Drew is walking through that door

[joe dokes]

One way to view this is that the Sox saved $4million while they did a test drive of the WMB/X/JBJ troika, without seriously compromising their chances in the division, surrendering talent, or being "forced" (for lack of a better word) to lock up Drew for multi-years.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

They've known WMB would be out long-term for a while now.  They signed Drew because the hole at 3B is huge and it upgrades the left side.

 
Four days is a while?  WMB got hurt on Friday and placed on the DL on Saturday.  I don't think there's anything long planned about this signing at all.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Joel Sherman ‏@Joelsherman1   1m 
Drew must be activated because signed MLB contract, but not deemed ready to play yet #Redsox

Joel Sherman ‏@Joelsherman1   26s 
#Redsox will gauge where Drew is, then send him some place to ready for MLB play. Not ready yet

 

[Corsi]

 
Four days is a while?  WMB got hurt on Friday and placed on the DL on Saturday.  I don't think there's anything long planned about this signing at all.

 


 

Jeff Passan ‏@JeffPassan  52m
Red Sox back-channeled with Stephen Drew throughout the year. At least one club official met with him in April to gauge interest in return.
 

 

 

[RedOctober3829]

 
Four days is a while?  WMB got hurt on Friday and placed on the DL on Saturday.  I don't think there's anything long planned about this signing at all.

They've had a few days to think about it after calling Holt back up.  They decided they want to upgrade it outside of the organization and decided to sign Drew.  I'd say that is planned.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Any news on John Farrell's door? It's been like 4 minutes, I can't take it.

 

[RedOctober3829]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe 17s
Bogaerts now taking grounders at 3B. #redsox
 

 

[SaveBooFerriss]

 
I think the "who caved more" needle points slightly in Drew's direction, as he is forced (yeah, I know, poor baby) to take another pillow contract.
 
But he is taking the risk that all pillow contracts carry. Not having as a good a year as he had last year/sucking/getting hurt.

 
The Sox essentially gave him a "do over" on accepting the qualifying offer.  The Sox were content with him accepting last winter and the prospect of another team signing him before the draft was very slim.  

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

Drew could also be used as a trade chip while not allowing an AL contender to get him for free.

 

[InsideTheParker]

 
Not sure, but I just read that his first step was a bit slow.
 
I got more if you want 'em.

Yeah. Keep them coming. :lol: 

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

https://twitter.com/nickcafardo/status/468841106676129792
 
He obviously has to be added to the 40-man immediately, but how do they work it so he gets time in the minors?  Is he technically going to be placed on the disabled list?  Is there a provision for an extended spring training thing with contracts signed during the season?

 

[ArttyG12]

My only concern is that Xander losing regular reps at SS for the rest of the year means we're back to a subpar defensive shortstop to begin next year while he restarts becoming the shortstop they think he'll be.

 

[Corsi]

 

Joel Sherman ‏@Joelsherman1  3m
Drew was participating in simulated games, but still not in MLB game shape. Needs innings/ABs to do that. #Redsox
 

 

[Corsi]

Any news on John Farrell's door? It's been like 4 minutes, I can't take it.

 
 

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe  2m
Bogaerts now taking grounders at 3B. #redsox
 

 

[YTF]

My only concern is that Xander losing regular reps at SS for the rest of the year means we're back to a subpar defensive shortstop to begin next year while he restarts becoming the shortstop they think he'll be.

 
He can play short in organized baseball in the offseason

 

[Tyrone Biggums]

OH MY GOODNESS GRACIOUS.

Stephen Drew is in John Henry's box!

 

[HillysLastWalk]

My only concern is that Xander losing regular reps at SS for the rest of the year means we're back to a subpar defensive shortstop to begin next year while he restarts becoming the shortstop they think he'll be.

 
But, at the same time, he's still getting major league reps at the plate.  He's with the major league coaching staff.  I'm sure he will get reps at SS during practice.  I'm guessing he will see some games here and there at SS (e.g. versus lefties).

 

[judyb]

I think this signing is made independent of any WMB injury.

Then why didn't they make it before he got injured?

 

[YTF]

Stephen Drew is in John Henry's box!

 How does Mrs Henry feel about that?

 

[The Mort Report]

My only concern is that Xander losing regular reps at SS for the rest of the year means we're back to a subpar defensive shortstop to begin next year while he restarts becoming the shortstop they think he'll be.

