Hoplite said:
I've already given an explanation for why the Red Sox could use Drew. Heyman's hardly the only one saying that the Red Sox make the most sense and I find it hard to believe that every media source reporting on this is a Boras mouth piece.
The issue isn't whether the Sox could use Drew. Of course they could. The issue is whether they have a role for him that he is remotely likely to want. They don't. Those folks who are looking at the Sox and saying they make the most sense as a landing spot for Drew are wrong. It doesn't mean they're a mouth piece for Boras, it just means they're wrong. The every day lineup for this team is set and it has Middlebrooks at third and Bogaerts at short.
You can certainly make a case that Drew is the better defensive SS over the long term, and it may be possible to make the case that he is the better overall option in the short term, but that is by no means clear, and it is clear that Bogaerts is the better overall option long term.
It's also clear that the Sox don't think 2013 was representative of Middlebrooks' abilities. If they did, they'd have done something by now.
It's clear that in the long term, the Sox view Drew as the least capable bat and it's not clear to me that this isn't also true in the short term.
So, the only roles the Sox have for Drew are utility guy and insurance in case the second best prospect in the game that performed brilliantly on the post season stage is not ready.
So, yeah, the Sox don't need Drew. What's available is a utility role and since Drew has played no games at third and no games at second in his major league career, it's not remotely clear that he's going to be a good option to be switching positions all the time. There's no doubt in my mind that he could make the adjustments to play either third or short, but making both sets of adjustments at the same time while bouncing from position to position and sitting most games, well, the situation would hardly be ideal.
The Yankees have a role for him. Starting shortstop. The Mets have a role for him. The Pirates and the Reds would both be better off if they had him. The fact that the Yankees are hamstrung by The Jeter Myth, and that the Mets, Pirates, and Red are all stupid doesn't mean the Sox have an obligation to sign Drew.
Frankly, the Mets should sign him with the intent to trade him at the deadline unless they get very very lucky and manage to compete this year.