The Red Sox hot stove has become very, well, hot, the past few days.
Days before baseball's winter meetings are set to begin in Orlando (Dec. 6-9), the Boston Red Sox have reportedly met with both Carl Crawford and Jayson Werth, a pair of free agent outfielders.
According to a source of Yahoo! Sports' Tim Brown, Boston has already visited Crawford in his hometown, Houston, Texas. Crawford is seemingly the Red Sox' main target this offseason, even though he is rumored to cost somewhere in the seven-year, $120 million range. Larry Lucchino had "no comment" about Crawford and the reported meeting, but on NESN, Peter Gammons said the outfielder was "very, very impressed" with the Red Sox (more so, what they're offering).
Crawford is a favorite among the entire Red Sox organization as he has proven to be an outstanding defender over the years. Earlier this week, manager Terry Francona called Crawford a "game changer" in a radio interview. It's clear the Red Sox would welcome Crawford as their left fielder and a huge compliment to their lineup.
Additionally, it's being reported that Theo Epstein and Terry Francona met with Jayson Werth Wednesday in Chicago. Werth's agent, Scott Boras, was reportedly also present.
The team's meeting with Boras were expected to continue Thursday with the Red Sox hoping to discuss both Werth and free agent Adrian Beltre.