Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics are interested in re-signing Drew, and the New York Yankees are also looking to sign Drew for the 2013 season due to injuries in the infield. He will likely take a one-year deal to help vault his stock heading into the next offseason, and I’m sure teams would rather give him a low-risk contract at one year. The Yankees might be the team to beat, because they are willing to give a large amount of money for one year due to injuries of their own.

The St. Louis Cardinals still want to shore up their middle infield after Marco Scutaro re-signed with the San Francisco Giants yesterday, and the Detroit Tigers are another team with interest in him.

Drew is not expected to choose the Yankees, because he wants to receive a full-time role with a team instead of just insurance for the Yanks. They would have to give Drew quite the sum of money in order to convince him to head over to the Big Apple, and Drew is a former star who is looking to get back to that level this season by getting back into a starting role.

I don’t see why the Red Sox would be interested in a risky proposition like Drew, because they can already take “risks” of their own with some of the young talent they have at short. It’s just not a deal Boston should be making at this point, especially with memories of J.D. Drew‘s contract still painfully etched in some fans’ minds.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

The Miami Marlins happen to have a spare shortstop in Yunel Escobar. It makes sense then that the two clubs spent part of the day Monday discussing a possible trade that would ship Escobar to the AL West Champs.

Escobar was dealt to Miami in the 12-player swap with the Blue Jays last month. Image: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports

Escobar is currently slated to play third base for the Marlins, but that assumes he’ll still be in South Florida when the season begins. He’s been a shortstop his entire career and he’s a good one defensively. Escobar is talented, but has been labeled as anything from immature to a clubhouse cancer.

He’s also coming off a very disappointing season at the plate; one which saw him post an OBP of just .300, 53 points below his career number. But at just 30 years old and one season removed from a .290/.369/.413 line, Escobar is drawing interest from a handful of teams despite his reputation.

While the A’s have a definite need and Escobar’s $5 million salary fits well within their budget, Oakland is continuing talks with free agent Stephen Drew, who came over to the A’s via trade last season. The A’s and Drew’s representatives will meet at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday.

Drew is just about six months younger than Escobar and coming off an equally disappointing season at the plate. He has a reputation as a solid defender, but is still recovering from a broken ankle that has limited his range in the field and sapped his power at the plate. Nevertheless, Drew is likely to earn much more than the $5 million Escobar is set to make, and with a much longer commitment.

All things being equal, Escobar is the better player at this point in their careers, but all things are not equal when considering Escobar’s checkered past. The Cuban-born Escobar needs a strong clubhouse around him. Should he land in Oakland, he would have a countryman in Yoenis Cespedes, which may help the shortstop mature a bit.

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Tigers’ interest in Soriano and free agent shortstop Stephen Drew is overblown and a deal for Indians’ shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, which has also been rumored, isn’t happening either. The Tigers are one of the teams on Cabrera’s no-trade list, Rosenthal says.

Soriano left $14 million on the table in New York and now needs Detroit to get in the mix. Image: Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Moments after Rosenthal’s report, fellow MLB Network insider Peter Gammons said on air that Soriano ‘s market includes the Tigers. Gammons’ rationale is that the window for the Tigers to win is now and cited agent Scott Boras’ good working relationship with Tigers owner Mike Ilitch. Both of those things are true, but the underlining truth of the situation is that Soriano and Boras need the Tigers to be interested or the entire market for the former Yankees closer is basically gone.

The Tigers have maintained that young Bruce Rondon will be given every chance to close games for the big club in 2013 and reports have him hitting 103 mph while throwing in the Winter Leagues. Could they be downplaying their interest in Soriano by hyping Rondon’s potential? It’s possible, of course, but I think Dave Dombrowski genuinely feels that spending on a closer is a fool’d errand this Winter. Whether Ilitch agrees or winds up green-lighting a deal for Soriano is another question.

