On March 20th, Detroit Tigers General Manager Dave Dombrowski announced that the club’s starting shortstop, Jose Iglesias, would most likely miss the entire 2014 season with stress fractures in both legs. This is a key loss for the Tigers, as they lose one of the best defensive shortstops in the game, along with their only shortstop with any major league experience. Iglesias made jaw dropping plays at shortstop last year that were invaluable in helping the Tigers to their third straight American League Central Division title. His presence in the infield will surely be missed this season by both fans and teammates alike.

To replace him, Dombrowski traded backup second baseman Steve Lombardozzi Jr. to the Baltimore Orioles for shortstop Alex Gonzalez. This came as a surprise to some Tigers fans, because there was a younger and better option in former Boston Red Sox shortstop Stephen Drew. So why didn’t Dombrowski sign Drew in the offseason? The Red Sox put in a qualifying offer for Drew. This would force any team who signed Drew before Opening Day to surrender a first round draft pick. Apparently that isn’t something Dombrowski was willing to do. But once the Tigers play their first game against the Royals on March 31st, they should immediately sign Drew.

For one, Drew is six years younger than Gonzalez. Gonzalez, 37, had his best season in 2007 with the Cincinnati Reds, when he achieved a .272 batting average, a .325 on base percentage, and a .468 slugging percentage. That year he also had 55 RBI’s in just 110 games. Last year when he played for the Milwaukee Brewers, his numbers were quite different. He had a .177 batting average, a .203 on base percentage, and a .230 slugging percentage, while playing in 41 games and having 8 RBI’s, according to baseball-reference.com.

This huge drop off in production is most likely an indicator that Gonzalez is past his prime. Drew, meanwhile, is only 31 years old. Last year with the Red Sox, he played in 124 games, had 67 RBI’s, a .253 batting average, a .333 on base percentage, and a .443 slugging percentage. The Red Sox also clinched the 2013 World Series Championship with his Game 6 home run against the St. Louis Cardinals. Gonzalez also isn’t as effective in the field as Drew is. Last year, Gonzalez had a .933 fielding percentage, while Drew had a much better fielding percentage of .984. It would seem plain to any Joe Schmo that on paper and in the actual game, Drew is exponentially better than Gonzalez.

Some may say that Gonzalez is a better player than Drew, simply because he is more experienced. Age in professional sports though, is a sign that a player’s career is coming to a close. Usually as players get older, their production drops off, they become less effective at their position, and they become more susceptible to injury. This is the case with many great players such as former Tigers star Magglio Ordonez. According to mlb.com, both injury and age were the reason he wasn’t offered a new deal for the 2012 season. Since he wouldn’t get a new contract, six months later he announced his retirement from baseball.

Honestly, Gonzalez should’ve done the same. He’s not an effective shortstop anymore. Although Dombrowski may have only signed him to fill a hole that was left by Iglesias, it was a poor choice by an experienced general manager. Luckily, Dombrowski has a chance to redeem himself. He can still sign Drew at any point past Opening Day, and greatly improve the infield’s defensive ability. If Dombrowski doesn’t sign Stephen Drew, the roar could really be taken out of the Tigers this season. Many World Series Championship teams were able to win, due to their precise and effective shortstops. The 1982 St. Louis Cardinals had Ozzie Smith, who was a first ballot Hall of Famer in 2002. The ‘96, ‘98, ‘99, ‘00, and ‘09 New York Yankees had Derek Jeter, who was the 2000 World Series MVP, and is a surefire future Hall of Famer. The 2014 Detroit Tigers could add themselves to this list of great teams, who won a World Series thank to their shortstop, by signing Stephen Drew.