The Stephen Drew Question

In the bottom of the 4th inning, Stephen Drew cracked a 391-foot homerun to right-center at Fenway Park - sending the Fenway Faithful into a frenzy. It was Game 6 of the 2013 World Series and the homerun was the biggest of Drew's career. The rocket put the Red Sox up 4-0 on Cardinals rookie phenom Michael Wacha. For at least this brief moment, Red Sox fans forgot just how poorly Drew had been hitting all season (and post-season). Fast-forward to free agency, and already Red Sox fans are more than willing to let Drew move on to another club and let top prospect Xander Bogaerts take over the reigns at shortstop. Drew's crispness in the field, calm demeanor, and praise from his teammates were not enough to win over Boston.

Now with Spring Training underway, Drew is still without a contract mostly because for a team to sign him they would have to forfeit their highest non-protected draft pick in 2014. With the Red Sox offering Drew a 1-year $14.1 million qualifying offer and his subsequent rejection of it, he immediately had "draft pick" added to his price tag. The two teams most linked to Drew this off-season have in fact been the Red Sox and the New York Mets. The Mets undoubtedly have more of a need for Drew, as they continue their long rebuilding process. Acquiring a great glove like Drew's would give the young arms of New York such as Zack Wheeler, Matt Harvey (though he will miss this season due to elbow surgery), and future call-up Noah Syndergaard some additional security in the field and confidence. In addition, the pick that the Mets would have to forfeit to sign Drew is the 72nd pick, the latest pick of any team in the league other than the Orioles (88th). Despite their needs at shortstop, negotiations between Drew's agent Scott Boras and the Mets have been slow and have yet to pick up.

It is reasonable to wonder if the New York Yankees will get involved with Drew at some point. Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter only played 17 games last year and the signings of Kelly Johnson, Brian Roberts, and the re-signing of Brendan Ryan hardly seem like great options for the Bombers. If Drew is willing to move to second base, as his agent has told the Blue Jays, the Yankees could get involved soon. Drew would potentially cap off a huge off-season in which the Yankees have spent close to a half-billion dollars.

Drew helped Boston acquire it's third World Series championship in a decade. He played stellar defense and while his offense slacked off for most of the season and post-season he was second among American League shortstops post-All Star break in homeruns and third in on base percentage. Despite these respectable numbers, however, the Red Sox should stay the course. Drew was signed as a transitional shortstop for one season. It is time to let Bogaerts play shortstop and Middlebrooks third base. The 21-year old Bogaerts and 25-year old Middlebrooks have quickly become fan favorites in Boston and provide the lineup with more than Drew can offer. While the only real infield depth the Red Sox have outside of their starters is Jonathan Herrera, the Sox have phenom's Garin Cecchini and Mookie Betts waiting in the wings. Most likely neither will see ample time at the major league level this season, if any. However, depending on how their seasons go and the health of the Red Sox infield, they could receive calls to the major league club sooner rather than later. All the more reason to let Drew walk and let the young guys grow.

http://wp.streetwise.co/wp-content/uploads//2013/10/Drew-1.jpg