Analyzing the Coco Trade

After a year of wild speculation over what would happen with Coco, the end was swift and anti-climatic. The negotiations with the Royals were not leaked to the press so there was little pre-trade analysis on the deal.

When Coco arrived in Boston he had big shoes to fill in Damon's absence. Most fans expected him to be an instant success so they could forget about Damon's trip to the Bronx. He brought speed and great defense to the team early on, but then came the broken finger. In his first season in Boston he never really got in a grove and had multiple trips to the DL.

Ellsbury was called up when Coco was struggling at the plate late in '07 and quickly won over the fans. Crisp was a professional when he was benched and supported his teammate. Last off-season everyone believed he would be traded for a catcher or as part of a deal for Santana but he was still on the team when spring training rolled around. The platoon in the outfield worked for most of the season because of the steady parade of injuries. As the season came to a close Coco started to get hot and his trade value went up.

The Red Sox have a solid player in Jacoby Ellsbury and they needed to get him some more playing time as well unload some salary. It had reached the point where the Red Sox could not justify Coco's salary when he was playing less than half of the games. The timing of today's trade was surprising but the outcome is not. One of Theo's main goals this off-season was to improve the bullpen and with the acquisition of Ramon Ramirez they have done that. Ramirez give Tito another option in the 8th should Oki struggle or give him a bridge to Oki and Papelbon by pitching the 7th.

Coco never developed into the player the Red Sox thought he might become. He has great defensive skills and is a good fastball hitter. His speed gives him the ability to swipe some bases but he didn't get on enough in the lead-off spot. I think Coco will do better with a change of scenery and I think the Red Sox are a better team with Ellsbury in center. In the end I think fans will respect Coco for his contributions to the team and they will appreciate having another good arm in the pen.

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Report: Coco Traded For Reliever

Kansas City Radio station WHB-810 is reporting that Coco Crisp has been traded to the Royals for reliever Ramon Ramirez. In 71 games Ramirez had an ERA of 2.64 with K.C. last season.

UPDATE: The deal has been confirmed.

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Teams Line Up to Make Offers For Coco

There is much greater interest in Coco Crisp this off-season compared to last year. The White Sox, Braves, A's, and Padres are all showing interest. Coco's salary and experience make him a good target for a trade.

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Jacoby Ellsbury Struggles In the Dog Days

Before the season began Jacoby Ellsbury was touted as the next Rookie of the Year, but as the season has worn on Ellsbury has been struggling to be the impact player he was last fall. There were times this season that a leadoff walk or single for him would equal a triple because of his ability to swipe second and third. Those days seem to be a thing of the past; he has stolen just 1 base in the last 28 games! Rob over at The Bottom Line needs to change his picture in "The Chase to 54" to one of Ellsbury standing on first or riding some pine. The lack of stolen bases is a direct result of struggles at the plate. Jacoby is 27 for his last 127 (.212) and in danger of losing his leadoff spot. Jim Rice thinks Ellsbury needs some time "recuperate both physically and mentally." Tito thinks he will come around: "He's just going through a tough time. He doesn't seem to be pressing. He understands his responsibility and has handled himself pretty well." When Ortiz comes back Francona will not be able to DH Manny and play both Ellsbury and Coco in the outfield. This may be give Ellsbury some of the time off he needs and it also allows Coco to play all out and get miss a game here or there when he is hurt.

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West Coast Red Sox

Since this is the Western Home of Red Sox Nation, I thought I would take a moment to salute some of the Red Sox who are from the West Coast:

Jon Lester~ Tacoma, WA

Jed Lowrie~ Salem, OR

Jacoby Ellsbury~ Madras, OR

Dustin Pedroia~ Woodland, CA

Coco Crisp~ Los Angeles, CA

Curt Schilling~ born in Anchorage, AK, college at YJC, AZ

Justin Masterson~ born in Kingston, Jamaica, college at San Diego State U.

Chris Carter~ Fremont, CA, college at Stanford U.

Chris Smith~ Apple Valley, CA

Jeff Bailey~ Longview, WA

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Coco's Suspension Reduced

MLB reduced Coco Crisp's 7 game suspension by 2 games. Coco was happy with the new but Joe Maddon of the Tampa Bay Rays was not. From the Boston Herald:

“First of all, the fact that after the appeal that we made the other day that Aki’s suspension was not reduced, I’m kind of baffled by it,” Maddon told Tampa Bay reporters prior to tonight’s game in Pittsburgh. “I don’t agree with it at all. I thought it should have been reduced. I thought it was way too severe, because of the fact that we were reacting to a situation. And then furthermore, the guy that pretty much created the entire moment gets his reduced by two [games]. Honestly, none of that makes any sense to me whatsoever. There’s no way for me to take all the information that I’ve heard over the last couple of days and indicate that I’m in agreement. Regardless that I’m a Ray or not, I would think that an independent person would also agree that how this has all come down, you would say that I disagree with this.”

Coco will play tonight and miss the remainder of the Houston series and the Tampa series. This could lighten up the tension between the two teams but Papelbon may get things heated back up if he has his say.

