It turns out the Red Sox' separation from the Drew family was merely a one-year hiatus.
According to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, the Sox have reached agreement on a one-year contract with shortstop Stephen Drew, J.D.'s younger brother. The deal is contingent on Drew's passing a physical . . . which, as we've seen with Mike Napoli, isn't a given these days.
Drew, 29, allows the Sox to give Jose Iglesias more minor-league time in an attempt to see if he'll ever have the offensive capabilities to play in the big leagues. For Drew, who suffered a broken ankle in 2011 and was still suffering from its aftereffects last year, it allows him a chance to re-establish his value as a major-league regular and then trying free agency again next year.
A lifetime .265 hitter with a .328 on-base percentage, Drew was in double digits in home runs four times during his 6 12 years with the Diamondbacks. The ankle injury affected his hitting when he returned last year, but he rebounded a bit after a midseason trade to the A's; he hit .250 in Oakland with 5 homers and 16 RBI in 39 games.
Advanced statistical metrics list him as a slightly below-average fielder.