During this rather quiet offseason in Boston, one of the few issues involves free-agent shortstop Stephen Drew. Nick Cafardo recently discussed the situatation at length. "There's no doubt that the Red Sox want Drew back," he writes…(agent Scott) Boras is pushing for a two-year deal. One of the factors is Drew's veteran presence and the fact that they would be going into the season with rookies up the middle in Xander Bogearts at short and Jackie Bradley Jr in center and another young player, Will Middlebrooks, at third base."
When Drew was signed to a one-year contract before the 13 season, the feeling seemed to be that he was brought in as insurance if Jose Iglesias failed to hit, as many expected. But a strange thing happened. Iglesias started very hot at the plate, and Middlebrooks slumped. For that reason the team started using both Drew and Iglesias, with Iggy playing some games at third. When the Sox rather unexpectedly traded Iglesias in the Jake Peavy deal, Drew had the shortstop job all to himself.
The 31-year-old from Georgia responded with his best season in a number of years. Appearing in 124 games, he batted 442 times with 57 runs scored, 112 hits, 29 doubles, 8 triples and 13 homers with a .253 average. He was also strong in the field, committing only 8 errors and covering a lot of ground. Apparently healthy for the first time since 2010, he neared a career-best in many of those categories. For a team with a shortstop hole since 04, Drew provided stability.
Like many fans, I had assumed that the Sox would probably let Drew walk, since Bogearts seems ready and minor league prospect Deven Marrero is right behind. But if Bradley and Middlebrooks, who both had subpar years at bat in 13, fail to produce, there might be problems up the middle.
The length of the proposed contract is, of course, a problem . Boras, who also represents Bogearts, Bradley, and Middlebrooks, may not want to settle for just one year. But if Drew can repeat his 2013 performance, it might be worth the Sox while to give two. Unlike his brother JD, who was considered detatched and unemotional, Stephen seems to fit in as a positive in the clubhouse. The two-year risk may be worth taking.
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