Friday, it was made official, the Boston Red Sox signed Carl Crawford…and on Saturday, he was introduced to the press. And yeah…Crawford t-shirts are already available in Beantown.
“We made a connection with him,” Boston General Manager Theo Epstein said. “He was really intrigued with being part of our lineup. We felt like we were well-positioned to under the radar grind it out a little bit, and in the end he would want to come here.”
“They made me feel like they really wanted me,” Crawford said. “That was big.”
A seven-year, $142 million contract (plus $6 million dollar signing bonus) will help do that. And before you ask, yes, you’re looking at the biggest contract ever signed by an outfielder.
Last season the 29-year-old hit .307 with career highs in home runs (19) and RBI (90). He also swiped 47 bases en route to his fourth All-Star Game and first Gold Glove award.
On July 31st, Crawford reached 400 stolen bases…becoming only the seventh player in history to reach that mark before his 29th birthday. And less than three weeks later, he hit the 100th triple of his career. That feat would tie Crawford with Ty Cobb as being the only Major Leaguers to hit 100 triples and have 400 stolen bases before the age of 30.
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