Red Sox Trade Rumors: Carl Crawford Being Shopped By Boston To The Marlins and Dodgers?

Less than two years after signing Carl Crawford to one of the largest contracts in MLB history, the Red Sox are looking to move the outfielder.

Reports indicate that Boston has been calling teams, trying to gauge interest in the outfielder.

Crawford signed a seven-year deal worth $142 million with Boston at the end of the 2010 season. To this point, he's been a disappointment with the Red Sox, and the club is ready to move on from the veteran.

The Dodgers and Marlins have been reportedly contacted about taking on Crawford. No prospective deals were discussed with Los Angeles, but Miami is said to have listened to a possible offer.

A Potential deal would send Crawford to the Marlins in exchange for Hanley Ramirez and Heath Bell. Both players are set to make close to $25 million combined in each of the next few seasons, though they have underachieved in 2012.

While the subject was discussed, a trade is not imminent or even likely between the two clubs. Crawford has one of the worst contracts in the sport and is owed over $100 million from 2013-2017. Miami traditionally has been reluctant to spend a lot of money on players, though they have the seventh highest payroll after an active offseason.

The length of Crawford's contract is just one of the hurdles in trading him. While he was a consistent performer with the Rays, he's been unproductive since signing with Boston.

In 2011, Crawford hit a career low .255 and stole 18 bases, the lowest total since his rookie season when he played just 63 games. He hit 11 home runs and registered 56 RBI, both uncharacteristically low totals for the former All-Star.

Crawford has also battled injuries with the Red Sox, something that wasn't a problem while he was with Tampa Bay. He missed 32 games last year and has only played in three games this season after recently coming off the disabled list.

The outfielder is back on the field, but far from healthy. He's finally able to play with the torn ligament in his elbow, but he will probably need Tommy John surgery for it to fully heal.

It's not likely that another team will trade for an underperforming veteran that's owed over $100 million and will eventually need surgery. The only way the Red Sox can unload his contract is if they pay a large portion of his remaining salary, which they are reportedly willing to do.

Boston General Manager Ben Cherington has said publicly the team is not looking to move the 31-year-old.