Friday, August 28, 2015

Discussing a Stephen Drew Contract for 2016


The 2016 Major League Baseball season will be here before you know it and the fans will all be up in arms discussing why this guy should be signed or what it would take to trade for that guy but what will the Yankees do with Stephen Drew? Drew was acquired from the Boston Red Sox last season at the July 31st trading deadline for Kelly Johnson and struggled for the remainder of the 2014 season. As you probably remember Drew had missed almost half of the 2014 season after declining a qualifying offer and failing to find a Major League deal before the June MLB First Year Players Draft came and went. Many blamed his lack of production on not getting a full Spring Training or a full season which led the Yankees to bring him back for 2015, could a set of unforeseen reasons lead New York to bring him back for the 2016 as well?

Drew will be 33 years old when the 2016 begins and while he is unlikely to ever reach his career norms of .252/.318/.421/.739 with 16 home runs and 68 RBI he can still be useful believe it or not. Drew's one or two saving graces have been his defense at second base and his ability to stumble into one and hit a home run every once in a while. In an era where offense is down around the league and where we see the second base position especially anemic offensively Drew may not be as bad as I and others have made him out to be, especially for a modest $5 million in salary annually.

If the Yankees can bring Drew back for a salary less than what he is making in 2015 with no guarantees of an every day job I can't say I would be terribly upset about it. I've had my rants about Drew and his role on the team but it has always ended with something along the lines of me saying that Drew would very much be a welcomed addition to the team's bench and not as an every day player. Having a versatile guy on the bench defensively that can also pop a home run late in a game is never a bad thing to have, especially in the American League. Having Drew not only work with but mentor Robert Refsnyder could not hurt either as both players have one thing in common besides their uniform, neither started their careers as second baseman.

I know this sounds crazy and many may think that I am growing soft in my old age but if the Yankees want to bring back Drew for the 2016 season I am all for it, under one condition of course. That one condition being that Refsnyder is your every day second baseman. Well that and maybe a buyout of Brendan Ryan's contract that he will likely pick up on a team option for next season as well.

2 comments:

  1. Ok, I almost always said he would be a good backup.

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    Replies
    1. You did, and I almost always agreed with you Mr. Reed

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