Mike Cameron had a pair of noteworthy phone conversations around the time the Red Sox signed free agent Carl Crawford to his landmark seven-year, $142 million deal.
The first was initiated by Red Sox GM Theo Epstein to inform Cameron of the acquisition shortly before the deal became public. Epstein wanted to be the first to let Cameron know of a deal that – at least on paper – was likely to consign the veteran to the role of a fourth outfielder for the 2011 Sox.
The second call was made by Cameron himself. That call was to Crawford, to welcome the Sox newcomer to Boston.
There might have been a time in Cameron’s career when a move that jeopardized his playing time would have been difficult to swallow. But for a 16-year veteran who has never played in a World Series, news of the Crawford signing – as well as the Sox’ other moves in a dramatic offseason – was treated with enthusiasm.
Cameron, according to his agent Mike Nicotera, is not angling to leave the Red Sox just for the sake of more playing time elsewhere. He has not requested a trade. Instead, he is eager for the opportunity to pursue a ring that has eluded him through his career, and recognizes that the addition of Crawford can only help in that regard.
“Mike wants to be with this club and feels like he will have a significant role with this club,” said Nicotera. “Mike thinks that this can be a very good team and that he has a chance to be a big part of it and that they have a chance to win a championship.
“That’s No. 1 in his mind. No. 2 is that he feels like, ‘Look, I need to show the Red Sox that I’m healthy. I feel great, but I need to go in there and show everyone that I’m healthy. When I show that, everything will take care of itself.’ That’s how he’s approaching it. He’s very positive about it.”
Cameron’s second goal is no small thing, following a 2010 season when he endured kidney stones and then a debilitating abdominal tear that restricted what he could do on the field before ultimately requiring season-ending surgery. An outfielder who was signed to a two-year, $15.5 million deal to be an everyday center fielder capable of 20-plus homers, an OBP in the .340 range and outstanding defense was unable to fulfill any of those projections.
He played just 48 games, and labored both to get on the field and to perform to his capabilities while there. He finished his inaugural Sox seasons with modest totals: a .259 average, .328 OBP, .401 slugging mark, .729 OPS, four homers and 15 RBI. His speed and defensive range, meanwhile, were impaired significantly by an injury that affected all of his movements.
“Last year was a rough year. It was disappointing year to him in that he wasn’t able to do what he felt was his part. Physically, he wasn’t 100 percent. He tried like crazy, but physically he just wasn’t 100 percent,” said Nicotera. “He’s looking forward to being healthy and contributing to the team. Those were the sentiments he expressed to me right from the time that he heard that [Crawford] was going there.”
To date, Cameron’s recovery from the surgery has proceeded well to the point where he is pain-free and engaged in normal offseason activities to get ready for the 2011 campaign. Nicotera recently texted his client to ask how he was feeling. The response?
“Twenty-five and 80,” chuckled Nicotera, a message meant to suggest that Cameron felt good enough to deliver a 25 home run, 80 RBI season that is roughly in line with his career norms.
Cameron rehabbed from the surgery until around Thanksgiving, and then moved on to his typical plyometric and agility training. He has already picked up a bat, and is now in the part of the winter where he typically begins baseball activities.
But what, exactly, would be the role of a healthy Crawford on the 2011 Sox?
His 2010 performance offered some suggestions as to why the outfielder could be a meaningful contributor in the coming season. Even with his brutal injury – which made it excruciating, Nicotera said, to simply get out of bed – limiting him, Cameron was a force in his 48 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers.
He hit .357/.438/.690/1.128 while collecting three of his four homers against southpaws in 2010. In his career, he is a .269/.372/.494/.866 hitter against lefties (compared to a .244/.329/.432/.761 hitter against right-handers).
Those are the sorts of splits that could make him a valuable member of a 2011 Red Sox roster that now features three left-handed starting outfielders in Crawford, Jacoby Ellsbury and J.D. Drew.
Ellsbury, in his young career, has actually enjoyed more success against lefties (.307/.359/.393/.752) as he has against righties (.285/.339/.409/.747). But both Crawford (.256/.312/.384/.696) and Drew (.208/.302/.309/.611) struggled last year against lefties, as did DH David Ortiz (.222/.275/.324/.599).
In other words, as some wonder whether the Sox lineup skews too left-handed, Cameron represents a potentially important player in balancing the team’s tilt. Moreover, he represents a strong insurance policy should any of those three primary outfielders go down.
“The way Mike looks at it is, I certainly don’t think he’s planning for the failure or demise of any of his teammates. Mike’s a confident player, and feels like the bottom line is that the Red Sox are going to put the best team on the field to win ballgames,” said Nicotera. “If he’s healthy, he’ll have an opportunity to play and play a good amount, regardless of the makeup or mix of the team.
“He’s also been around long enough to know that very few times do you start the season – the Red Sox know this as well as anybody – that the nine guys or eight positional guys and DH who start the year, not a lot of guys play 160 games. In that respect, he can certainly be a valuable piece.”
The Sox view the situation in the same light. For that reason, the team hardly feels compelled to contemplate a trade of the outfielder.
To date, the Sox have discussed the possibility of trading Cameron with other clubs, but those conversations, Nicotera said, have not been initiated by Boston.
“It was public that some people reached out to the Red Sox with regard to Mike. Theo was very open about that to us,” said Nicotera.
Even so, Cameron is owed $7.25 million for the 2011 season, money that is certainly atypical for a fourth outfielder, no matter how much he plays. And so the Sox will at least listen if and when teams call about the outfielder, who turns 38 in two days.
That said, with his recovery from surgery unproven on the field, teams have been interested only if the Sox assume a significant financial component of Cameron’s contract. Given that the Sox feel that the outfielder has real value to their roster, the team is uninterested in subsidizing his contract just for the sake of making a deal.
If and when Cameron proves that he is healthy in spring training, then perhaps other teams would show greater interest in acquiring him without a need for the Sox to pick up part of the tab. But right now, according to one team source, “It would be surprising if there was a fit now. ... There isn’t a deal out there that makes sense.”
For now, Cameron’s greatest value to the Red Sox is as a member of the 2011 team, in a role that he is willing to embrace.
“From Mike’s standpoint, no, there’s no push to get out of Boston. There’s no push that I’ve got to go, I’ve got to get out of here. Mike, Theo and I all got on the same page very quickly and feel really good about things, really,” said Nicotera. “He’s excited the team has gotten better in the offseason and he’s excited to be a part of it. That’s honest and from his heart. He was like that from the get-go.”