Jhonny Peralta had a rough year at the plate for the Tigers in 2012, but according to some advanced defensive metrics, was pretty good with the glove. He is severely limited in terms of range, however, and with Miguel Cabrera playing third base, the Tigers could use a guy that covers more ground. Both Drew and Asdrubal Cabrera would fit that bill, but Rosenthal says Detroit was only looking at a one-year deal for Drew, who is seeking a multi-year contract.

Rosenthal says the Tigers are focused on finding a right handed hitting left fielder to platoon with Andy Dirks and also to find a left handed reliever to pair with Phil Coke.

This is the first I had heard of Detroit’s interest in a southpaw. While they did choose to part ways with former first-round pick Daniel Schlereth this week, the Tigers have Darren Downs, who pitched to a 3.48 ERA and struck out nearly a batter per inning in a limited role in 2012. They also have a couple of starters in Drew Smyly and Casey Crosby that could see time in the big league bullpen.

Smyly pitched well in that role during the post-season. If the Tigers are able to re-sign Anibal Sanchez, it’s possible Smyly gets bumped from the rotation. What this could indicate is that either the Tigers are no longer confident they’ll be able to retain Sanchez or that fellow starter Rick Porcello would be the odd man out if they do.

The Indians don’t figure to contend and Cabrera is coming off a couple of excellent seasons at the plate. St. Louis and Boston has both shown interest in obtaining Cabrera, who will draw a healthy return from either club.

Drew can cover a lot more ground than Peralta. Image: Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

For those clubs who think the asking price on Cabrera is too high, Detroit offers a cheaper alternative in Peralta, who was displaced by Cabrera as the Tribe shortstop a few years back. Peralta is under contract for only one more year at an affordable $6 million and the Tigers won’t be asking for the moon in return. The one caveat is that Detroit won’t make such a move without a clear alternative at the position.

One of the few shortstops on the free agent market is former D-back Stephen Drew. Drew has struggled to come back to his pre-injury form at the plate, posting a .223/.309/.348 line in 79 games last season, split between Arizona and Oakland. In the six seasons prior to his 2011 broken ankle, Drew posted a .773 OPS for his career. There is no question he can hit when healthy and despite taking nearly a full year to get back onto the field, Drew’s legs weren’t under him for much of 2012.

According to John Heyman, Drew has drawn interest from teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, and Tigers. New York makes little sense unless Drew sees himself as a utility player. Boston could offer a job as a one season place-holder until Jose Iglasias is more mature. The Tigers, on the other hand, have no viable shortstops coming through their minor league system for quite a while and at age 29, Drew could conceivably hold down the position in Motown for several years to come.

ESPN’s Jim Bowden indicated on twitter that the Tigers are in pursuit of Drew and would sign him with the intention of then trading Peralta away, either to Arizona, as we discussed earlier, or to Boston, where Peralta’s expiring contract would make sense with Iglasias’ arrival.

Peralta has proven over the past two seasons that can still handle the shortstop position defensively, though his range is limited. Detroit would like to add someone who covers more ground to play next to Miguel Cabrera. While offensive concerns wouldn’t be paramount in this equation, Drew’s left handed bat does have pop. The Tigers would be thrilled to exchange Peralta for Drew.

Drew will be headed to the Bay Area. Image: Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE

Late Monday night, the Oakland Athletics acquired shortstop Stephen Drew from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Arizona will get minor league infielder Sean Jamieson in return, this according to Scott Miller of CBS.

Oakland had been in the market for infield help before the non-waiver trade deadline and their targets reportedly included Drew, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement before the deadline passed. The hangup at that time was believed to be Arizona’s asking price. Now three weeks later, Oakland had to only surrender a single middling prospect to get a player they feel will help them reach the post-season.

From an Arizona perspective, dealing Drew cost them little in terms of their major league roster. Drew missed the bulk of the season while recovering from a leg injury and has been slow to come around at the plate in the 40 games he has seen action in. In 155 plate appearances, Drew has posted a .193 average and .601 OPS. Meanwhile, Willie Bloomquist has sparkled as Drew’s replacement.

