury move from the top to the bottom of the order, he will be even more free to run, which is a scary thought for opposing defenses. Something like this is probably what we're looking at right now:

LF Crawford
2B Pedroia
1B Gonzalez
3B Youkilis
DH Ortiz
C Russell Martin (assuming we sign him)
RF Drew
SS Lowrie/Scutaro
CF Ellsbury

Martin would bat 6th ahead of Drew based on splitting up the righty/lefty dynamic, creating match-up issues throughout the lineup for pitching staffs. What exactly is the ceiling for this lineup? Let's not forget, the Red Sox were 2nd in the Majors in runs scored last year, despite what I mentioned earlier about all of those injuries. Adding players like Gonzalez and Crawford? No question they should improve on the 818 from a year ago. This offense could potentially be more potent than the 2003-2005 Boston lineups, which scored 962, 949, and 907 runs respectively, leading the Majors all three years. The base running should be off the charts as well. Ellsbury and Crawford should easily approach 100 steals combined, quite possibly more depending on how much of a free leash Crawford gets.

Beyond the lineup, what is the exact ceiling for the team as a whole? 100 wins is not out of the question at all, and if everyone produces to their potential, why not even 110? Should the 1906 Cubs or 2001 Mariners get nervous about their 116?

Obviously, it's only December, and we're still a solid 2 months away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Fort Myers. But I think it goes without saying that the Red Sox are the team to beat in the American League, particularly if the Yankees miss out on Cliff Lee. Does it seem likely they do? No. But there's a small enough possibility for Lee to remain in Texas that the Red Sox can dream of not only winning the AL East, but straight up running away with it. It's much too soon for a prediction of any kind, but you can put me on the record for 105 as of this writing. Welcome to Fenway, Carl.