Carl Crawford wants out of Tampa Bay

by Eli Greenspan on Nov 14, 2009 12:55 PM EST

UPDATE (4:01 P.M.): Tampabay.com doesn't believe the NY Baseball Digest's report has any merit. While they have yet to speak to any officials, Tampabay.com looks at quotes from both sides over the past few weeks regarding the issue, and it doesn't add up to the latest report. Stay tuned.

NY Baseball Digest's Frank Russo is reporting that Rays outfielder Carl Crawford is livid that the Rays picked up his 10 million dollar club option and wants to be traded.

"He wants out of Tampa bad," is what we were told. "He had a handshake agreement with management that they would renegotiate the contract instead of picking up the option and they went ahead and did it anyway. He’s pissed beyond belief."

Russo has three possible outcomes from this situation. One would be the Rays approaching Crawford about an extension, apologizing for the miscommunication and awarding him for his solid play over the past few seasons. The other would be to trade Crawford, who arguably is one of the most athletic outfielders in the game, for a boatload of prospects. The third possibility would be to ignore his demands and let things play out over the course of the 2010 season. When the season is over, let him walk and collect on the draft picks he will net the team.

There is certainly a big market for Crawford if he were made available. The Angels, Yankees, and Cubs would all enter the mix, along with a handful of other teams.

Crawford hit 15 home runs this season, walking a career high 51 times while stealing an impressive 60 bases. The 28-year old outfielder could command a 5 or 6 year deal on the open market, in the 10-12 million dollar range annually.

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