By Dustin Hockensmith
Fantasy Sports 101 Baseball

March 15, 2008 - John Delcos of the The Journal News reported that the Mets and Red Sox have discussed a deal that would send Coco Crisp to New York in exchange for outfielder Angel Pagan. As with most preliminary talks, Mets management was quick to shoot the story down, even though the trade makes good baseball sense for both sides.

"There's nothing to it," Mets general manager Omar Minaya told The Journal News.

Crisp has presented a problem to the Red Sox, in the sense that he has too much worth to be a fourth outfielder and likely not enough to start in center field over young stud Jacoby Ellsbury. The Mets, meanwhile, have a hole to fill in left field after Moises Alou underwent hernia surgery earlier this month.

An exceptional defensive outfielder, Crisp would go a long way in rounding out Randolph's outfield. He was a two-year starter in center for the Red Sox, but began his career as a left fielder in Cleveland. His ability to play - and possibly offer strong offensive production - at either position would also be a plus.

Pagan is in the running to start by default in left field, but would eventually settle in as a backup when Alou returns in late April. In reversed roles, Pagan would fill Boston's need for a fourth outfielder that is more accepting of his fate, and the Mets would fill a need for a young(ish) outfielder with range to chase balls down in spacious Shea Stadium.

Minaya will continue to say that there's nothing to these trade talks, all the way up to the point where the deal actually happens. Stay tuned to this story, it could have an impact on both the American League and National League playoff races.

My Take
Crisp could use a fresh start, and the Mets could use a starting left fielder. Boston would like to hand the center field job to Ellsbury, but doesn't want a disgruntled backup that could compromise team morale. Not all deals that make sense go through, but there appears to be more to this thing than the "nothing" that Minaya claims.

Fantasy Spin
Ellsbury would definitely have a full-time gig if this deal went through, so he and his owners would be big winners. Even though the wide assumption is that Ellsbury will claim the starting job anyway, fantasy owners haven't drafted him with that in mind. The speedster can be selected as late as the 15th round in live drafts.