3 posts tagged “j.d. drew”

Seth Mnookin wrote a somewhat interesting/mildly entertaining piece for Slate yesterday bemoaning the outrageous spending thus far in MLB's hawt-stove action. There are admittedly many examples for Mnookin to hold up for ridicule and scorn, including the largesse bestowed upon Juan Pierre, Gary Matthews and, yes, Alfonso Soriano.

The only problem with all of this? It might have to do with the fact that visitors to Mnookin's Web site this morning would find him defending the ill-advised and bloated deals his beloved Red Sox handed out to J.D. Drew (5 years, $70 mil) and Julio Lugo (4 years, $36 mil).

I'm officially on record stating that, of all the bad or grossly overpriced deals doled out thus far, Drew's may go down as one of the - if not the - worst of them all (see below). I don't think he can handle the Fenway crowd and Red Sox Nation in general, and they're stuck with each other for the next five freaking years (at $14 mil per). And Lugo is a 31-year-old career .270 hitter that will now make $9 million for the next four years.

So which is it? If the free-agency spending is out of control this winter (and I agree that it is, almost unlike I've ever seen before), how can Mnookin defend the Red Sox deals (especially the one for Drew)?

• J.D. Drew signing with the Boston Red Sox. This won't go well, I'm telling you. And for five years, too? Yikes.
  

Who exactly, within the Boston Red Sox organization thinks it is a good idea to sign J.D. Drew to what one assumes will be a lucrative contract, as is expected in the next day or so?

By all accounts, Drew is a malcontent, crybaby and ginormous flake who handles criticism as well as fucking Cosmo Kramer does. Which is OK, because he won't face any criticism or pressure playing for the fucking Boston Red Sox. The only place with fans more demanding hard to please is the Yankees.

Drew had a breakout year in '06 playing for the Dodgers because L.A.'s the best possible place for him. It's laid back,  and Dodger fans are easygoing, loyal and not terribly hard to please. And even when you don't please them, they don't really care all that much.

Drew opted out of the rest of his contract with the Dodgers because he thought he could make more money. And, as the free agent market has shown thus far, he certainly will cash in. But if he indeed ends up in Boston, it will not end well. It also won't begin well, and nothing in between those two points will go well, either.

This is like watching a bad celebrity marriage you know is going to explode. It's just a matter of when. It's a good thing I don't like the Red Sox, because this train wreck will be fun to watch.