Stephen Drew falls down, I bet he made a funny noise when this happened.           (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

As we near the start of spring training, their is one player left on the market that both the Yankees and the Mets could desperately use in the upcoming season. Stephen Drew is the best, and really only legitimate, shortstop still available. While he would be a massive upgrade for either team, there are some very good reasons why he is still available a week before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. So, lets take a look at why Stephen Drew is still available, and who his primary suitors are.

The Yankees

As has been the case for the past 18 years, Derek Jeter is penciled in to be the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees. Unfortunately, this is not the Jeter we have been used to seeing all these years, this is a 39 year old Jeter, coming back from a season that was plagued with leg injuries.  Of course the captain won’t go gently into that good night, no, he will hang on until they have tear that precious #2 off his back.

Compounding the problem of old man Jetes not wanting to move off of short is the fact that there really is no replacement waiting in the wings. Sure, they have Eduardo Nunez, but lets be real, the possibility of Eduardo Scissorhands being the future starting shortstop is terrifying to Yankee fans, and likely hilarious to all other baseball fans. The Yankees have also signed Brendan Ryan to be the back up shortstop, but he is not the future, at least he shouldn’t be. The man is a career .237/.299/.320 hitter and spent the past 2 year below the Mendoza line. Sure, defensively he’s one of the best, but his wet noodle bad is unacceptable for a starting position player on a team with hopes of contending.

So we can see how Stephen Drew would fit right into the mix with the Yanks, except for the fact that he wouldn’t. Jeter isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, he is the face of the franchise, this is a man that got a raise after missing almost the entire season with serious leg injuries, he’s not moving over to third to make room for Drew. Sure the Yanks could put Drew on second or third, but he has never played there in his career. If he came to the Yankees it would be as a super utility guy, he would essentially replace Eduardo Nunez. But you don’t pay someone the money that Drew will demand to be a utility player, and everything we have heard says Drew wants to stay at short, so my guess is he won’t be coming to the Yankees this off season.

The Mets

Coming into the off season I thought it would be a no-brainer, the Mets would sign Stephen Drew. And yet here we are, a few weeks away from spring training games and once again the Mets are going into the season with Ruben Tejada and Omar Quintanilla as their starting shortstops. It really seems like Drew to the Mets would be a match made in heaven, they have an obvious need and the Mets are the only team that could guarantee he would be their starting shortstop.

So why hasn’t he signed yet? Could it be that he would be tied to a draft pick? I don’t think so, the Mets first round pick is protected, and they already gave their second rounder to the Yankees for Granderson, so they would only have to give up the 85th pick in the draft. Maybe the Mets would rather wait until next years crop of free agents? There are some good names there, Hanley Ramirez , J.J. Hardey, and Asdrubal Cabrera to name a few. Good players, but not all will reach free agency, rumor has it the Dodgers and Orioles are trying to lock up Hanley and Hardey respectively.

My guess is the Mets really do want Drew, but at their price, and their years. Its a game of chicken, they see no one else is making a move, so they feel no rush to make theirs. 2014 isn’t going to be the year they make a push; so why overpay now? If they lose out on him, oh well, there’s always next years crop, but if he gets desperate for a deal, the Mets will be their, contract in hand, just waiting for him to sign.

The Red Sox

Drew’s former team, the Red Sox offered him a qualifying offer this year, and of course he turned it down. That does tell us though, that they would consider bringing him back at their price, that price being $14.1 million for 1 year, a deal which at this point is off the table.

Boston presents and interesting playing situation for Drew, he would likely end up as a utility player, bouncing between short and third. This is because prospect Xander Bogaerts came up at the end of last season and proved he belongs in the majors. They also have Will Middlebrooks who may still prove to be a legitimate third baseman, though the jury is still out on that. My guess is that the Red Sox want to see how the kids do, rather then go out and spend on free agents.

All in all, I can’t see the Red Sox offering a deal better then the qualifying offer Drew already declined, maybe a 1 year, $12 million offer gets in done and he can go back out on the market next year, but everything we have heard says he wants a multi-year deal, with an opt out clause.

So where does Drew end up? If you put a gun to my head, I’d probably say the Mets. They have the biggest need and the clear path to playing time, which seems to be the most important thing to Drew. As for the deal? I’m thinking 3 years $36 million dollar deal with an opt out after every year, similar to the Raphael Soriano deal with the Yankees a few years ago. Drew to the Mets would make the most sense, but this is baseball so we all know that won’t happen.