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The Red Sox could still make a play for former Yankee outfielder Curtis Granderson, according to Gordon Edes:
Sox haven't "ruled out" Granderson
— Gordon Edes (@GordonEdes) December 4, 2013
Ignoring, for a moment, just how awful the whole "Granderson - Ellsbury switching places" stories would be, let's consider the merits of signing Granderson to the Red Sox from a purely baseball standpoint.
At this point in his career, going on 33 years old, Granderson has lost much of his defensive value in center field. Given his weak arm, he would likely be tabbed to cover left, making him less a solution to a perceived hole in the outfield, and more a way to fill first base by shifting Daniel Nava into the infield.
In that way, he's very similar to Carlos Beltran. Arguably he has more ability to cover right field in the event that Shane Victorino spends time on the disabled list or Jackie Bradley Jr. proves untenable in center, but that's just a bit of flexibility, not the primary attraction with Granderson. For that, we turn to the bat.
And there, well...it's a very mixed bag. Granderson has been nothing if not inconsistent at the plate, bouncing regularly between straight average and very good at the plate. From a 135 OPS+ in 2007, to a 102 figure in 2009, all the way up to 142 in 2011, and down to a very disappointing 97 figure in a year that saw Granderson break both an arm and a finger.
How will the Red Sox replace Jacoby Ellsbury?
Now that Jacoby Ellsbury is gone, where will the production come from?
His top end--the kind seen in 2007, 2008, and 2011--is a player worth shifting Daniel Nava and the outfield around for. A low BABIP in 2012 perhaps suggests that year should have been another one on this level, but for luck. Perhaps Granderson was really hitting his stride before last year's injuries. And that's something worth considering. But if he's closer to 2013, or even just his actual 2012 results at the plate, well, committing a major contract and a draft pick to a player of that quality would be less-than-ideal. It doesn't help that Granderson's power is to right, where Fenway will be more likely to hurt than help.
He's worth consideration, but given that he's declined a qualifying offer from the Yankees, it's a little tough to see his market falling into the range where the Red Sox should be comfortable signing someone who isn't exactly a fit for the club or the park.