Red Sox, Craig optimistic he'll bounce back next season
The Boston Red Sox are expecting much bigger things from Allen Craig in 2015.
Acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals along with Joe Kelly in a late-July deal that sent John Lackey the other way, Craig continued his miserable 2014 campaign despite a change of scenery.
The Red Sox are giving Craig a pass though, chalking up a down year to the result of a sore foot. However, general manager Ben Cherington is expecting to see him return to the All-Star form he had in 2013.
"You're talking about a guy who had signed an extension not too long ago, who had settled into a place in St. Louis and then he gets traded," Cherington told Ian Browne of MLB.com. "The whole year, there was a lot coming at him, but in the time we've gotten to know him, we've found him to be an accountable guy, obviously an intelligent guy.
"He knows what he needs to do this offseason to put himself in a position to be more successful next year. And the track record and his age suggest he will. We knew were getting a guy in a down year, and he's going to fight back from that."
The Red Sox had Craig's foot examined and neither party believes it will be an issue moving forward.
"We've had it examined. We don't believe – he doesn't believe – it's an issue," Cherington said. "So he's just focused on having a good offseason. I think we've done everything we can to make sure that the foot is OK going forward. No further testing needed."
Craig, 30, heads into the offseason knowing there's going to be plenty of competition heading into spring training as Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr. Yoenis Cespedes, Shane Victorino, Daniel Nava and Rusney Castillo will all be battling for playing time. Being able to prepare with no limitations to his body gives him a reason to be optimistic going forward.
"I know who I am as a player. Things happen in this game," Craig said. "You battle things. Obviously, personally, this season was a little disappointing. It was tough at times. I'm confident in the player that I am. It's going to be good for me to get back home, rest and get stronger for next year."