Rays' road in East just keeps getting tougher

Joe Maddon was prepared for the day he would receive word his four-time All-Star left fielder agreed to a mega-contract with another team. Still, the text he received late Wednesday night from Rays vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman caught him off guard.

Carl Crawford, a Ray since 2002, was headed to the Boston Red Sox, a division rival that handed the best player in franchise history the second-richest contract ever awarded to an outfielder.

"I'm really happy for Carl," said Maddon, who expected Crawford to sign with the Angels. "But at the end of the day, you have to think about how you're going to beat the Red Sox."

And when will he start that line of thought?

"I already have," Maddon said.

Safe to say, the general managers and managers of the other American League East team are thinking along with Maddon.

"It's a significant improvement," Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. "They are a better team."

Crawford, who agreed to a seven-year, $142 million contract with the Red Sox (second only to the eight-year, $160 million deal the Red Sox gave Manny Ramirez), joins a formidable lineup that includes first baseman Adrian Gonzalez, who was acquired Monday in a trade with the Padres.

Those moves shift the balance of power in the division - heck, in the major leagues - to the Red Sox, who missed the playoffs last season despite having the second-best offense in the AL.

"They didn't like that," Maddon said. "Anything they can do to fix that, they will try. They got two of the best players in the big leagues in the last couple of days. I'm talking two of the top five players in the game, and on top of that, they already have guys like that."

The Red Sox haul increased the chase for Cliff Lee, the top free-agent pitcher on the market.

The Rangers brain trust reportedly left the Walt Disney World Dolphin resort Thursday morning after the baseball winter meetings wrapped up and headed straight for Lee's home in Arkansas, while Cashman is expected to offer Lee the world in order to keep up with the Red Sox.

"Someone will be happy. Someone will be disappointed," Cashman said. "Obviously, I want to be happy."

The Red Sox boast a lineup that includes Dustin Pedroia, J.D. Drew, Kevin Youkilis, David Ortiz, Jacoby Ellsbury, Crawford and Gonzalez.

"If things come together the way we hope and expect, we'll be really satisfied," Red Sox GM Theo Epstein told mlb.com.

Crawford not only is another left-handed bat for the Red Sox, but he adds speed to the lineup.

"They're a lot more balanced and well-rounded than they've been in the past," Friedman said.

Crawford's move to Boston means the Rays will see him 18 times a season.

"He's staying within the always interesting American League East, so that will be exciting," pitcher J.P. Howell said. "It's going to be strange seeing him in that red and blue."

Friedman knew he couldn't afford to re-sign Crawford, even for half of what the Red Sox offered. But to see him play for the Red Sox will take some getting used to.

"We knew it was coming, but obviously when it happens there's a feeling of disappointment," Friedman said. "It's the way the structure of this sport is set up. We get it. We recognize it. We operate within it. We relish in the fact that we have to swim against the tide. It's just that the current is getting stronger."

Members of the media and representatives from all 30 teams gathered Thursday morning for the annual Rule 5 draft. The Rays took left-handed pitcher Cesar Cabral off Boston's Triple-A roster.

"We showed them," Friedman joked.

Crawford's contract dominated the conversation before and after the draft.

"I've heard talk already about, 'In Fenway Park? His defensive skills won't be used as much.' But you play 81 games on the road, as well," said Chuck LaMar, the former Rays general manager who selected Crawford in the second round of the 1999 draft. "You're buying not just his defense, but you're buying a leader. He's becoming a leader. Not only is he a great athlete, a good offensive player, a good defensive player, but I think he will be a force in his clubhouse. I think they'll enjoy having his leadership in the clubhouse."

Maddon didn't attend Thursday's draft, but that didn't take his mind off the Red Sox's new left fielder.

"How do you defend him? How do you pitch to him?" Maddon said. "I'm just getting my mental notes together so I don't forget anything."

rmooney@tampatrib.com

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