JD Drew has opted out of his 3 year remaining contract with the Dodgers to become a Free Agent. No link yet, ESPN has confirmed.

 

Drew surprises LA, becomes free agent

Team RBI leader exercises escape clause in contract

By Ken Gurnick / MLB.com

 

LOS ANGELES -- The Dodgers lost 100 RBIs and found $33 million Thursday.

That's the production they received this year and the money they still owed right fielder J.D. Drew until his agent, Scott Boras, notified club officials that Drew would exercise an escape clause in his contract and void the final three years to become a free agent.

 

While the decision leaves the club short the team-high 100 RBIs Drew had in 2006, it also bolsters the war chest to chase high-profile free agent targets like Alfonso Soriano, Jason Schmidt and Boras clients Barry Zito and Greg Maddux.

 

Nonetheless, general manager Ned Colletti said he was "surprised" and "disappointed" with the decision and clearly annoyed with the way it was handled. Colletti paraphrased Boras as saying in a Monday meeting that there was a possibility this would happen, and the agent faxed him confirmation Thursday.

 

Colletti said there was no request for a contract extension and he now has no desire to discuss one.

 

"He moved on and we'll move on," he said. "We'll find a player who wants to stay here. Scott broached [the opt-out] and I said, 'If that's what you decide to do, I'm finished with it.'

 

"In light of what J.D. said at the end of the year, about making a commitment and how much he loved playing here, I was surprised. J.D.'s a man of his word. I guess he changed his word. I think you expect things to be handled in a certain way. Based on what was written at the end of the season, you have to ask yourself, 'How did this happen?'"

 

Here's how: Drew was signed to the five-year, $55 million contract by former general manager Paul DePodesta after the 2004 season, but included was a provision that would allow Drew to leave after two seasons.

 

At the time, conspiracy theorists suggested that Boras had outmaneuvered the Dodgers by shifting then-free agent Adrian Beltre to Seattle, which created an opening in the Dodgers' lineup that could be filled by Drew, who was finding free-agent offers hard to come by.

 

Now those theorists are likely to believe that Boras is confident he will find a new home for Drew -- like San Diego, where DePodesta now works -- while creating enough payroll flexibility for the Dodgers to assure they can secure Zito and Maddux.

 

"He led the club in RBIs. You don't just snap your fingers and find another player like that," said Colletti. "You don't go to the rotisserie room in the basement and pull a name out and say he's on your team."

 

While Boras' priority is marketing pitchers, the Dodgers' focus is now on hitters.

 

"We were looking to improve the offense and starting pitching and now, with this, it's more incumbent upon us to make sure we have enough offense," Colletti said. "There aren't an overabundance of [free-agent] hitters. We'll have to be creative [through trades] or let the kids come from within.

 

"Do we have more flexibility? Yeah. It opens up payroll room the next three years, but it doesn't change the number of options out there. It does change what we have to spend."

 

Among the free-agent hitters are Soriano, Carlos Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Gary Matthews Jr., Moises Alou, Jim Edmonds and Luis Gonzalez, although the Yankees are likely to trade Gary Sheffield, if not Alex Rodriguez.

 

Colletti also said Drew's decision could impact the club's interest in retaining free agent Nomar Garciaparra. He also listed in-house outfield options of Matt Kemp, James Loney (a first baseman who has played a handful of games in the outfield) and free agent center fielder Kenny Lofton.

 

Colletti praised manager Grady Little's handling of Drew, which nursed a career-high 146 games out of the right fielder after he was limited to only 72 in his first Dodgers season, which was ended by a broken wrist.

 

In 2006, Drew also tied for the team high with 20 home runs, hit .283, and had team highs with 89 walks, 34 doubles and a .393 on-base percentage. He went 2-for-13 in the playoffs against the Mets.

 

Drew, who turns 31 later this month, is no stranger to surprising and contentious decisions. He was the second player taken in the 1997 First-Year Player Draft by the Phillies, but only after protesting that the draft was unfair and warning all teams it would take $10 million to sign him.

 

He held out the entire season and took Major League Baseball to an arbitration hearing over the legality of the draft, but finally re-entered the draft the following year, when the Cardinals made him the fifth overall pick and gave him a four-year deal worth $7 million guaranteed.

 

Ken Gurnick is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

well thats pretty stupid

 

kid is a head case

A 30+ year old injury machine leaves $33 million on the table?

 

Seriously, Boras is feeding this guy bulls***.

No freaken way he makes over 33 million

hahahaha good luck, oh yeah...good riddance? hmmmm SMART.

No freaken way he makes over 33 million

He does. Pretty ridiculous, isn't it? JD, you're a moron.

JD just lost himself tons of money! Plus I think the Dogders made a good step foward to comepting in 07'... He must of fought with someone in the front offenese, manager, or somehting to dislike it there. He can't use the "I want to be on a winning team" excuse