 
He's still going to be fielding grounders at 3rd.  It's not like they moved him to the outfield.  Yes, the angles and range is different, but its still repetition at a similar postion

 

[soxhop411]

Joon Lee ‏@iamjoonlee  14s
Shane Victroino said Stephen Drew brings, "Life, energy and sense of humor" to the #RedSox clubhouse.

 

[Ed Hillel]

Wait, John Farrell has an infield in his office?

 

[Snodgrass'Muff]

It'll get lost in the churn, but my $.02:
 
This works if:
 
(1) 3b is a lower-pressure position for X and he hits better with the pressure of playing SS off his back;
(2) X getting comfortable/confident v. major league pitching this year makes it easier to transition back to SS, since his overall confidence won't be as impacted by any defensive bumps in the road;
(3) the team was done with WMB and will trade him for Denorfia after he hits in AAA for a couple of weeks of rehab;
(4) Cecchini needed a full year in the minors, especially defensively; and
(5) Drew can hit and field competently after a week in the minors

 
It works because Drew was an above average shortstop last year and will likely be one this year and Bogaerts looked better defensively at third than he did at short, and has a better slash line than the average major league third baseman by a healthy margin.
 
Bogaerts: 269/369/379 (748 OPS)
MLB Average 3B: 248/312/392 (704) OPS
 
In fact, only two qualifying third basemen in the majors have a higher OBP than Bogaerts and his OPS would rank 8th.  There is nothing else at play here, and nothing else really matters.

 

[soxhop411]

Ryan Hannable ‏@RyanHannable  5m
Overall vibe from the clubhouse is they are all glad to have Drew back. Was very well liked last season, many players still kept in touch.

 

[Corsi]

 

Sean McAdam ‏@Sean_McAdam  5s
Lots of roster manipulation to come w/ Drew. Red Sox need to put him on 25-man roster and then get him thru option waivers for rehab assign
 

 

[MakMan44]

Actually, nvm, it's not going to happen

 

[EvilEmpire]

 
I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum.  Drew caved here, not the Sox.  They got him for what they were willing to pay him in the off season, less than a month before the draft.  If Drew had waited another 3 weeks or so, he could have signed long term with someone else and the Sox would have gotten nothing for his departure.  Now they get Drew back and no other team in the league can get stronger by signing him.  The offense gets better, not worse (Drew at short and Bogaerts at 3rd is better than Bogaerts at short and Holt at 3rd), the defense gets much better and they still aren't on the hook beyond the end of the year with Drew, so if they want to walk away from him in 2015 they can.  They can also make another qualifying offer, assuming there isn't a handshake deal not to.  Regardless, the 2014 Sox just got better while the rest of the majors stood pat.
 
That's a good day.  And I would describe this as a great decision by the Sox.  I'm wondering why Drew's camp caved, though.  With a little more patience, he gets a bigger pay day.  Maybe he really wanted to be back and has had players on the team in contact with him pushing him to return?

 
Wait, what?  I don't think anyone caved, but regardless, this deal is good for Drew.
 
He'll hit the market next off-season without compensation driving down his value.  His chances of getting a good multi-year deal will be better after this seaon is over.  Most teams are locked into other alternatives right now.  More teams will be in play after the season is over.  Boras has been talking to teams for a while.  He knows what deals are out there right now.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

 

 
Sean McAdam ‏@Sean_McAdam  5s
Lots of roster manipulation to come w/ Drew. Red Sox need to put him on 25-man roster and then get him thru option waivers for rehab assign

 

 

 
Okay, so someone has to be moved off the 25-man to fit him on, then they have to bring someone else up when he's put through option waivers?  Does this qualify for the DL exception to an optioned player having to stay down for at least 10 days so whoever is moved off the roster can be moved right back on?
 
Does exposing him to option waivers present any kind of risk of losing him?  I know about the whole gentlemen's agreement thing, but whatever team might have been hoping to wait until after the draft might look at this as an opportunity to get him early without losing the draft pick.
 
So complicated.

 

[soxhop411]

Mike Mutnansky ‏@MutWEEI  18s
Jim Duquette just said on MLB Network the Sox wanted Stephen Drew for 2 years but it was the Drew camp that only wanted a 1-yr deal

 

[MakMan44]

 
Does exposing him to option waivers present any kind of risk of losing him?  I know about the whole gentlemen's agreement thing, but whatever team might have been hoping to wait until after the draft might look at this as an opportunity to get him early without losing the draft pick.

I was thinking about this but they can always just pull him back and the team that does that comes off looking really badly, while still having to do business with the Red Sox (and the rest of MLB for that matter) in the future. I don't see it happening.

