Stephen Drew

The Red Sox re-signed Stephen Drew and I'm not that happy about it.

Does Drew improve the team? Yes. Is he better defensively at short than Xander Bogaerts? Yes. Did this move cost the team nothing but money? Yes. Is Stephen Drew already well liked in the clubhouse? Yes. So why doesn't this move sit well with me?

The plan going into the season was for Will Middlebrooks to play third and Xander Bogaerts to play short meanwhile Drew would sign elsewhere and Boston would get a compensation draft pick. I liked that plan and hoped that Middlebrooks could stay healthy and show some power and that Bogaerts could handle short at the MLB level. That was the theory. The reality is Middlebrooks hit just 2 HR with a measly .629 OPS and is now out for quite some time with a broken finger. The reality is Bogaerts already has almost as many errors at short (6) as Stephen Drew had all season (8). The reality is the Red Sox were not going to get a compensation pick for Drew signing elsewhere. The reality is the plan was not working. The reality sucks! Like forth place in the AL East sucks.

Another dose of reality is that signing Stephen Drew may signal the end of Will Middlebrooks in Boston. The Red Sox already have top prospect Garin Cecchini at third in Pawtucket so there was already pressure on Middlebrooks. Now with the signing of Drew - Middlebrooks will have to hope someone gets hurt in order for him to get the at bats to prove belongs at the MLB level. Who wants to be in that situation?

I'm not happy with the situation and like many fans I'm transferring those feelings of unhappiness unto Stephen Drew. At least I admit it.