Oakland is hoping that Drew’s first tour of duty in the American League will bring back the hitter he was in years past. Coming into the 2012 season, Drew had accumulated more than 3000 plate appearances and posted a very respectable .270/.330/.442/.773 line. Drew figures to immediately take over the regular shortstop duties in Oakland, where Cliff Pennington has been dismal at the dish. Oakland assumes Drew’s entire contract, worth roughly $3 million for the rest of the season and includes a mutual option worth $10 for 2013. Oakland could instead opt for a $1.35 million buyout. Either way, it’s nice to see the A’s be willing to spend some money to fortify their position in the pennant race.

On what Arizona gets in return, Kevin Goldstein chimed in as such:

Sean Jamison is a completely fringe player. Assuming Oakland picks up the freight on the rest of the season.

— Kevin Goldstein (@Kevin_Goldstein) August 21, 2012

For more on the A’s and D-backs, visit Swingin’ A’s and Venom Strikes.

He may be long retired now, but it looks like Cal Ripken Jr can still fire it over to first if he needed to. (Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE)

dissipate and the memories of Cal Ripken Jr.’s greatness come flooding back, I’ll ask you; What happened to shortstops in Major League Baseball?  Once the most graceful, beautiful, and sought-after position in the game, filled with players who performed at such an incredibly high-caliber they looked like Gods among mortals, shortstop has become a position filled with mediocrity across baseball.  Or is that just perception?

When I think back to playing baseball with my friends, on the rare occasions when I would go man the strip of infield dirt just to the left of second base, I would emulate players like Cal Ripken Jr., Ozzie Smith, Omar Visquel, and even a young Derek Jeter.  Me and my friends would purposefully hit shots deep into the 5.5 hole and see who could track them down, make an acrobatic throw to first base, and at least get the ball on target.

These players we dreamed of one day being were bigger than life, but they’ve been supplanted by power and bulk.  The game thrives off home runs.  Kids love them, adults love them, players love them.  A prospect coming up through the minor leagues is often ranked higher than others based solely on his power potential.  The emphasis on great defense in the middle infield – specifically at shortstop – has seemed to go by the wayside.  But is that really true?

As I considered this last night, I tried to objectively rate the current crop of shortstops in the league.  Are they worse, or have advanced metrics, the new stats, given us too much to think about?  Things like UZR, DRS, dWAR, and others have broken the game down to a place where fans can’t simply trust their eyes.  This is not to say these stats are bad, they’re just not quite developed enough to make judgments about players.  Defensive stats are still evolving, getting better.  But as they stand now, could they be the reason it seems there are no truly great shortstops anymore?

Here’s a list of starting shortstops for each team in the league.  I know it’s long, but bear with me.

J.J. Hardy (Baltimore)
Mike Aviles (Boston)
Derek Jeter (New York Yankees)
Elliot Johnson (Tampa)
Yunel Escobar (Toronto)
Alexei Ramirez (Chicago White Sox)
Asdrubal Cabrera (Cleveland)
Jhonny Peralta ( Detroit)
Alcides Escobar (Kansas City)
Brian Dozier (Minnesota)
Erick Aybar (Los Angeles Angels)
Cliff Pennington (Oakland)
Brendan Ryan (Seattle)
Elvis Andrus (Texas)
Andrelton Simmons (Atlanta)
Jose Reyes (Miami)
Omar Quintanilla (New York Mets)
Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia)
Ian Desmond (Washington)
Starlin Castro (Chicago Cubs)
Zack Cozart (Cincinnati)
Jed Lowrie (Houston)
Cody Ransom (Milwaukee)
Clint Barmes (Pittsburgh)
Rafael Furcal (St. Louis)
Willie Bloomquist (Arizona)*
Marco Scutaro (Colorado)*
Dee Gordon (Los Angeles)
Everth Cabrera (San Diego)
Brandon Crawford (San Francisco)

*Troy Tulowitzki and Stephen Drew are obviously missing from this list, but even with there addition it doesn’t change the point of the article. 

