Editorials

Dodgers Rumors: Stephen Drew A Fit At Shortstop For The Dodgers?

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a hole at third base as Juan Uribe is one of their 10 free agents. Signed to a three-year deal in 2011, Uribe struggled in his first two years in Dodger Blue, but had a great 2013 season.

While he started the season platooning with Luis Cruz, Uribe quickly showed he was ready to handle the everyday duties and Cruz was designated for assignment. However, with Uribe no lock to sign, it’s been suggested the Dodgers slide shortstop Hanley Ramirez over to third base and sign a shortstop. According to Dayn Perry of CBSSports.com, they could be a fit for Stephen Drew:



There are also the Dodgers. But in their case, they’d need to slide Hanley Ramirez over to third with, presumably, Ramirez’s blessing. But will Ramirez warm to the idea after being moved to third in 2012 and then back to short after his trade to L.A.? That kind of arrangement would surely improve the team, but it’s not always that simple.

When he was with the Miami Marlins, Ramirez shifted to third base after they signed shortstop Jose Reyes away from the New York Mets in 2011. Ramirez was less than thrilled with that idea and while his defensive range at shortstop has declined, he feels most comfortable up the middle.

Signing Drew would be complicated for the Dodgers as he’d have to decline his qualifying offer, something Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com suggests is likely to happen. Since he was offered one in the first place, signing Drew would mean the Dodgers would lose their first round pick.

Other than the Dodgers, the Cardinals or Yankees could be a potential fit for Drew as he’d be an upgrade over Pete Kozma and Derek Jeter is seeing his range decline at short as well.

At the end of his post, Perry makes this point about the Dodgers and Drew:

Consider the Dodgers the wild card, which, given recent history, may be just wild enough for Boras’s purposes.

Drew would definitely be an upgrade defensively, but the 30-year-old shortstop hit .253 with 13 home runs and 67 RBI as Boras has already lined up several meetings for his client.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

In case you missed it-Dodgers Decline Mark Ellis And Chris Capuano Options


Ross Gasmer

Ross Gasmer is a Social Media Producer for @TheHerd and was a contributing writer and editor for Dodger Nation. Follow him on Twitter @Ross_Gasmer12

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button