The GM's Almanac...Veteran's Day

An almost-daily reading of the Hot Stove League

The most interesting move of the off-season is Dodgers outfielder J.D. Drew, who is represented by Scott Boras, exercising an option that allows him to get out of his contract and become a free agent. Drew did so even though he was signed for three more years at a pretty good salary of $11 million annually.

"In the marketplace for five-tool players and the marketplace for guys who can play center field, J.D. would certainly move to the top," Boras told the Los Angeles Times.

Which sounds like Boras saw the market for Gary Matthews Jr. and decided that Drew would be in high demand for more than $11 million.

Drew will be 31 on Nov. 20. He is a left-handed hitter who hit .283 with 20 home runs and a career-high 100 RBI last year, which was his eighth full season in the Major Leagues. He had a .393 on-base percentage and a .498 slugging percentage, both the fifth highest of his career.

The guy is not Cal Ripken. He has been on the disabled list seven times in his career and he has had over 425 at-bats in a season just twice.

Boras said he can play center field but he has played 116 games out there in the past seven years. He mainly plays right field and had three assists in 135 games last year. And if he does have five tools, he has kept the speed part under wraps with just three stolen bases over the past two years.

His career range factor is slightly below the league average in center field and slightly above in right field.

Drew gets on base. His .393 career on-base percentage is the 14th highest among active players with a minimum of 3,000 at-bats. His slugging percentage is .512, which is 26th among active players and two points higher than Alfonso Soriano and something Boras will no doubt point out to prospective general managers.

His teams have been in post season in six of seven years, although he didn't play in 2005 because of a broken wrist. He has never been selected to an All-Star team, won a significant award or led the league in any major category although he was sixth in the National League in Most Valuable Player voting in 2004.

He is a good player when he's on the field but since 1999, 36 outfielders have played more games than him. If he had trouble staying on the field when he was 20-something, how is he going to be as he gets into his 30's?

This is an interesting case.