Even though the overall contract signing of Redsox Outfielder Carl Crawford (7 years $142 Million) may already look like a bust at this point, at least there is some good news to accompany it. The Bosox acquired OF Ryan Sweeny as part of the Andrew Bailey trade with the Athletics this offseason(Bailey ending up on the DL before the season even starting) , and signed free agent OF Cody Ross, to add some depth to an outfield that besides the stellar year Jacoby Ellsbury had, struggled at the plate. Now I know most of you are thinking, “Big deal, those guys are average at best” and when the signings occurred I for the most part thought the same (with the exception of Ross, living in California, I got to see a lot of this guy and was excited to see him come to my team). Ross aimed to impress early, belting 6 homers in spring training, and is hitting .265 with 5 homers and 17 RBI so far on the season. Sweeney wasn’t nearly as flashy in spring training, but is more than compensating, by getting at hit in nearly every game he has appeared in so far this season. He’s hitting .391 with 11 doubles and a triple. The combination of these two guys should lay to rest any fears we have about Crawford missing another 3 months with left elbow woes, and Ellsbury missing time with his shoulder injury. The Sox also signed a struggling Marlon Byrd to fill the roster spot Ellsbury left open, and has also been a pleasant surprise, hitting in all 6 games he has appeared in with the Redsox so far, while also providing excellent defense in center field. So in all, sure Crawford will be missed (by some more than others) and I hope a speedy return for Ellsbury, but I can rest easy knowing Sweeney, Ross, and Byrd got our backs.

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