Stephen Drew willing to consider 1-year deal with Tigers

Perpetual free agent shortstop Stephen Drew will consider a one-year deal with Detroit, according to John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press. It is believed that Drew would only sign such a deal after the Tigers' season begins on March 31st, which would allow him to avoid the qualifying offer next winter. 

The Tigers were recently informed that Jose Iglesias could miss a majority of the season with shin injuries.

Detroit has addressed the issue in some to some degree -- by trading left hander Jose Alvarez to the Angels for shortstop Austin Romine -- but Drew almost certainly represented the best option readily available at the moment.

Romine is a 28-year-old who has managed just 15 major league starts in his career, and the Tigers other in house options are similarly inexperienced. Danny Worth, typically a utility bench player, could see time at short if Detroit doesn't make another move. The team also has 22-year-old prospect Hernan Perez, who has just 73 big league plate appearances. He projects as a strong defender, but his bat could take some time to develop.

Drew, 31, is reportedly targeting a deal worth around the same amount as the qualifying offer -- $14.1 million. A one-year deal in that range would push the Tigers close to the luxury tax ceiling, and might limit their options at the trade deadline, but they could just as easily decide that one year of Drew is too good to pass on, given their current options at short.