Some of these players are starting due to injury, but this encompasses the meat and potatoes of the current crop of Major League shortstops.  What names stand out?

Derek Jeter can still make fantastic plays just out of sheer determination. (Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE)

Derek Jeter obviously, but he is nearing the end of his career and is not the same player he once was.  Elvis Andrus, maybe?  Dee Gordon if he can figure out how to hit?  Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins have made names for themselves.  Starlin Castro is on his way to being a star.

Yet, when I look over this list, I don’t immediately conjure up images of spectacular plays at short.*  Instead, I struggle to put a face with a name.  In fact, for many of these teams, I had to look up their depth chart to see who was starting at shortstop for them.

*When I think of Derek Jeter, I actually do immediately conjure up great memories.  Whether it be his flip to home to get Jason Giambi, his dive into the stands, or his fantastic range as a young shortstop in the league, Jeter has provided us with great memories and may be the last of the great shortstops.  

Now, let’s go back 15 years and take a look at some of the names we’ll find at short.  I won’t do an all-encompassing list because you have already had to scroll too much on this article.  Keep in mind, Call Ripken Jr. had been moved to third base by 1998.

Nomar Garciaparra (Boston)
Derek Jeter (New York Yankees)
Barry Larkin (Cincinnati)
Omar Visquel (Cleveland)
Miguel Tejada (Oakland)
Alex Rodriguez (Seattle)

It’s not a long list, but compare it to the current make up of shortstops in the entire league.  In 1998, there were four future Hall of Famers (assuming Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Omar Visquel all get in.  Barry Larkin is already in).  How many future Hall of Famers are there in the current crop without counting Derek Jeter again?  Some are so early in their career, it’s impossible to know for sure where they’ll end up, but my guess is none of the current shortstops will even come close to the Hall of Fame.

There could be many reasons why there’s been  drop-off in talented shortstops coming into the league.  The above players – the shortstops from 1998 – came up through the farm systems in a different time, a different era almost.  Sure, steroids were all over the place in the late 80′s and early 90′s, but some of these guys came up in early 80′s.  The emphasis on home runs was not nearly as large as it has become today.

Miguel Tejada and Alex Rodriguez were the two power-hitting shortstops on the above list, and both were linked to steroids.  They could play the field still though.  Now, the game is becoming less athletic at certain positions.  First base, third base, and even shortstop are positions now occupied by bigger, bulkier players.  Rather than quickness and agility, infielders are becoming larger and focusing on power.

Teams are less inclined to worry about their middle infield too.  They will go out and spend hundreds of millions on pitchers and first basemen, but it seems second base and shortstop are the last two positions on a general manager’s mind.  Young players know that when they are dreaming of being drafted.  Why wait for the 10th round when you can be drafted in the first or second round just by changing positions, or playing multiple positions?

The fact is, baseball is a cyclical game.  Great shortstops will once again grace the infields of ballparks across the league.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that will happen anytime soon though.

According to an interview GM Kevin Towers gave on Arizona Sports 620, the team expects Drew to rejoin them on Wednesday in Atlanta.

“We talked about maybe having him play a game or two in Mobile since we’re on the East Coast, I think our trainer was going to talk to him about that,” Towers said. “And then hopefully activate him on Wednesday.”

Out for almost a year, Stephen Drew is expected to make his return Wednesday. (Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE)

While no one thinks Drew will be a bad addition to the club, he may not be the piece the Diamondbacks need most.  Shortstops for the Diamondbacks this year have included Willie Bloomquist and John McDonald for the most part.  Bloomquist is hitting .288/.318/.392.  McDonald is hitting .280/.322/.512.  Compare that with Drew’s career line of .270/.330/.442 and the DBacks have filled Drew’s void pretty well.