 

[ArttyG12]

 
But, at the same time, he's still getting major league reps at the plate.  He's with the major league coaching staff.  I'm sure he will get reps at SS during practice.  I'm guessing he will see some games here and there at SS (e.g. versus lefties).

 
My (obviously) non-professional opinion would be that irregular or non-game reps won't help him improve enough as a fielder.  Its certainly valid to say that the improvement to the team this year is a worthwhile improvement versus next year's possible repetition of this year's defensive problems, but I do think we'll see the same problem again.

 

[Snodgrass'Muff]

 
Wait, what?  I don't think anyone caved, but regardless, this deal is good for Drew.
 
He'll hit the market next off-season without compensation driving down his value.  His chances of getting a good multi-year deal will be better after this seaon is over.  Most teams are locked into other alternatives right now.  More teams will be in play after the season is over.  Boras has been talking to teams for a while.  He knows what deals are out there right now.

 
Unless there were no multi-year offers waiting for him after the draft, Drew caved.  I don't think that's a controversial statement.  He has already sat out 7 weeks of the season and is just a few weeks form no longer having draft pick compensation attached to him, yet he accepted a contract for the same length and dollars (minus time missed while he was sitting out) that wasn't good enough over the winter.  So he's taking less money than he would have if he'd accepted the QO and is passing up the opportunity to sign a multi-year deal just a few weeks from now, which likely would have been worth more than the 10 million he is reportedly getting now.  Either way, he is accepting less than he had on the table originally or might have on the table soon.  He caved.
 
I'm glad he did.  He makes this team better and i'm looking forward to seeing him on the field again.  But he caved.

 

[glennhoffmania]

 
Mike Mutnansky ‏@MutWEEI  18s
Jim Duquette just said on MLB Network the Sox wanted Stephen Drew for 2 years but it was the Drew camp that only wanted a 1-yr deal
 

 
Then this makes zero sense.  That says they're ready to ditch the Bogaerts at SS experiment.

 

[MakMan44]

But then they wouldn't be able to get him any playing time in the minors, right? Seems like a move that a team that could use Drew, has money, and doesn't worry about doing business with the Sox might make.

Right but it sets a bad precedent. Meaning that the whole gentleman's agreement goes out the window. It could happen but logically, I don't see it happening because that team would be screwing over all of MLB, not just the Sox. I don't know if everyone is going to see it this way though, I could be completely off base. 

 

[chrisfont9]

 
He'll have a nice new home in Miami with some other guys.

That would be selling awfully low. Not Ben's style. I think he has half a season where he is one of three guys for two positions, two of which are trying to prove if/where they belong and the third hits from the other side of the plate, giving them some flexibility from day to day. But by season's end the Sox will have to make a decision whether Middlebrooks can ever cut it here.

 

[geoduck no quahog]

For a while now, leaks have been leaking about Drew being a clubhouse favorite. Beyond any personality stuff, I think guys like Pedroia and Napoli (and the pitchers) really missed his talent at SS - particularly Pedroia. I recall reading things last year about how well the two of them worked together in the field, and how much Pedroia loved his feeds.
 
As for Bogaerts, we've also been reading for a while that his body type translates into growing into a 3rd baseman - assuming he muscles up and gains wait/loses agility (remember when Cabrerra was a young outfielder?)
 
This is all about WMB, and the front office disappointment in his development (public relations crap aside). It gives the Sox a couple of options going forward:
 
- WMB at 3rd / X at SS
- Cecchini at 3rd / X at SS
- X at 3rd / Marrero at SS
- X at 3rd / (future) Drew at SS
- X at 3rd / a trade/FA at SS (albeit competing against the Yankees)
 
Bottom line...recall how Orlando improved the situation with his steadiness...and I see the same steadying impact happening now.
 
This is a win-win for everyone but WMB, who has to consider moving on.

 

[chrisfont9]

 
Then this makes zero sense.  That says they're ready to ditch the Bogaerts at SS experiment.

Not necessarily, it just says that it would be on hold for two years, rather than one. Ripken played almost two years at 3B before moving.

 

[soxhop411]

Ryan Hannable ‏@RyanHannable  18s
Farrell says Drew will need 25 at-bats, roughly 10-12 days in the minors before joining the Sox. Will be in town tomorrow for physical.

 

[soxhop411]

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe  1m
Farrell says #RedSox still view Bogaerts as a SS. Suggests he'll play SS vs. LHPs.

 

[HillysLastWalk]

 
My (obviously) non-professional opinion would be that irregular or non-game reps won't help him improve enough as a fielder.  Its certainly valid to say that the improvement to the team this year is a worthwhile improvement versus next year's possible repetition of this year's defensive problems, but I do think we'll see the same problem again.

