Stephen Drew
Stephen Drew is yet another Red Sox free-agent signing who played shortstop and like Lugo, his time in Boston was underwhelming even though they won a World Series during his brief time here.
Just barely a year after his older brother JD Drew retired after spending the final five seasons of his career with the Red Sox, the team signed Stephen to a one year, $9.5 million contract. His year in Boston was decent but underwhelming, with a .253 average to go along with 13 home runs and 67 RBI. He was awful in the postseason, hitting .133 in the ALDS, .050 in the ALCS, and .158 in the World Series.
He did have a crucial home run in the clinching game of the World Series but otherwise had a forgettable October. Still, the Red Sox tried to bring him back by offering him another one year contract, this one for $14.1 million. Shockingly, Drew turned it down and went into free agency. However, nobody was interested and when the 2014 season started he was unsigned.
In a panic move after rookie Xander Bogaerts struggled to start the season, the Red Sox brought Drew back in May of 2014 for $10 million (the prorated amount of the $14.1 million they’d offered him). He was abysmal, hitting .176 with 4 home runs and 11 RBI in 39 games before being traded to the Yankees at the deadline.
Apart from his home run in game six of the 2013 World Series, Stephen Drew ended up being a colossal waste of $19.5 million for the Red Sox. Turns out his brother was a much better free agent signing (which will be discussed in an upcoming article).