Let's Not Make a Deal

John Donovan of SI has a column up on the Red Sox and Indians basically standing pat this offseason. Three things I think Donovan failed to mention:

1. The Red Sox may still make a deal to trade Coco Crisp now that the Santana deal has been finalized. Coco has said that he doesn't want to be a back-up and Theo has been pretty good at making reasonable player requests come true. If Coco is traded then the standing pat theme is kinda busted.

2. The Red Sox will have much lower payroll going into this year. The Sox payroll will be $15-25 million less than last year depending on what they do with Coco Crisp. Most of that money comes from Matt Clement's contract coming off the books.

3. The Red Sox farm system is still chocked full of prospects. Combine that with the reduced payroll and you have the perfect scenario for a mid-season trade.