Report: New York Mets Made Contract Offer To Stephen Drew

New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson’s recent claim that his club is “unlikely” to sign Stephen Drew has done little to suppress the rumors.

The Mets still are considered a potential landing spot for Drew, and WFAN’s Mike Francesa said Tuesday that New York has made an offer to the free-agent shortstop. According to Francesa, Drew and the Mets are negotiating over the length of a deal.

“It’s number of years, they’ve already made him an offer,” Francesa said on-air Tuesday. “It’s the number of years. They’re fighting over the number of years. I know they have made him an offer … It’s not the money. It doesn’t matter if they did a refinance or not. They already offered him the money. It’s a questions of years. They already made him an offer.”

Francesa’s report should be taken with a grain of salt, but it’s certainly reasonable. The number of years seemingly has been a roadblock all offseason for interested teams, especially the Boston Red Sox, who have young infielders Xander Bogaerts and Will Middlebrooks ready to assume starting roles if the 30-year-old signs elsewhere. ESPN.com’s Jim Bowden reported Monday that the Red Sox offered Drew a two-year contract, although the exact details of Boston’s proposal are unclear.

We might not be nearing a Drew resolution any time soon, but things certainly are heating up a bit with spring training inching closer.

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