Buster sums it up pretty well this morning:

The good thing about Scutaro is that even if he isn't a perfect solution at shortstop, he can play other positions, and gives Boston some flexibility.

Scutaro is good enough to hit 9th and provide solid, unspectacular defense for a full-season. But he's not so good that if Lowrie comes on like ball of fire in spring training that Scutaro can't be moved to a utility role and thrive. And if a long-term solution is presented in trade talks this winter, there's no issue with completing a trade for a shortstop and making Scutaro to a full-time bench player. He'd be expensive, true, but he wouldn't bar such a move, as a pure SS like Alex Gonzalez would. Scutaro is a good complementary player, a foot soldier. Obviously on a prospect-oriented site we're going to value draft picks a little more, but at the very least this signing avoids another Covelli Crisp-scenario where teams know we have a need and leverage that need in trade talks.

Now, the conspiracy theorist in me thinks of the possibility that this puts together a support structure of high character ex-teammates should they choose to pursue Miguel Cabrera (Scutaro's WBC teammate in 2006 & 2009, Victor Martinez' WBC teammate in 2006). But even if that's not the case, and we all agree that signing Holliday or another type A is a forgone conclusion, all we've done is lose a second round pick that can be replaced by overspending in a later round. It's not ideal to ever give away draft picks like that, but for the reasons above, I think it's worth sacrificing a 2nd-3rd round pick for him.

Now if we could just find a way to avoid the Scooter, Scootie-Mack, Scoot Dawg, etc nicknames, I'd be all good with this move.....

Cheers~