Free Agent Target: Stephen Drew

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

A few short years ago, the left side of the Yankee infield was one of the best in baseball.  Well, at least from an offensive standpoint.  Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez were still among the best hitters at their positions, even as they advanced into their mid-to-late 30s, and were permanent fixtures in key spots in the batting order.  Fast forward to 2013 and oh how the mighty have fallen.  The Captain and America's Most Hated Athlete combined to play just 61 games this season, the byproduct of a brutal combination of injury setbacks, MLB steroid probes, and natural age-related regression.

To their credit, the Yankees did attempt to bring in an MLB-caliber backup option for the left side when they went after free agent shortstop Stephen Drew last offseason.  His value was down after a few declining years in Arizona and a mid-season trade to Oakland, but Drew turned down a higher dollar offer from the Yankees to sign a 1-year deal with Baaaahhhhhston and guarantee himself more playing time.  After a much better 2013 season that ended with a championship parade, Drew is back out on the market this offseason and once again on the Yankees' radar.

C-Grand Leaning Towards Declining His Qualifying Offer?

Via The Post:

“Well, it’s definitely something you've got to think about, and I appreciate the Yankees extending that offer to me.  You definitely got to continue to weigh all your options to see what’s the best fit for you. Is it doing something like [accepting] the qualifying offer and going back out there again [in free agency next year], or seeing what else is out there?

You know, there are 29 other ballclubs out there, and we’re now at a point where every team has the chance to be a contender here in the near future."

Certainly sounds like a guy who wants to test the open market, and more power to him if that's what he ends up doing.  We know there's a market out there for Granderson already and we can safely assume from his past production that he can get a better offer than 1 year/$14 million even coming off his down 2013.  Granderson was the one player the Yankees weren't sure about when they were making their decisions on who to make QOs to, so maybe he's taking that as a sign that they don't really want him back next year anyway.  He's got a few more days to decide, but the signs and his comments certainly lead one to believe that he'll decline.

Robbie Cano Wins His 4th Straight Silver Slugger

(Courtesy of USA Today Sports)

And 5th in his career.  Led all AL second baseman in games played (160), batting average (.314), OBP (.383), SLG (.516), wOBA (.384), wRC+ (142), HR (27), RBI (107), intentional BB (16), fWAR (6.0), and bWAR (7.6).  Ho-hum.  I'd say he earned that new watch.