 
Yes.  Any solution will pale in comparison to every game at SS.  That's a given.  But from a defensive standpoint there has to be some type of improvement - even if it's just continued instruction from Butterfield and the occasional game at SS.  No?  Maybe I'm wrong.
 
[throw away line] Potentially, when he's put back there full time next year, a stronger Xander at the plate will lead to less of a spotlight on his defense.  Or we won't care when he's slugging 500+!

 

[Corsi]

 

Pete Abraham ‏@PeteAbe  2m
Farrell says #RedSox still view Bogaerts as a SS. Suggests he'll play SS vs. LHPs.
 

 

[Corsi]

 

Tim Britton ‏@TimBritton  23s
Farrell: "We still view Xander as a shortstop. This shouldn't take away what our long-term view of him is."
 

 

[geoduck no quahog]

 
Ryan Hannable ‏@RyanHannable  18s
Farrell says Drew will need 25 at-bats, roughly 10-12 days in the minors before joining the Sox. Will be in town tomorrow for physical.
 

 
Is there a league in play now (instructional?) where he can get more ab's / game than professional baseball allows?

 

[nvalvo]

 
Mike Mutnansky ‏@MutWEEI  18s
Jim Duquette just said on MLB Network the Sox wanted Stephen Drew for 2 years but it was the Drew camp that only wanted a 1-yr deal
 

 
He must have meant last year. 

 

[YouDownWithOBP?]

Can someone clarify if they need to clear a 40 man spot for this? I am not sure if they are at 39 or 40. Thanks

 

[Green Monster]

 
Sean McAdam ‏@Sean_McAdam 5s
Lots of roster manipulation to come w/ Drew. Red Sox need to put him on 25-man roster and then get him thru option waivers for rehab assign
 

 
So CASHman puts in a claim and the Sox loose him??

 

[EvilEmpire]

 
Unless there were no multi-year offers waiting for him after the draft, Drew caved.  I don't think that's a controversial statement.  He has already sat out 7 weeks of the season and is just a few weeks form no longer having draft pick compensation attached to him, yet he accepted a contract for the same length and dollars (minus time missed while he was sitting out) that wasn't good enough over the winter.  So he's taking less money than he would have if he'd accepted the QO and is passing up the opportunity to sign a multi-year deal just a few weeks from now, which likely would have been worth more than the 10 million he is reportedly getting now.  Either way, he is accepting less than he had on the table originally or might have on the table soon.  He caved.
 
I'm glad he did.  He makes this team better and i'm looking forward to seeing him on the field again.  But he caved.

 
Unless?  You don't think Boras knows what deals are out there?

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

Thoughts in no particular order.
 
Really seems like it will have to be the end for WMB for the year if everyone stays healthy.  Herrera would seem to be the guy to stay up -- nobody else can play 2B in a backup role, as noted.  
 
I would have liked to have seen WMB closer to 650 PAs over last year and this before they gave up on him, but the bottom line is that sporting a .300 OBP over about 420 PAs this and last year, plus not being able to stay on the field, has been a problem.  If there was no acceptable 3B on the market, and the perception was that Drew would be gone elsewhere once out from the under the QO albatross, they couldn't wait.  
 
I don't get the angst over Xander at 3B.  Sure, I would have liked to see him get another month or so of reps at SS in MLB, but if there's no 3B out there in the trade market, you can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.  A left side of Drew and Bogaerts is one to be excited about -- you could win a world series with a left side like that.  I've seen it happen.
 
The biggest bummer about all this is that if Drew plays well, we're the team giving him his audition for the MFY.  But, whatever -- that was going to be the case wherever he went.  It's May 20 -- there was no way he was going to sign anywhere before the draft baring a major injury somewhere, and even then probably, so those worried about losing the draft pick, I think it was a pipe dream at this point.

 

[EvilEmpire]

 
So CASHman puts in a claim and the Sox loose him??

 
I don't thinks so.  I don't think the Sox have to worry about Detroit either.

 

[Red(s)HawksFan]

Not necessarily, it just says that it would be on hold for two years, rather than one. Ripken played almost two years at 3B before moving.

 
No he did not.  As a late season call-up in 1981, he played parts of 6 games at 3B (mostly in late inning duty).  Call that his Bogaerts 2013.  He then split time between 3B and SS in 1982 (more games at SS...94 to 71).  By 1983, his age 22 season, he was a full time SS.