Carl Crawford put some of the new scratch from his seven-year, $142 million contract with the Boston Red Sox to good use on Wednesday when he bought lunch for 150 Tampa Bay Rays employees.

Crawford was drafted in 1999 by the Rays and spent nine seasons in Tampa Bay, hitting .296 with 104 home runs, 592 RBI and swiping 409 bases.

The thank-you lunch was a barbecue special at Tropicana Field for members of the front office. The kicker here is that Crawford wasn't in attendance. I suppose if the former Tampa Bay outfielder was footing the bill, that's the important issue. Who cares if Crawford was there to enjoy some pulled pork with beans and slaw? I suppose, too, Crawford could have been showing respect for his new teammates by not breaking bread with the team that will now be an arch-rival 18 times per season.

The sentiment shows, like Adrian Gonzalez before him who took out a full-page advertisement in a San Diego newspaper to thank the city, that Crawford is a stand-up guy that is more than capable of showing appreciation in situations that call for something special.

It also shows that the Red Sox picked up two high-character ballplayers who, more importantly, can mash a baseball.

The Jason Bartlett-to-San Diego trade is back, bigger, and finally official.

The Padres on Friday acquired the veteran shortstop from Tampa Bay along with a player to be named in exchange for right-handers Adam Russell and Brandon Gomes, lefty Cesar Ramos and infielder Cole Figueroa.

The trade comes nine days after the teams reportedly agreed on an exchange of Bartlett for Russell and Ramos during baseball's Winter Meetings. Bartlett even told reporters he had been traded -- though it turned out he had merely learned of the proposed deal from media reports -- and his replacement in Tampa Bay, Reid Brignac, took to Twitter to wish Bartlett well as he moved on.

The deal hit a snag, though, with reports that the Rays had concerns about the health of one of the pitchers they were getting back. Both sides then went radio-silent for several days before word of the new, expanded deal emerged Friday.

Even if the Yankees get to Plan Z, that won't stand for Zack.

Having missed out on Cliff Lee, and badly in need of starting pitching, the Yankees aren't going to get the next best pitcher available.

Despite a report two weeks ago that Zack Greinke would waive his partial no-trade clause to go from the Royals to the Yankees, two people who have dealt frequently with Greinke said he would not want to play in New York. (One theory is that the willingness to go to New York was put out there to lead other teams interested in Greinke to believe they were competing against the Yankees.)

On a media conference call Tuesday, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman repeated over and over: "Plan B is patience."

But his most telling quote may have been: "It doesn't have to happen in the wintertime."

In other words, the Yankees might open the season with the question-filled rotation they have now and add a big arm in July.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- A few teams came up big this week Winter Meetings at Disney World. Others simply stood pat, either hampered by financial restrictions or choosing to wait until later in the offseason to make their moves. Then there were the teams that were hurt by events at the Swan and Dolphin Resort. FanHouse TV's Dan Graziano and Steve Phillips try to identify the latter group as they present this week's losers.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Boston Red Sox reportedly have agreed to a seven-year, $142 million contract with Carl Crawford, bookending the Winter Meetings with a pair of earth-shattering moves.

The Boston Globe first reported the Crawford deal, citing a major league source. It includes a partial no-trade clause and will become official when Crawford passes a physical Thursday or Friday in Boston.

Generally considered the top free agent position player available, Crawford will be a huge upgrade to a Red Sox lineup already bolstered significantly by Sunday's trade for first baseman Adrian Gonzalez.

And the Red Sox didn't have to do much scouting to know what they were getting from Crawford; they've seen it firsthand from the other side during Crawford's nine seasons with Tampa Bay.

A four-time All-Star, Crawford is an all-around threat in the field and at the plate. He had a monster season in 2010 as he headed into free agency, hitting .307 with 30 doubles, 13 triples, 19 homers, 90 RBI and 47 stolen bases while also winning his first Gold Glove award.

The Windy City teams were the focal points of Wednesday's action at the Winter Meetings. Each team solidified their first base situation with the Cubs signing Carlos Pena and the White Sox bringing back Paul Konerko. FanHouse TV's Dan Graziano and Steve Phillips discuss what each signing means, and where the gusts will be felt stronger.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Padres have reportedly acquired shortstop Jason Bartlett from the Rays.

MLB.com first said the deal was done, and Bartlett confirmed to the St. Petersburg Times that he was headed to San Diego. The Padres reportedly are sending relievers Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos to Tampa Bay.

The Rays had been trying to move Bartlett, their shortstop for the last three seasons, and reportedly were deep in talks with the Orioles on Tuesday. Those negotiations fell apart, but Tampa Bay was able to find a taker on the West Coast.

Bartlett's offensive production plummeted in 2010, his batting average dropping from .320 to .254 and his OPS falling from .879 to .675. His defense -- once considered a major strength -- also has deteriorated the last couple of seasons according to various metrics.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Cubs have reached an agreement on a deal with first baseman Carlos Pena.

Pena, according to multiple reports, will get a one-year deal worth $10 million.

Pena, 32, has played for five major league teams but is best known for his work with the Rays the last four years. He averaged 36 homers a season from 2007-10, leading the American League with 39 in 2009 despite missing the last three weeks after suffering a broken hand when he was hit by a pitch.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- The Rays are motivated to deal right-hander Matt Garza, a source told FanHouse Tuesday.

The Texas Rangers are one team that is interested in Garza, particularly if free-agent left-hander Cliff Lee opts to sign with the Yankees or elsewhere and if Royals ace Zack Greinke is beyond their means in a trade.

The Brewers have also shown interest in Garza, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee finalized a trade with the Blue Jays for Shaun Marcum on Monday to bolster a rotation that struggled mightily in 2010.

There has long been speculation that the cash-strapped Rays might try to capitalize on their pitching depth by moving one of their more experienced (and therefore more expensive) starters this winter, with Garza and James Shields the candidates.