Though the free agent shortstop market is thin, Stephen Drew has yet to sign a contract with a team and the New York Mets are reportedly interested in bringing him to Queens and have been in contact with him, according to reports.
Newsday reports that the Mets have remained in contact with Scott Boras, who is Drew's agent, and the Mets would consider making a run at Drew if he lowered his price. The report indicates that the Mets interest in Drew is similar to their interest in Michael Bourn last year, where the Mets made a run at signing him after his price lowered but he ended up with the Cleveland Indians.
The Mets are looking to add another bat to their lineup to go along with captain and franchise third baseman David Wright and outfielder and new import Curtis Granderson in the middle of the batting order. The Mets are looking to upgrade over Ruben Tejada at the position and Drew could fit the bill.
Tejada, 24, is young and has shown promise in the past, but he has consistently drawn the ire of manager Terry Collins and the team wouldn't be opposed to replacing him with a better hitter.
Tejada hit a measly .202 last season to go along with a .259 on-base percentage and a .260 slugging percentage through 57 games in the majors and he even was sent down to the minors for a portion of the season.
Drew won the World Series with the Boston Red Sox last season and could still possibly go back to Boston if he can reach a deal with the team. The market for Drew has been thin since the Red Sox offered him a qualifying offer, meaning that any team without one of the first 10 picks in the draft would have to surrender a first-round draft pick if they wanted to sign him.
It appeared as though the market would be wide-open for Drew after Jhonny Peralta-the only other big name shortstop on the market-reached a four-year deal with the St. Louis Cardinals, but so far nothing has materialized for Drew.
Drew, 30, hit .253 last season with 13 homers and 67 RBIs for Boston through 124 games, but didn't do much damage with his bat in the postseason.
It's unknown where Drew will end up and if the Mets will spend any more money this offseason, but for now New York is at least interested in the shortstop.
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