Stephen Drew regrets not taking the qualifying offer from the Red Sox

Don’t expect Scott Boras to admit this -- or for him to allow Stephen Drew to publicly do so -- but Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe has the inside scoop:

Red Sox players say Stephen Drew now regrets not taking the qualifying offer when he had the chance. But the veteran players have turned from the idea that the team needs Drew back. That was the case at the beginning of camp, but not since they’ve had a chance to see Will Middlebrooks re-commit himself.

The first part of that -- Drew regretting it -- is news. You figure that he did not anticipate his offseason being so long. Or the Mets and Yankees, each of whom could really benefit by his presence, being so loathe to go after him.

The second part -- the players no longer thinking the team needs Drew back -- is something different. It’s not not news, I guess, but it would be more newsworthy for someone three weeks into spring training to admit that the team, as currently structured, is not fine. To do so would be a tacit swipe at the current players and the front office.

Put differently, a Red Sox player is not going to say now that they need Drew. But if the Sox signed Drew tomorrow, they’d all say “wow, great to have him back. Huge addition. We’re so much better now.”