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Tigers 'working' to sign Stephen Drew, according to report

The Detroit Tigers are reportedly among a handful of teams trying to sign free agent shortstop Stephen Drew.

By Dave Ryan
Kelley L Cox-US PRESSWIRE

After solidifying their outfield with the addition of Torii Hunter, the Detroit Tigers are now feverishly working to sign free agent shortstop Stephen Drew, according to a report by Jim Bowden of ESPN.com.

The 29-year-old Drew hit just .223 over 79 games with both the Arizona Diamondbacks and Oakland Athletics this past season, but is widely regarded as one of the top defensive infielders in the game. Though he is far removed from the 21-home run campaign in 2008 where he also batted an impressive .291 from the plate, Drew still possesses a relatively high upside as a hitter that the Tigers are obviously eager to explore.

Bowden also indicates that if the Tigers are able to add Drew, general manager Dave Dombrowski and the organization would then ship starting shortstop Jhonny Peralta off to either Arizona or Boston via trade. While Peralta has been able to stay much healthier than Drew in recent years and likely offers more offensive production, Drew's consistently strong defensive zone rating would be a significant step up from the limited defensive range that Peralta brings to the table.