SB Nation St. Louis - St. Louis Cardinals rumors: Stephen Drew is free, but Oakland Athletics are still interestedhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49009/stl-fave.png2012-11-01T08:15:04-05:00http://stlouis.sbnation.com/rss/stream/33807752012-11-01T08:15:04-05:002012-11-01T08:15:04-05:00Stephen Drew could stay in Oakland after all
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<img alt="He really does look like J.D." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9xCanwABZPrZ13Mj3U6cHl55iHQ=/114x0:3999x2590/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/2424959/153888003.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>He really does look like J.D. | Ezra Shaw</figcaption>
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<p>Stephen Drew would be a nice fit with the St. Louis Cardinals, but he could be back with the Oakland Athletics after all after they declined his 2013 option.</p> <p>When the <a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oakland Athletics</a> declined <a href="http://stlouis.sbnation.com/cardinals-rumors-2013/2012/10/30/3573724/st-louis-cardinals-rumors-stephen-drew-free-agent">Stephen Drew's 2013 option </a>the shortstop rapidly became a popular target among <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Cardinals</a> Hot Stove League veterans. J.D.'s brother would make a very nice second baseman (and <span>Rafael Furcal</span> insurance policy), but he's not a free agent until Saturday—and in the meantime, the Athletics are reportedly interested in <a target="_blank" href="http://www.mlbdailydish.com/2012/10/31/3581058/athletics-rumors-oakland-stephen-drew">signing him to a new deal</a>.</p>
<p>The A's bought low on Drew at midseason, trading for him after he'd hit just .193/.290/.311 in his first 40 games following an ugly ankle injury, and it paid off; he wasn't his old self, exactly, but in 39 games with Oakland the 29-year-old hit .250/.326/.382, nearly league-average in their cavernous home park.</p>
<p>The A's owe Drew $1.35 million after buying out his $10 million option. On the open market the 30-year-old could command two or three years, but he's a low-AAV risk in a market that's pretty light on middle infielders with upside.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/cardinals-rumors-2013/2012/11/1/3583922/stephen-drew-rumors-oakland-athleticsDan Moore2012-10-30T07:01:10-05:002012-10-30T07:01:10-05:00Stephen Drew enters the Hot Stove picture
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<figcaption>Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE</figcaption>
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<p>Stephen Drew has a preexisting relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals and can play middle infield. Hopefully he doesn't remember all the boos J.D. got. </p> <p>The <a href="https://www.vivaelbirdos.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">St. Louis Cardinals</a>' thin infield will be the sight of most of our 2012 rumor-mongering, and <span>Stephen Drew</span> is the Hot Stove League's newest available target after the <a href="https://www.athleticsnation.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Oakland Athletics</a> <a href="http://www.athleticsnation.com/2012/10/29/3573340/as-decline-drews-option-pick-up-balfours">declined his $10 million option</a> Monday afternoon. If you like reclamation projects, injury-prone ex-stars, and hearing that anecdote about him being nicknamed "Dirt" while he practiced with the Cardinals during brother J.D. Drew's tenure, begin holding your breath—he'll become a free agent over the weekend.</p>
<p>Drew's health problems are definitely worth worrying about; he hit a combined .223/.309/.348 between Arizona and Oakland after returning from a major ankle injury at midseason, and in a very small sample size his defensive numbers looked a little messy.</p>
<p>But the Cardinals are building from such a low base at second—and so in need of depth at shortstop, with <span>Rafael Furcal</span> set to reprise his role as injury-prone starter—that even if Drew <i>failed</i> to bounce back to his defense-and-line-drives heights he'd be an upgrade, for 80 or 90 games, on <span>Daniel Descalso</span> and Pete Kozma.</p>
<p>Signing Stephen Drew probably won't make or break the Cardinals, in 2013, but he fits their post-Pujols profile pretty well—whether he turns into <span>Lance Berkman</span> 2011 or Lance Berkman 2012, he'd be a worthy gamble.</p>
https://stlouis.sbnation.com/cardinals-rumors-2013/2012/10/30/3573724/st-louis-cardinals-rumors-stephen-drew-free-agentDan Moore