Drew Deal Done: 5 years, $70 mil

The deal everyone said was so imminent was finally agreed to last night, and the Red Sox new right fielder is...J.D.Drew. And while big signings like this are usually fodder for delirious ravings and speculation for future successes, I am not feeling this one at all, for several reasons.

First of all, is he worth more - way more - than Johnny Damon (who only wanted something in the range of 4 years, $50 million)? What does he bring to the table that Johnny doesn't that is worth so much of a commitment?

Second, I wonder who it is we really just signed. Much has been made of his attitude, his lack of desire and, of course, his health. We all remember his disastrous signing with Philadelphia (where he now wears a hard hat when he patrols the outfield), we have all seen him spend more time on the DL than Robin Williams in rehab, and we have all heard the rumblings that he is a selfish player motivated only by personal goals. Are we getting a solid, productive ballplayer or an injured crybaby?

Third, I question whether we are looking at a real star or a slightly less bulky/balky Trot Nixon. Was this that much of an upgrade?

(For those of you out there like me, Nick Cafardo has some words of wisdom for us).

It seems that Drew is still living in the gigantic shadow of that detestable word that has trailed him since he played in college: potential. Weren't we looking at the next Mickey Mantle? Not that Drew is a complete slouch. In the past five years, he has slowly developed into something close to the kind of player scouts drooled over when he played at Florida State. Now at 31, Drew had one of his most productive and, more importantly, healthy seasons last year with the Dodgers, batting a respectable .283 with 20 homers and 100 runs batted in. He hit 31 home runs three years ago in his only season with the Braves, the only year he has reached that 30+ mark. He played in 146 games - also a career high - and topped triple digits in RBI for the first time.

If he brings those numbers to Fenway, Drew will be a noticeable upgrade from Nixon. However, in a rather humorously ironic twist, the great people over at Baseball Reference.com have noted that through his career up to this point, the one player Drew resembles the most, statistically speaking, is... (Just scroll down to the "Similar Batters" section. Consequently, Vernon Wells is third on that list, and somehow I would MUCH rather have his bat in the lineup). So, goodbye Trot and your aging knees and hello J.D. and your "questionable desire."

Or maybe I am just being overly pessimistic here. Maybe he could be the next Mickey Mantle. But for me, on this cold morning with the first flurries of snow forecast for later this week, something just doesn't feel right here. And don't get me started on the Lugo news.

And I haven't even mentioned what would happen if Manny goes...