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Starting in Center Field Tonight....

yahoo reports on the real names of pop stars. Madonna is Madonna Ciccone, Tiger Woods is Eldrick Woods, Larry the Cable Guy is Daniel Lawrence Whitney along with 17 others on their list. Number 5 on the list: Covelli (aka 'Coco') Crisp.

A-Rod did not make the list. I guess he's just not that big enough of a star.

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Cubs Want Coco Again

The Coco to Chicago trade rumors are heating up again. From today's Chicago Tribune:

General manager Jim Hendry sent special assistant Ken Kravec to scout Boston this week in Cincinnati and Philadelphia. The Cubs still are interested in Red Sox center fielder Coco Crisp,and now may be willing to include Rich Hill in a multiplayer package.

Rich Hill was born in Boston, he started 5 games this season and has a 4.12 ERA. Here is what the Daily Herald had to say about Hill last week:

Hill was plagued by control problems all through spring training. He broke camp with the Cubs but was sent to Iowa on May 3 after lasting only two-thirds of an inning the previous night at St. Louis. An 11-game winner last year, Hill figured prominently in the Cubs' plans for this year. Now, however, he looks to be a long way from returning.

With Moss able to be a backup and Coco becoming more attractive to the Cubs, the Sox may pull the trigger on this soon. I know the Sox can find value in players and you can never have too much pitching especially since Schilling now looks done for the season.

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Coco, Lester and Casey Get Suspensions

MLB suspended Coco Crisp for 7 games, Jon Lester for 5 games, and Sean Casey for 3 games after yesterday's altercation with the Rays. It is ridiculous for Lester to get 5 games from hitting a batter with a slider. I'm sure the suspension will be appealed.

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Coco Gets Beaned, Brawl Ensues

Coco Crisp was hit in the back by the second pitch he faced. He took a few steps towards first before he charged the mound and benches cleared. Coco ducked a punch by Shields but then was taken down by the catcher. Several Rays got some good shots in on Coco before the pile was broken up. Coco, Shields and Gomes were ejected. Watch below:



UPDATE: Coco talks to reporters about the brawl after the game. Shield's take on the fight. Gomes' 2 cents.

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Coco Injures Thumb on "Shady Play" Gets Revenge on the Wrong Guy

Coco Crisp injured his thumb when he slid into second headfirst in the 6th and shortstop Jason Bartlett put his knee down to block the bag. Crisp said the following about the play, “That’s a shady play there. That’s how someone can get hurt. He’s not a bad dude, but that’s not something you do as an infielder. You can break someone’s thumb that way. I told him that when I got up.” Coco tried to get revenge in the 8th when he reached base with a walk. Here's Coco's take on what happened, “I went in hard to send a message. If I wanted to hurt someone, I wouldn’t have even slid, I would have jump-kicked his (butt). I was going in there to send a message. I did what I said I was going to do, unfortunately it was to the wrong person. I don’t know why they didn’t have Bartlett covering the bag. If it was me, I would have been there to take my own licking.”



This does not seem to be over so I would be expecting a bean ball tomorrow. The Sox and Rays have had their share of fisticuffs in the past and we may see more soon. Don't forget about the time change for tomorrow's game from 7:05 to 6:05 Eastern so you can watch the C's-Lakers.

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Bobby Kielty's Long Road Back

Things have been rough for Bobby Kielty since he hit the game winning home run in Game 4 of the 2007 World Series. He chose to accept a spot with the PawSox after he was cut from the Red Sox at the start of the season in the hope that he could be back with the big club sometime this season. Much of the landscape has changed since he reported to Pawtucket; there is now a good chance that Coco will not be traded, and Brandon Moss and Jonathan Van Every have emerged as a good options when another outfielder is needed in Boston. Shortly after the season began Bobby Kielty went on the minor league DL after having surgery on his hand, missing a time when he would have been called up. He made his first of 2 rehab starts last night for the Single A Lancaster going 0-2. If Kielty is going to get back to Boston this season he needs Coco to be traded and he needs to beat out Moss and Van Every for the fourth outfielder spot. Injuries are bound to happen so I wouldn't count out Kielty but it is going to be a big test for him to find a way back into the limelight.

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Injury Update

J.D. Drew- hyper-extended his wrist (MRI negative) but will be out at least one more game.

Julio Lugo- was out again yesterday from the concussion, should be available if Mills needs him.

Coco Crisp- left last night's game with a migraine and nausea, his status is still unclear for today.

If Crisp can't go tonight the Sox may have to make a roster move to bring up Bailey, Thurston or Van Every. Hansen could be sent down for a day or two unless J.D. goes on the DL. My bet is that J.D. will end up on the DL because he rarely plays when he is even slightly hurt. There is no use keeping him off the DL if he is not going into the games anyway.

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Now Crisp is Hurt

Everyone in the outfield has some sort of injury except Manny. In yesterday's game Coco Crisp "tweaked his knee" and cannot run at full speed. Jacoby Ellsbury said he was feeling better yesterday but he is still not 100%. J.D. Drew is still day to day, none of the outfielders is going on the DL but the Sox will not have much speed in the lineup until some of the starters get back to 100%.

