As expected, the Rays today picked up the 2010 option of Carl Crawford at the reasonable price of $10 million.  So, now what do the Rays do?

Obviously, the first option is to see if Carl and the Rays can come to some sort of extension beyond 2010.   Carl has publicly expressed interest in remaining in Tampa Bay beyond his current contract.  While I hope his motives are sincere, I’ve wondered whether this was just posturing to help his cause when 2011 rolls around.  By stating he likes it here in the Bay area, does that drive up his cost for competitors to come in and sign him after the season?

Beyond pursuing an extension, I think the Rays have to at least entertain trade talk.  With Andrew Friedman at the GM meetings in Chicago, I have to imagine at least a few teams will bring up his name.  To me, the Rays have no greater bargaining chip.  Sure, there’s been a little talk about exposing BJ Upton to the trade market, but I wonder if he would bring the return that Carl might.

To me, the Rays have a need at catcher.  As expected, they did not pick up the option of Greg Zaun, although both parties seem willing to entertain the idea of entering into a new agreement.  I am not sold on Dionner Navarro, and probably never will be.  He had a career season in 2008, and I doubt we’ll see that type of season from him again. 

So, could the Rays go after a front-line catcher using Carl Crawford as bait.  Would the Cubs include Geovany Soto in a trade for him?  Of course, he’s coming off a sub-par season.  So, would we want them to?  How about the Giants?  Wouldn’t Buster Posey look good coming back to Florida? 

If it starts to look like an extension is not possible, the Rays have two opportunities to trade Carl: this off-season and at the trade deadline next year.  Waiting until the deadline carries tons of risk.  Assuming the Rays are in contention, there’s no way they pull the trigger on that type of deal.  So, now is the time to at least look around. 

Carl Crawford is relatively young and would seem to have many productive years ahead of him.  While I would love to see a new five-year contract hammered out, I remain skeptical.  If ever a player represented the Rays ballclub, it’s CC.  He doesn’t bring the pop-star glamor that Evan Longoria does.  But, he’s the veteran that rode the wave from the bottom to the top.  The Rays need to sign him now or maximize the return that they could get for him as they remain competitive in the future.