FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Detroit Tigers are "deeply interested" in free agent outfielder Carl Crawford. Rosenthal cites "major-league sources" in his report, which also mentions the Red Sox and Angels as potential suitors for Crawford, who has played all nine seasons of his major-league career with the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Tigers' supposed interest in Crawford isn't too surprising in my view. As Rosenthal points out, the Tigers would really benefit from having someone like Crawford playing in left field. With Austin Jackson in center field, those two could cover a ton of ground in the Comerica Park outfield by themselves.
Coming at it from an offensive perspective, Crawford would add some serious speed to the Tigers' lineup. They haven't had a real base-stealing threat in a while, but Crawford would definitely bring that to the table for Detroit. What's more, we all know how common doubles and triples already are at Comerica Park, so can you imagine if Crawford got to play his home games there? Those numbers would likely go up even more with Crawford's speed in the lineup.
It's still early and this is just one report, but I am definitely intrigued by the possibility of the Tigers trying to sign Crawford. I think he would be a good addition to the lineup, although concerns about his age are understandable since his speed is so important.