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The Mets have spoken with agent Scott Boras about his client, free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, but there doesn't appear to be much chance for a deal there at this point, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe.
Cafardo reports that the two sides discussed "parameters" for a deal, but did not trade firm numbers and he believes that the Mets will go ahead with Ruben Tejada as their starting shortstop. He sees the Yankees as another possibility but unless Derek Jeter is going to move to another position, the Yankees are likely set at the position. That leaves the Red Sox as the most likely destination for Drew, according to Cafardo.
Drew signed a one-year, $9.5 million deal with Boston for last season after a down year in 2012 and injury concerns limited his options for a long-term deal. He played in 124 games for the Red Sox, hitting .253/.333/.443 in 501 plate appearances for the World Champion Red Sox in 2013 and is now seeking a multi-year deal.
The 30-year-old veteran has hit .264/.329/.435 in eight seasons in the majors, which is slightly below league average (by wRC+) overall, but around 10 percent better than average for a shortstop. Defensively, he has been close to average or slightly below average by most defensive metrics. Defensive Runs Saved credits him with two runs above average for his career while Total Zone lists him as three runs below average. Ultimate Zone Rating is most extreme concerning Drew, blaming him for just under 19 runs allowed with his glove for his career.
With Jhonny Peralta signed to a four-year, $53 million deal with the Cardinals, Drew is now the top available option on the free agent market for teams in need of s trade option to the table with their willingness to move Jimmy Rollins. The Red Sox have top prospect Xander Bogaerts coming up in 2014 and he is expected to take over at short, but they could go back to Drew and push Bogaerts over to third, making Will Middlebrooks expendable. The Red Sox are at an advantage in the bidding for Drew since they would not have to pay the added price of draft pick compensation to re-sign him
