Two offseasons ago, the big free-agent prize was Mark Teixeira and the Red Sox were very much in the hunt until the bogeyman (a.k.a The Yankees) swooped in and snatched him two days before Christmas. There are various and sundry rumors as to why the Sox failed to land him, from John Henry's indiscreet tweet to Mrs. Teixeira's shopping preferences, but in the end, the bottomless pit of financial resources that is the Yankees (their GM's name is CASHman, for pete's sake!) ponied up more dough.
Fast-forward to the present time and the grand prize is Carl Crawford. The Sox NEED a 5-tool guy like Crawford and they'd much rather have him on their side than face him 18 times a year. Yes, the Yankees are in on him (surprise, surprise) as are the Angels. The Sox have a lot of holes to fill in order to be legitimate playoff contenders next season and middle-of-the-order bat is one of them, since V-Mart motored on up to Detroit. An alternative would be Jayson Werth, but Werth is basically a right-handed JD Drew. Justin Upton would also be a good fit, but he'd cost a ton of prospects and major-league players like Daniel Bard. The bullpen can in no way afford to lose its best and most consistent reliever. Crawford's the man to get and since he's a free agent, he won't cost a single prospect or player.
With the ownership's purchase of a certain overseas soccer team, how much they are willing to spend on the Red Sox will invite even more scrutiny than usual from the Nation. An offseason following an non-playoff season ups the ante as well. Whether they like it or not, John Henry and Company have something to prove to the Red Sox and their fans. Ponying up for Carl Crawford would go a long way toward showing the fans that the Red Sox are still high on their priority list.
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