One more free agent off the board for the Yankees, and one more free agent off to the Red Sox.
According to CBSSports.com, shortstop Stephen Drew signed a one-year deal with Boston worth a guaranteed $9.5 million.
At one point this offseason, the Yankees were rumored to have interest in Drew, who has played most of his career at shortstop, but could have possibly filled in for Alex Rodriguez while the Yankees’ star third baseman recovers from hip surgery. He could have also spelled Derek Jeter, who is 38 and coming off ankle surgery.
Drew, 29, batted .223 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs overall last season, playing a combined 79 games with the Athletics and Diamondbacks. He was coming off a devastating ankle injury that occurred early in the 2011 season, keeping him out until July of this past year. Once traded from Arizona to Oakland, Drew hit .250 for the final 39 games.
The Red Sox are expected to pencil Drew in as the starting shortstop, while infield prospects Jose Iglesias and Xander Bogaerts still develop offensively. So far this offseason, the Yankees’ AL East rivals have added outfielder Shane Victorino; pitchers Ryan Dempster and Koji Uehara; and catchers David Ross and Mike Napoli. The deal with Napoli is not finalized, as the two sides are still “working through some issues,” according to the CBS report.