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J.D. Drew

Five years for $70 million. Drew turned 31 last month. In 9 years in the majors, he's averaged 106 games played a season. Each year at Christmastime, I'm struck by the same wistful thought.

It'd sure be a wonderful life if Scott Boras represented ME.

Oh, well, it's not my money. As far as the Red Sox are concerned, Drew, when healthy is a distinct improvement on Trot Nixon in right field. Forecasting anyone's medical future is impossible, but when a ballplayer's been frequently hurt in his twenties, chances are poor he'll spend the bulk of his thirties in perfect health.

Ahh, Trot was hurt last year, too. Even given Drew's propensity for the DL, he's an upgrade on Nixon. He's not twice as good as Nixon, however, and that's how much the Sox are paying Drew.

By the same token, Julio Lugo is an upgrade on Alex Gonzalez at shortstop. Lugo's a far better offensive player, can bat leadoff, and while he's no Gold Glover, his fielding is acceptable. Hitting being more important than fielding, Lugo is a better fit for the Sox' needs.

Forty million bucks worth of better? I don't think so, but then, the Sox had little alternative. They're stuck in the classic trap that's snared their big-budget Yankee rivals the past few seasons. When a good team with a big payroll hits the free agent market, it winds up increasing spending geometrically for incremental improvement.

The Yanks were under no illusion Jaret Wright was the answer to their pitching woes. They overpaid for an injury-prone vet who indeed has been hurt most of past two years. But Wright was an improvement on what the Yanks had at the back of their rotation at the time, which was nobody.

There's one good thing about the Drew and Lugo signings. Boston fans and media no longer can sneer at the Yanks for the deal they gave Johnny Damon. Last winter, all one heard was how Damon would be useless over at least the final two seasons of his 4 year, $52 million deal with New York.

This winter, I'll make the following bet. Damon will play more games in the next three seasons than will Drew. Any takers?

posted by Michael Gee @ 11:22 AM