With three seasons remaining on his contract after 2008, J.D. Drew will remain in a Red Sox uniform for the next year or two. At $14 million annually, Drew is too cost prohibitive to trade, much to the chagrin of many Red Sox fans. So the bottom line is this - Boston is stuck with Drew.
This might be reason for aggravation if Boston's lineup was dependent on Drew driving in runs from the No. 5 spot. That was the role Theo Epstein envisioned when he signed the right fielder to a five-year, $70 million deal before the 2007 season. Instead, Drew struggled for much of last year, but Mike Lowell rescued the Sox with 120 RBI.
Now, Lowell has a firm grip on the No. 5 spot in the order while Drew has often found himself hitting seventh. This is a perfect spot for the robotic and fragile veteran. Yesterday's grand slam aside, Drew has not given Boston the run production it expected. Instead, he has been a singles machine who draws walks and has a high on-base percentage.
Obviously, the Red Sox have not been hurt by Drew's lack of production. They have one of baseball's most potent lineups. The heart of the order - David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez, Mike Lowell and Kevin Youkilis - are hitting home runs and knocking in runs while Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia are setting the table and Drew, Jason Varitek and Julio Lugo are hitting for average at the bottom of the order.
After yesterday's game that saw him belt a grand slam in Boston's 11-8 win over Kansas City, Drew had a .290 average with four home runs, 22 RBI, 22 walks and a .394 on-base percentage.
I look forward to the day when Brandon Moss or Josh Reddick is patrolling right field for the Red Sox. Both Moss and Reddick will likely produce more runs than Drew at the plate, and both are solid on defense. Since the Red Sox are stuck with Drew's fat salary for the next few years, at least he is not a total lost cause. Though I'm sure John Henry cringes at paying $14 million a year to a guy who misses several games due to questionable aches and pains, gets an abundance of walks and singles when he is at his best, and seems to consistently spray weak grounders to first and second when he is in a funk, Drew does not hurt the Red Sox hitting from the No. 7 spot. Lowell and Youkilis provide the pop at five and six, while Drew finds a way to get on base and let Varitek and Lugo continue the rally.
Epstein has certainly made questionable free agent signings in Drew and Lugo, but the Boston general manager deserves credit for building a team with so much talented depth that it can withstand the occasional disappointments. Most teams would have to live with Drew's inability to generate runs from the No. 5 spot. The Red Sox drop Drew to No. 7 and plug in Lowell at No. 5. If Drew misses an extended period of time due to a nagging quad, hamstring, shoulder, knee, etc., Ellsbury can play right and Coco Crisp can play center. Or, Terry Francona can summon Moss from Triple-A Pawtucket.
Especially when you have a player as delicate as Drew, having a surplus of outfielders is a welcomed problem.
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