Stephen Drew signs with Red Sox; Tigers shopping Drew Smyly

The Red Sox have signed Stephen Drew to a one-year, $9.5 million deal, which seems like a lot for a guy who put up a .657 OPS last year, but hey. Drew had a grotesque injury in 2011, and perhaps the Red Sox are hoping he can now return to his 2010 form, in which case they'd be getting a bargain.

I was interested in the Pirates acquiring Drew, or someone like him, although I wouldn't have been interested at this price. But the Bucs have shown no indication that they're interested in mitigating against the strong possibility of a complete collapse by Clint Barmes. I'm more pro-Barmes than most Pirates fans, and I think his excellent defense was under-appreciated, thanks to his terrible hitting. But there reaches a point where the offense is so bad that if his defense falters at all, you've got a real problem on your hands, and I would have liked to see the Pirates bring in someone who could share some of the load.

Meanwhile, the Tigers are listening to offers for starting pitcher Drew Smyly, presumably along with Rick Porcello. There's been some speculation that the Pirates could deal Joel Hanrahan for Porcello, and one might think a deal involving Smyly could be a possibility too. Smyly had a strong rookie season with the Tigers, and PNC is a good ballpark for a lefty with fly-ball tendencies, so acquiring him in a Hanrahan deal would make sense for the Bucs. But Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski recently said the Tigers were "content" with their bullpen, and Danny Knobler reports that the Tigers "don't like" Hanrahan.