Padres Free Agent Targets: Stephen Drew

We continue to take a look at the free agent market and see who does or doesn’t fit in the with the Padres. Today we’ll take a look at Stephen Drew and how he would fit it in. 

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Look, Drew was not good offensively last year. Between the Red Sox and Yankees, he hit .162 with seven homers and 26 RBI. Yuck.  However, you have to think some of that was because he didn’t sign until May and didn’t get the Spring Training work like he usually would. This is is a guy who two years ago hit 13 homers for the World Champion Red Sox and his hit double digits in homers five times.

Drew is a also a pretty slick fielder, something that can be beneficial to a pitching staff especially to team that’s built on pitching like the Padres are.  I don’t think Everth Cabrera will be retained, nor should he be, and the Padres can use Drew as a veteran stopgap in what should be a pretty young infield with Jedd Gyorko and quite possibly Cory Spangenberg in it.

Drew can be a left-handed stick at the bottom of the order that has a little bit of pop. I would think he wouldn’t hit as terribly as he did in 2014 with some pre-season  action and getting a full head start to the season. It would be an interesting pickup if the Pads choose to go down that road.