The latest on Stephen Drew

Thirty-year-old Stephen Drew has yet to agree to a contract this off-season. The shortstop's market has been relatively quiet. However, as the beginning of Spring Training games near, Drew has drawn interest from four teams. Although the baseball world does not know who these teams are, the Red Sox and Mets seem like pretty good speculations as of now. Also, the Yankees seem like they could be in on Drew.

In my opinion, the Mets are almost a lock to be in on Drew. The Mets posted the second-worst OPS from their shortstops in 2013, posting a very low .561 OPS. The Major League average was 119 points higher, with a .680 mark. Omar Quintanilla, who started 89 games at shortstop, posted a 70 OPS+, while hitting a three slash line of .222/.306/.283 with 2 home runs and 21 RBI. However, the Mets do have two younger players that could take the shortstop position in 2014, Ruben Tejada and Wilmer Flores. I also believe the Mets want to see what they've got before they decide to give Drew the big money.

The Red Sox might still be looking to re-sign Drew, especially now that $13.25 million of their payroll is now free due to the leave of Ryan Dempster. However, they have Xander Bogaerts, a top infield prospect that is ready to take over the position. Shortstop is likely the ideal position for Bogaerts, as that is his natural position. Bogaerts spent all but 20 games (365 total games) in his minor league career at shortstop. The other 20 were split evenly between third base and designated hitter. The Red Sox were thought to have let Drew leave, as it would be the best situation for the Aruba native.

The Yankees will be without Derek Jeter in 2015 and beyond, as he will be ending his career in 2014. Joel Sherman of the New York Post stated that the Yankees did offer Drew a contract earlier in the off-season, but that was when they were just reaching out to players in an attempt to get a "bite." Other recent reports have stated that the Yankees will not be in on Drew, but it's really hard to know their exact plans. If they can lock up Drew, they will be able to quickly find a successor to Derek Jeter that has what it takes to play very well.

Drew was good in 2013. He posted a triple-slash line of .253/.333/.443 with 13 home runs and 67 RBI (111 OPS+) in 124 games with the Red Sox. He was worth a total of 3.1 Wins Above Replacement, and 0.6 Defensive Runs Above Replacement. Drew was good, but he is asking for a lot of money and is also tied to draft pick compensation. That could be the main reason that his interest level has remained relatively low. Nonetheless, will be with a team in 2014, there is no doubt about that. But, that is pretty much all we know.