Drew fractured his right ankle on July 20, 2011.  It was a gruesome injury, and at the time it was clear the recovery would take a long time.  No one thought it would take quite this long.  Buster Posey who suffered a similarly gruesome injury last season returned much sooner than Drew.

The Diamondbacks are one game under .500 and 7.5 games back of the first-place Dodgers.  However, they are not out of it in the West by any stretch.  Drew’s return could provided a boost to the clubhouse and on the field.  The Dodgers were just swept by the A’s giving Arizona an opportunity to gain some ground.

Stephen Drew’s return has been long-anticipated by the fans and his teammates alike.  He’s a quiet, humble player and a fan-favorite.  Expect to see him in uniform on Wednesday, but he may not be starting just yet.

For more on the Diamondbacks, be sure to check out Venom Strikes. 

• The Los Angeles Dodgers are the hottest team in baseball.  Despite losing Matt Kemp twice this season, they
  

  The Dodgers still have the best record with Matt Kemp on the DL. Imagine what they can do with him in the lineup. (Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE)

  have the best record in the Majors.  At 37-21, they have a four game lead on the surprising Giants, but San Francisco’s pitching is heating up.  San Francisco has the third best team ERA in baseball at 3.27.  They’ve also tossed the fifth most shut-outs this year.  The Dodgers will look to hold on to their lead and build on it when Matt Kemp returns, but according to J.P. Hoornstra of the San Bernadino Sun, Kemp is expected to be out at least a month still.

• ESPN Los Angeles is reporting that Bob Wolfe will join the Dodgers front office as their executive vice president.  Wolfe has worked with numerous organizations including the Braves and Nationals.  Wolfe served as the Braves senior vice president of administration from 1992-2003.
• The injuries keep piling up for San Diego.  Eric Stults, who the Padres claimed off waivers from the White Sox to fill the void already left by injuries to their pitching staff, has been hit with the injury bug himself.  According to Corey Brock of MLB.com, Stults suffered a strained left lat muscle and has hit the 15-day disabled list.  The Padres have made the decision to promote Andrew Cashnerfrom his current set-up man role to starter.  He will start Saturday for the Padres and will likely continue in the rotation says Brock.Cashner was a starter in the Cubs organization and has a career 10-8 record in the rotation.  Since suffering a shoulder injury last season, Cashner has not returned to the starting rotation.  When the Padres traded for Cashner, they promised to give him a shot as a starter starting next season.  He is getting that shot early.  So far this year, Cashner has pitched 26 innings, has a 3.81 ERA and carries a 10.0 strikeout per nine innings ration.  He routinely hits 100 mph on the radar guns.
• 

  Stephen Drew made his first rehab start yesterday. He went 1 for 4. (Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE)

  The Arizona Diamondbacks will be getting two key pieces added to their team very soon.  Stephen Drew is expected to return from his gruesome ankle injury soon, and Trevor Bauer is inching ever-closer to a Major League promotion.Drew made a rehab start last night for the Reno Aces.  He was 1 for 4 in his first live game action.  Sports Illustrated has indicated the Diamondbacks and Drew do not know when he will finish his rehab assignment.  It will depend on how his ankle responds to game action.

  Trevor Bauer, the Diamondbacks top pitching prospect, was promoted to Triple-A last month.  He has since gone 2-0 with a 2.52 ERA.  With the Dbacks struggling still, they can use all the help they can get.  However, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com says Arizona is in no rush to promote Bauer. The team i not pushing to make room on the roster for Bauer, and General Manager Kevin Towers has said it will work itself out.

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Kendrick was none too satisfied with the rehab and recovery of the team’s star shortstop, Stephen Drew.  He has also been far from impressed with Justin Upton‘s inconsistent performance at the plate.  Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic provided a transcribed version of Kendrick’s comments. In part, Kendrick said:

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