Crawford Has New Swing, Desire To Take Leadership Role

Carl Crawford thinks he'll be ready for Opening Day.

In my mind, I think the odds are good because I definitely don't want to miss any games. That's my goal right now, to make it for opening day.

Crawford added that he doesn't know when he will be "all the way healthy", so the team will likely take a more conservative approach. Manager Bobby Valentine has previously said Crawford might miss the first three weeks of the regular season.

Crawford also gave his opinion on John Henry's statement that he had not been in favour of signing Crawford as a free agent before the 2011 season.

I can't do nothing about what he said. I can just go out and play. It was unfortunate that he feels that way but there's nothing for me to say to him but go out and play. ... I wasn't happy about it. I was a little surprised to hear the comments ... I just wish those words hadn't come out.

Crawford finished the 2011 season with an OPS of .694 (his worst year since his rookie season in 2003). His on-base percentage never rose above .295 during the entire season.

It's definitely going to motivate me to play well this year. I don't even want to think about last year too much because it was so bad ... I think I'll shorten that [batting stance] a little bit. It seemed like I was late all the time on the ball, so I'll try to do a better job of getting ready — little stuff like that that's going to help me get over the hump from last year.

Henry has attempted to explain his comments, saying they were not really about Crawford, per se.

Again, this wasn't about Carl. At the time, I was opposed due to too many lefties in the lineup and particularly in the outfield. Also, our two best prospects were left-handed hitters. My answer was an honest, off-the-cuff response on a radio station to a false assertion that ownership signed him for offseason PR purposes.

Dave Magadan, on Crawford's new swing:

[I]t looked better. It was a very straightforward, simple movement. He was in line. He was squared to the ball. That's what you want.

Crawford also wants to take a greater leadership role. Last year, after a .155/.204/.227 performance in April, he was tentative and "didn't want to assert myself the wrong way".

Dustin Pedroia greeted the press this morning:

Hey, media. I knew I smelled something. ... I'm jacked.

Nick Punto (5-9), on FY:

He's probably the first [player] that I'm taller than.

Punto said playing for the Red Sox is "kind of a dream come true".

Ryan Sweeney wants to win the right field job outright: "I've played there quite a bit coming in and playing against the Red Sox." Sweeney's competition for the job is Cody Ross. Sweeney, on closer Andrew Bailey:

I think he's going to thrive off the fans. He's an intense guy ... I think that's a good mentality to have when you're playing in a big market like this. I don't think he'll have any problems with it.

Clay Buchholz weighed in at a trim 184. "I feel lighter on my feet than I did last year, all year." ... Ross Ohlendorf has a stiff back from driving to camp from Austin, Texas, and has not thrown for three days. ... Mike Aviles has the biggest calves you have ever seen. ... Kevin Youkilis spoke about his injuries last year and how it limited him in the field. ... The only position players not in camp are Jacoby Ellsbury and David Ortiz.

The Red Sox received RHP Chris "Not That One" Carpenter from the Cubs as compensation for former GM Theo Epstein leaving for Chicago. The two teams will also swap PTBNLs. The Sox scouted Carpenter in AAA last year and in the Arizona Fall League. Cherington:

We're really happy to have him. He's a young power-arm reliever who we think has a chance to be a really good big league pitcher.

ESPN's Keith Law says Carpenter has a "tremendous arm". Bobby Jenks was moved to the 60-day DL to make room on the roster for Carpenter.