Stephen Drew won't have to sit out until June to make an impact in Arizona. According to general manager Kevin Towers, he's already bottlenecking the market for shortstops by remaining on the open market. Chris Owings and Didi Gregorius are currently battling for the starting job at short, but one of the two could be used as trade bait, according to AZ Central's Nick Piecoro.
Stephen Drew holding up Diamondbacks’ shortstop decision
Kevin Towers wants to trade someone, Stephen!
Jamie Squire
Towers’ comments weren’t vague.
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He outlined the areas he’d address if he were to shop one of the two players.
“For us, it would have to be the right deal. Our biggest needs in our system are catching. If it’s the right, top-notch catching prospect. Someone we could have right behind Miggy. More of an upper-level guy. Maybe a top, upper-end starter. We have a lot of bullpen depth, infielders. Maybe an outfielder, but probably more catching and Double-A, Triple-A type starter.”
With Drew still on the market, teams might not be as quick to look to the trade market for a shortstop, but the cost for his services is much more significant than a backup catcher or infield depth. He will still cost teams their first pick in the draft for another three months, and he’s likely to command at least what Nelson cruz got -- $8 million -- in terms of average annual salary.
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