The Taming of the Drew

Over seven weeks after they announced a preliminary deal, the parties appear to have finally finalized the contract, and Drew could be introduced tomorrow. In a period that made a lot of attorneys quite wealthy, the Sox basically got protection in the event that Drew's right shoulder once again turns into goo.

To recap, J.D. Drew has played more than 135 games once in his career. While his career OPS is .061 points higher than Trot Nixon, he will be paid up to $70 million over the next 5 years. By contrast, the Red Sox could have probably had Nixon for somewhere near the 1 year, $3 million deal that he signed with Cleveland. Trot is the ultimate fan favorite, and nobody plays the game harder. By contrast, Drew has a reputation of being indifferent, and according to Tony "I Know More Than You about Baseball and Puppies" LaRussa, he does not put forth full effort. This is a view shared by many of Drew's former teammates, who feel that he will not play through even the slightest of injuries.

Basically, the Sox are on the hook for three years of the deal, but the Sox can void the last two years of the deal if he goes on the DL for anything relating to their findings on Drew's shoulder. Drew had surgery for a torn labrum in September 2005, and still has weakness in the shoulder. His shoulder was so bad that they had to drill holes in his shoulder blade to facilitate cartilage growth.

Oy. $70 million, you say?

I have a feeling this may be a HUGE mistake for Theo and crew. However, for the money they're paying J.D., they had better get three solid years out of him. If the shoulder goes in the first three years, I want him in the lineup regardless. If he whines, I've got two words for him: Pete Gray.