Cards Sign J.D. Drew For $7 Million

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

July 3, 1998 / 7:25 PM EDT / CBS Sportsline

J.D. Drew, who refused to sign with the Philadelphia Phillies last season but was picked again in the first round of this year's draft by St. Louis, agreed Friday to a $7 million, four-year contract.

Drew, 22, gets a record deal for a drafted player, but falls short of the $11 million he had been seeking.

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Drew was drafted in 1997 by Philadelphia with the second overall pick, but the Phillies' highest offer was for $3.1 million guaranteed. Drew instead played for the St. Paul Saints, an independent Class-A team in the Northern League.

Drew gets a $3 million signing bonus, according to a source familiar with the negotiations who spoke on the condition he not be identified. He gets $375,000 this year, $500,000 in 1999, $1 million in 2000 and $2 million in 2001.

In addition, he can made $450,000 in 1999 in roster bonuses and $600,000 each in 2000 and 2001, which would raise the value of the deal to $8.5 million if he's with the major league team at least 120 days per season. The Cardinals have guaranteed at least $125,000 of the bonus in 1999.

Drew hit .341 with 18 home runs and 50 RBIs last season for the Saints. He was hitting .386 with nine homers and 33 RBIs in 30 games this season.

The Cardinals used the No. 5 overall pick in this year's draft to take a chance on Drew. General manager Walt Jocketty has said Drew could start in the outfield next year and could hit 30 to 40 home runs a year very soon.

"This guy, I think, is arguably the best player in this draft and may have been the best player in the last two or three drafts," Jocketty said after the draft. "He's got a chance to be a star player, a franchise-type player."