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Kielty Has Surgery...Now What

Bobby Kielty had surgery on his hand and is now expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Kielty was going to be the utility outfielder when the Sox traded Coco but with him hurt a trade is less likely to happen. Boston is not going to move Coco and have Thurston as the backup after his dismal performance last week. Ellsbury had been developing well while Coco was out with the leg injury but now Coco is healthy and hitting well; he showed his power and speed in yesterday's game. What are the Sox to do? Do they resume the every other day scenario in center or do they include J.D. in the platoon mix. It is possible they might just do a rotation where Ellsbury continues to play all 3 outfield positions to give players a rest or comes in late as a defensive replacement or pinch runner. The Kielty injury means there will continue to be more questions than answers in the outfield.

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Tonight's Lineup at Cleveland

Coco will be starting in center again and leading off tonight. Crisp has been getting the majority of the starts in center over Ellsbury. The Red Sox are trying to portray Crisp as a solid starting center fielder to drum up some interest in a trade. The downside to this is it limits Jacoby but he should have enough time to get ready for the stretch run if they can move Crisp before the All-Star break.

Crisp CF
Pedroia 2B
Ortiz DH
Ramirez LF
Youkilis 1B
Drew RF
Varitek C
Casey 1B
Lugo SS

SP Lester

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Coco Will Start On Tuesday

Even though it was Jacoby Ellsbury who helped the Red Sox more in the postseason last year it will be Coco Crisp who will be starting in center after the ring ceremony on Tuesday. Boston will be facing a lefty starting pitcher for the first time this season and Crisp matches up better against left handed pitchers. If Coco can not get something going soon the Red Sox need to get him out of Jacoby's way. He is not helping Boston find a trading partner when he is only hitting .235 with no RBI's so far this season.

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J.D. Will Not Start On Tuesday

J.D. Drew says his back is ok and he is ready to return but Tito is going to keep him out of the lineup tomorrow. Coco will get the start in center and Ellsbury will be in right when Boston resumes the series with Oakland. Drew should be in the lineup for Wednesday's day game.

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Red Sox-Dodgers Update

Tek is batting second in the order tonight and both Ellsbury and Crisp are in the field (Ellsbury is in right for Drew). Pedroia flew out first pitch swinging. Tek struck out on 3 pitches in his first at bat and still looked uncomfortable at the plate. Thanks to the wonders of the internet I am able to watch the game on a feed from ESPN Taiwan since it is not on NESN. Big Papi drew a walk before Manny K'd. El Gordo heads to the mound.....
-Colon gets the lead-off batter to pop up and K's the next two batters to go 3 up 3 down in the first.
-Why are there only about 15,000 in the stands tonight when there are going to be 100,000+ tomorrow? Doesn't make sense to me.
-Ellsbury and Coco both K in the second....does anyone want to play center?
-Ground out, backwards K, and gets a weak grounder to Youk but he couldn't handle the throw to ruin his perfect game in the 2nd before getting another K for the 3rd out....Bartolo is cruising with no hits, no walks and 4 K's through 2.
-Sox go in order in the 3rd...Tek K's again...still no hits for either team.
-El Gordo gets a fly out and pop up, before giving up a seeing eye single for the first hit of the game...Dodger Stadium is starting to fill up...I forgot about LA fans. Grounder to Lugo ends the 3rd inning...Colon is looking great; painting the corners and staying ahead in the count.
-Papi, Manny, and Lowell all fly out in the 4th.
-Colon gives up a double down the line, followed by a run scoring double in the gap by Jeff Kent in the bottom of the 4th. He retires the next 2 batters, walks one and gets Pierre out on a bunt attempt. Dodgers lead 1-0.
-Jacoby gets a 1 out single for the first hit for Boston. Coco walks and Lugo gets a single to load them up for Cora who is batting for Pedroia. Cora gets an RBI on a grounder to the right side to tie the game 1-1. Tek K's for the 3rd time...the phones at WEEI start to ring off the hook for callers demanding Kevin Cash to be the starting catcher.
-Tavarez replaces Colon in the bottom of the 5. Colon pitched 4 innings, giving up 2 hits and 1 earned run. Overall a very solid outing. Tavarez gives up one hit but no damage done in the 5th.
-Casey bats for Papi and gets a single, Manny gets HBP, Lowrie bats for Youk and GIDP. "Let's Go Red Sox" chant can be heard in L.A. Lars Anderson grounds out in his first at bat for the 3rd out.
-All reserves in...wrap-up in the am.

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Injury Update

J.D. Drew said he is feeling better but still has stiffness in his back and will most likely miss tonights game, his ultimate goal is to start on Tuesday.

Josh Beckett pitched great yesterday and should be ready to go for the Toronto series on April 6.

Mike Timlin has still not thrown after getting a cut on his finger and may head for the DL.

Coco is ok to play but Jacoby should get the start tonight.

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