According to Brian McRae reporting for Sports Radio 810 in Kansas City, the Royals acquired Coco Crisp from the Red Sox for reliever Ramon Ramirez.

Crisp gets a nice boost in value since he'll probably have a starting job locked down. If Billy Butler and Alex Gordon actually reach their potential, Crisp could be a pleasant surprise in 2009.

This move also means that Mark Teahen or David DeJesus (who names have both been swirling around in trade rumors) will likely be sent elsewhere over the winter. Teahen doesn't excite anybody, but DeJesus is interesting. If he were to land with a better offense (Cubs maybe?) and stayed healthy, I wouldn't be surprised if he knocked about 15 homers and scored 100 runs this season. Though eveything would have to fall into place for that to happen.

Plus, fantasy players who have Jacoby Ellsbury in keeper leagues can rest assured that he is indeed keepable. The job is all his and should be his for a long time. He can absolutely repeat his numbers next year and I think he's very keeper-worthy if you keep four or five players in a standard, or near-standard, format.

I'm actually not that high on Ellsbury. Don't get me wrong, he's a very good fantasy outfielder, but steals are not at the premium they once were and I wouldn't keep him unless I had a pretty bad set of keeper-eligible players. His slumps were terrible last season and he does nothing for you in the RBI and HR departments. If he played second base or short, it would be a different story, but he plays at a deep position with plenty of better players.

Well, I think he'll break out of those struggles with more experience. He can project as a .300 hitter with 50-plus steals, 100 runs, 30 doubles, 10 home runs. That's worth something. He's not a top-level keeper, but the steals are too valuable to dismiss.

I think Ellsbury has 20 homer potential playing in Fenway. And now that he's a lock to play every single day, I think you're also looking at 60-80 RBIs as well. Look at his career stats, they amount to about a full season:

670 ABs
118 runs
12 HR
65 RBI
29 2B
8 3B
59 SB

Take into account that he was basically just a rookie this past season (just 116 AB in 2007) and went into a major slump for about 2 1/2 months. I think he'll improve across the board. Here's my projection for next year:

.305 BA
115 runs
16 HR
68 RBI
35 2B
10 3B
50 SB

That's a hell of an outfielder.

Let's not forget that the guy batted .272 last season in the leadoff spot and was so bad at times that Boston took him out of there and hit him later in the lineup. He hit well over .300 batting in the six-hole or lower, but fantasy owners won't want him hitting there in 2009.

I don't know where 15-20 homer potential comes from. The guy had 10 homers in 1,017 minor-league at-bats! Unless he's storing some B12 in his locker, I don't see him having more than 8-10 homers in 2009.

The stats you listed are his absolute ceiling and I while I think he's a fantastic "real" player because of his defense and talents, I think for fantasy he's still a year or two away from being among the upper echelon of outfielders.

I see him as a solid no. 3 outfielder this season with the ability to perhaps break out and play like a no. 2.

I watched pretty much every Red Sox game this season and I definitely think Ellsbury has 20 homer potential if he can transition from more of a groundball hitter to a linedrive hitter. The power is there it is the style of hitting that keeps the homeruns from coming.

Pablo, BigJon, Kstack,

I'll tell you guys what, if Ellsbury hits 20 homers this year, you guys can have a round on me! Even if I have to FedEx the drinks to ya.

That and I'll buy a hat, wear it, and proceed to promptly eat it.

You're assuming that he will play like a rookie in perpetuity. He bounced back from a horrible slump to hit .287 in August and .340 in September. Why do I think he'll have 20-homer potential? Because he's a lefty playing at Fenway Park, that's why. Minor league power numbers aren't always a good indicator of major league performance, especially when you factor in physical growth, ballparks, etc. He's already surpassed his minor league power rate by quite a margin, hitting 12 HR in his first 670 major league at-bats. I'm not saying he'll hit 20 as soon as this season, but he can definitely reach 15. He's only 25 years old. I also think people think he's a lot smaller because he steals a ton of bases. The guy is 6'1, 185 pounds - about the same size as Grady Sizemore. Coincidentally, Sizemore had only 27 HR in about 2,000 minor league at-bats. I'm not saying Ellsbury is a Sizemore clone by any stretch. Sizemore certainly has more power. But Ellsbury has the same build and plays in a park that favors lefties with regards to the home run ball. Why can't he hit 20?