Inside Info On J.D. Drew

Just got off the phone with an informed baseball guy, and we spoke on the topic of J.D. Drew.

He tells me that Drew has seen two surgeons for his shoulder, one requested by Scott Boras and the other by the Red Sox.  It appears that one of the surgeons may have been Dr. James Andrews.

The likely result?  A one-year clause similar to the one the Tigers gave Magglio Ordonez.  The Red Sox would be able to opt out after the first season if Drew goes on the DL because of the shoulder.  In the case of Maggs, Detroit could've voided the contract after '05 if he spent 25 days on the DL for his formerly troublesome left knee.  There is no sign that Drew will end up anywhere other than Boston.

Comments

[TheRealErik]

Oh, karma's a bitch. Drew leaves 33MM on the table and now has to settle for a one year deal.

[bobo]

Awful idea for Boston. So if Drew's arm falls off in 2008 they're screwd?

[frozenrope]

No. It is not a one year deal. It's a 5-year deal with a clause that states the Sox can opt out of the deal if Drew spends more than 25 days on the DL. Unless you were attempting at humor.

[ArodSucksAtLife]

Not sure if I've ever actively hoped for a member of the Red Sox to be hurt before, interesting.

[TNS]

At this point in time, as a Red Sox fan I'd almost rather see them go after Huff for a 2 or 3 year deal (he's rumored to be asking for 3/$23m) than deal with Drew. There are 2 things that make Drew the better player and they are defense & plate discipline. Take away the arm strength and now you have muted power & lose the plus defense. Cutting the power essentially gives you Trot Nixon without the leadership/character/loyalty/etc. Huff still has the power, is a year younger, & would be a considerably lower-risk investment. Huff position flexibilty helps the Sox out down the road if they sign/trade for another outfielder and when Ellsbury is called up. Considering 3 years of Huff would cost less than 2 of JD Drew, I'd personally rather bite on Huff.

[ArodSucksAtLife]

Still say the plan should be one more year of Trot, then throw as much cash as humanly possible at Ichiro next offseason.

[levelboss]

"..throw as much cash as humanly possible at Ichiro next offseason"

missing Johnny Damon?

[bravesrule14]

i just heard that Juan Rivera broke his leg in Venezuela. What does that mean for the Angels outfiled

[ArodSucksAtLife]

"missing Johnny Damon?"

Yes.

[levelboss]

compared to the outrageous contracts this offseason, what Damon asked for last year seems like a bargain now, huh?

(and now there's a possibility that Loretta might don the blue pinstripes too)

[quintjs]

People talk about Drew being injured, hes not, played 146games this year.

Its still a half decent deal, considering what everyone else is signing for. If healthy, Drew is a great #5 bat and outfielder. And he is healthy, the Sox just need to protect themselves against this possible problem.

An opt out clause after one year is a bad idea in my mind. No future protection.

[plh903]

"and now there's a possibility that Loretta might don the blue pinstripes too"

The Yankees should be able to trip and fall over a .750 OPS at 1B, I can't see that actually happening.

Of course, the Yanks annually have 8 Silver Sluggers and one black hole offensively, so why change that now?

[levelboss]

hmmm.. NINE silver sluggers..

why not? lol

[nrmax88]

"why not? lol"

Cuz ur team tried that the last half a decade, and that shit doesnt work

[walkoffblast]

"compared to the outrageous contracts this offseason, what Damon asked for last year seems like a bargain now, huh?"

I have seen this revisionist history all too often recently. A year later a lot of things look different. That is just baseball. Not to mention bargin is going a little far. All it does is make the deal look possibly less unreasonable. I guess Yankees fans are running so low on ammunition they are still trying to milk the Damon signing against the Red Sox. If they sign Loretta and brag about it that should be a good laugh all around. Damon and Drew are different players in different markets. Remember only a fool judges a 4 year deal on the first year. Something the Sox should keep in mind if they really believe Drew's shoulder could hurt his power.

[bsox21]

Ichiro playing meaningful baseball on the east coast?

Drrooooooooooool!