The Closer: Crawford's Replacements Doing Just Fine The Boston Red Sox are undoubtedly eager to get the injured Carl Crawford back into their lineup, but according to at least one statistic, they may not want to rush. In 2011, Crawford, who signed a $142 million contract with the Red Sox before the season, produced just 0.2 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. In 13 games heading into Tuesday's 11-2 win over the Twins, Ryan Sweeney, a throw-in to the trade that sent Andrew Bailey to Boston, had already compiled 0.7. Cody Ross, signed to a one-year, $3 million contract in the off-season, had 0.5 in 15 games. Sweeney went 2 for 6 with a double and a run batted in Tuesday, so his WAR is likely to rise. Ross went 0 for 4 but did drive in a run. Marlon Byrd, acquired this week to shore up the team's depleted outfield, also contributed two hits. Meanwhile Crawford, who would at the very least provide depth after the injury to Jacoby Ellsbury (at a cost of $19.5 million this season), is still not with the team, having traveled to Boston to have his elbow re-examined. Neither Sweeney nor Ross is a player capable of the 7.6 WAR that Crawford put up for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2010, but at this point, it is unclear if Crawford is either. Boston Manager Bobby Valentine acknowledged before Tuesday's game that the team was concerned with Crawford's progress, telling reporters, "Until a guy is 100 percent, you always have concern." WAR is an imperfect statistic, and often draws the ire of those who do not like advanced metrics. But the fact that players could match Crawford's total in so few games certainly illustrates the depths of his struggles in his first season in Boston.