It's good to be Carl Crawford today.  Debate if you will whether the market for the free-agent outfielder and for Jayson Werth were exactly the same teams, but Werth's surprise deal Sunday with the Washington Nationals changed the tenor of the Winter Meetings even before they officially began.  Was it any coincidence that on-again, off-again trade of Adrian Gonzalez to the Red Sox was wrapped up within hours of of the Werth announcement? Probably not. After all, if the Red Sox wanted to make the major upgrade to their lineup they deemed necessary, it had suddenly come down to completing a deal that had seemed excruciatingly close to done or diving into the Crawford pool -- with its rapidly rising price tag -- with far less certainty considering the potential suitors.  Werth's $18 million per year and whatever Crawford ends up with hardly is the issue. Major league CFOs suddenly seem to be partying -- or parting with cash -- like it's 2001 again. But as we discussed here last week, the currency is inflating at the most rapid rate in years.  The eight years Crawford would like -- as a 29-year-old -- hardly seems out of line after the 31-year-old Werth got seven. Could teams such as the Angels and Rangers go even longer? After all, we're talking about a highly athletic guy with a history of hitting .300, successfully running the bases and avoiding injuries.  All this and the Yankees haven't done anything yet to jolt the market. But Cliff Lee is a whole other discussion.  The Crawford competition could get fierce. There's no reason to rule out the Red Sox, despite the the Gonzalez addition. Boston can avoid a luxury tax hit from Gonzalez in 2011 if they don't finalize a new contract until after the season starts. If the AL East stakes are being raised, can the Yankees stand by idly on Crawford? Or, at least nose around enough to push up the price for their rivals.  And then there's the Detroit factor. The Tigers want another outfielder and a move on Crawford also has a secondary impact on the Red Sox. Right now, Boston gets Detroit's 2011 first-round draft pick because the Tigers signed Victor Martinez. But if Detroit would sign Crawford, its top pick goes to Tampa Bay because Crawford rates higher than Martinez in the Elias rankings used to sort out draft-pick compensation.  Regardless, the choices for teams seeking impact help in the outfield are thin -- and/or expensive. New Arizona GM Kevin Towers' ploy of floating Justin Upton's name at last month's general managers meetings could yet pay off with the knock-his-socks-off offer he said would be necessary to pry away his 23-year-old talent.  All this could wash over to other positions. After all, a bat is a bat, AL teams have the DH option to help juggle lineups and there are still a few first basemen -- Paul Konerko, Derrek Lee, Carlos Pena among them.  The best remaining bat of all is third baseman Adrian Beltre -- now off Boston's shopping list with Kevin Youkilis moving to third.  As for remaining ways to beef up your outfield, barring some creative trade, the answers are short-term moves/gambles such as Magglio Ordonez, Johnny Damon, Melky Cabrera and Jose Guillen. Did someone say Manny Ramirez?  See photos of: New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Manny Ramirez, Johnny Damon, Carl Crawford, Carlos Pena, Jose Guillen, Jayson Werth, Melky Cabrera
Carl Crawford sitting pretty atop fast-moving winter meetings market - Daily Pitch: MLB News, Standings, Schedules & More - USATODAY.com