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Boston Red Sox: Biggest free agent busts in franchise history

By Drew Athans

BOSTON, MA - APRIL 15: Pablo Sandoval #48 of the Boston Red Sox runs to the dugout during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on April 15, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day.(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - APRIL 15: Pablo Sandoval #48 of the Boston Red Sox runs to the dugout during the third inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Fenway Park on April 15, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day.(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 19: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Carl Crawford #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 19, 2012 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox 4-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 19: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Carl Crawford #13 of the Boston Red Sox looks on against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on August 19, 2012 in the Bronx borough of New York City. The Yankees defeated the Red Sox 4-1. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /

Carl Crawford

I’ve never understood the logic that because a player always performs great when you play against him, you should sign him, but that’s exactly the thought process the Red Sox had when they signed Carl Crawford. He’d been a thorn in their side for years as a member of the Tampa Bay Rays and they just had to have him.

There’s been a lot of controversy in the years during and since Crawford’s short time in Boston, most of it stemming from the fact that in no way did the Red Sox really need him. Faced with declining television ratings after the 2010 season, Red Sox chairman Tom Werner, a TV guy who oversaw the team’s NESN network, urged Theo Epstein to sign Crawford.

Believing the team needed to “make a splash” to reignite fan interest, Red Sox ownership overrode Epstein’s objections and pushed for the signing of Crawford. Even though the Red Sox already had a speedy outfielder who hit leadoff (Jacoby Ellsbury), the owners wanted Crawford and they got him.

Signing him for seven years and $142 million, the contract was a disaster from the start. Crawford only hit .137 in the first two weeks of the season and for the year finished with a .255 average,11 home runs, 56 RBI, and a dismal .289 OBP.

His defense was bad in Boston, too, and few can forget the lasting image of him botching a line drive to left field in Baltimore on the final day of the season which allowed the winning run to score and completed the Red Sox historic September collapse. He spent most of 2012 injured and didn’t play his first game of the season until July.

He ended up being shut down August to undergo Tommy John surgery and in 31 games in 2012, Crawford hit .282 with 3 home runs, 19 RBI, and a .306 OBP. While recovering from the surgery, he was included in the huge salary dump when he was traded, alongside Josh Beckett and Adrian Gonzalez, to the Dodgers.

Once he left Boston, Crawford said that he was depressed during his time in Boston and that it was a “toxic” place to play. Whether or not that’s true, Crawford was, like Renteria, not mentally cut out to play in Boston for the Red Sox. This one might be the worst free-agent signing they’ve ever made if not for the following guy.

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