Rays May Be After ANOTHER Outfielder

In his blog today Buster Olney reports that since the Rays have tried, and failed, to sign Kenny Lofton that they may go after Coco Crisp.

"The Rays are searching for an outfielder who can hit left-handed, and now that they have tried and failed to sign Kenny Lofton, they are also taking a look at Coco Crisp; Tampa Bay is loaded with a wide range of pitching prospects, so it would seem that Boston could find a fit if it wanted to make a deal."

Ken Rostenthal of FoxSports.com gives us a little more on what happened between the Rays and Lofton:

The Rays offered him a major-league deal for more than $1 million, but Lofton wanted a salary more in line with some of his peers. Maybe he should just sign somewhere and prove himself again, but in Lofton's view, he has been there, done that, too many times throughout his 17-year career.

"From what I've done in the past, it should warrant me getting a real offer, a real understanding about what I've done on the field," Lofton, who turns 41 on May 31, said in a telephone interview. "I feel like I went out last year and did what I was supposed to do to show people that even though I'm at a certain age, I can still get the job done. Do people respect what I do on the field? It seems like maybe not."

I like Crisp better than Lofton, but I wouldn't want to trade a good pitching prospect for him. Especially to the Red Sox. Another issue with Crisp is his contract. The Rays would add about 11 million dollars on the books for Crisp. Thats a steep price for this team, especially for a part-time player.