2. The center-field conundrum: Whither Coco?
Coco Crisp was a nightly highlight film all summer, playing center field the way Alex Gonzalez had played short the year before, and yet by the end of the postseason he was on the bench, displaced in center by Jacoby Ellsbury, who electrified New England like no rookie since Nomar. Terry Francona said there's nothing wrong with a little competition, but Crisp isn't likely to be happy as a backup, though the Sox insist the fourth OF will get plenty of playing time spelling Manny and J.D. Drew as well as in center field. A trade still seems a plausible outcome. Crisp is affordable ($10.5 million over the next two seasons) and there will be teams who will need a CF before Opening Day. One of those teams could be the Twins, even though they didn't bite for him in the Johan Santana talks. The Rangers, Athletics, and Cubs are also teams with young CFs who might want to upgrade.