Baseball News - Drew sweepstakes end in Los Angeles; becomes a Dodger



The free agent waters are picking up speed. The first real "star" out there has been signed. J.D. Drew, formerly with the Atlanta Braves, has been scooped up by the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Braves, Cubs, and Dodgers were interested in Drew's services, but LA came out on top, signing the RFer to a 5-year, $55 million dollar contract. With Drew's big payday, he is expected to make $11 million a season.

With the signing of Drew, this could ultimately lead to the departure of long-time Dodger Shawn Green. He has been involved in several trade rumours, including ones of landing in Chicago with the Cubs, New York with the Mets, and most recently, Arizona, as apart of the Randy Johnson deal, but will refuse to sign an extension with the Dodgers unless he gets traded first.
J.D. Drew was once one of St. Louis' top prospects back in 1998, but injuries and underachieving lowered his value, ending his time in St. Louis, landing him in Atlanta in 2004, where he exploded, hitting .305 with 31 dingers and 93 RBI. Drew only committed 3 errors in RF all season long, as well. 2004 was a statement season for J.D. Drew, as he set career highs in homers and ribbees. LA will be his third team, as he joins budding star Jayson Werth and the hotheaded Milton Bradley in the outfield. Over Drew's career, he's compiled a BA of .287, with 127 HR, 373 RBI, and 73 SB.

Now with only two of the Majors' best outfielders still out there, with the most coveted being 27-year old Carlos Beltran, who is not making his decision on which team to sign with until January at the latest, and Magglio Ordonez, a career White Sock, who has been offered contracts by the Cubs, Giants, and Orioles, there is a lot more money to go around, which teams will spend it wisely? One thing is for certain, though, the Dodgers want to win more than just the NL West this season, and they plan on being more of an offensive club than a pitching club. The signing of Drew could mean that several other big-name players could sign with their new clubs within days, but that remains to be seen. We'll watch as it unfolds for us all.




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