The New York Yankees kicked the tires around shortstop Stephen Drew this winter, and though nothing transpired, they cannot be counted out of the race just yet.
A Major League source told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that the Yankees may “change their thinking” about whether or not to sign Drew if the team doesn’t believe Derek Jeter can endure a full season at shortstop.
If that’s the thinking, the Yankees will consider signing Drew, but will do so after the Major League Baseball Draft in June in order to avoid giving the arch-rival Boston Red Sox a draft pick as compensation.
Once the draft selection process gets underway, teams interested in signing Drew will no longer be required to surrender a draft pick. The draft is scheduled for June 5 and lasts through June 7.
That echoes a report from late last month by WEEI, which indicated that any team that may still have interest in adding Drew to its roster will likely wait until after the draft.
Behind Jeter on the Yanks’ depth chart is Brendan Ryan, who is hitting .250 with a .310 slugging percentage.
New York was in on Drew for much of the offseason, and in late March CBS Sports reported that Drew’s agent, Scott Boras, said the team was “tapped out of money.” Yes, that’s correct. He said the Yankees were out of money.
In February, the Yankees reportedly made both a two- and a three-year offer to Drew, but then rescinded it. According to the New York Post, owner Hal Steinbrenner “put a clamp” on spending after the team inked Masahiro Tanaka to a big-time deal.
Boras was reportedly seeking a deal worth about $39 million over three years for his client. However, the Detroit Free Press reported Drew was willing to accept a one-year contract to join the Tigers.
