Drew Deal On Hold

Today it was revealed that the five-year, $70 million deal that J.D. Drew reached with the Red Sox nearly two weeks ago is currently on hold, due to some concerns the Red Sox brass have with an examination of Drew's shoulder last week.

There was concern beginning last week because Julio Lugo was introduced last Wednesday and Drew was not (they both agreed to deals on the same day). Originally it was reported that it was just a language problem in the deal, but now Drew will have a second opinion on his shoulder by another doctor.

It is not known yet whether this will be a deal-breaker. If the Sox elect to keep Drew, they may shorten the length of the deal or add more incentives rather than guaranteed money. Few other teams were bidding on Drew when he became a free agent, so it will be interesting to see what the Red Sox elect to do.

Hopefully by tomorrow we will have a clearer picture of what's going on. But knowing the way the Red Sox have been operating this winter, I wouldn't bet on it.