BOSTON — For nearly two months this winter, J.D. Drew found himself in contractual limbo.

He agreed to a five-year, $70-million deal with the Red Sox in early December, but not until yesterday, in the final days of January, was the contract officially ratified.

After concern arose about Drew’s surgically repaired right shoulder, the Red Sox insisted on some additional language in the deal. The agreed-upon clause enables the Sox to void the final two guaranteed years of the contract should Drew spend significant playing time on the disabled list because of the shoulder.

Despite the contractual wrangling, Drew said, he never worried that the deal was in jeopardy and maintained his usual winter regimen.

“We’ve continued right on schedule, with everything you’d normally do,” he said in a conference call with reporters. “It hasn’t been bad at all. I knew (agent Scott Boras) and Theo (Epstein) would work things out. They were just minor issues they were dealing with and (I knew) everything would work out.”

Neither Boras nor Epstein would reveal the exact terms of the amendment, but it’s believed that the Sox could opt out of the fourth and fifth year if Drew spends more than 25 days on the disabled list because of shoulder-related issues.

“From the moment we agreed a couple months ago,” added Epstein, “both sides knew it was going to get done. It was a minor issue, but something we wanted to get right. When lawyers get involved, sometimes things take longer than they might otherwise. We’re very happy that this was able to get settled so we can finally move forward.”

While the Sox got some protection in the contract regarding Drew’s shoulder, the 31-year-old outfielder convinced himself in the final month of last year that the injury was a thing of the past.

Unable to do much work or rehab last winter following the surgical procedure, Drew’s shoulder got better as the year progressed. As the Dodgers surged to the postseason in the final month, Drew was at his best, hitting .333 with six homers and 23 RBI over the final 25 games of the year.

“The thing that was really beneficial was where (the shoulder) was at the end of last season,” he said. “To see the swing and the power numbers come around, those were telltale signs for me.”

In nine major-league seasons, Drew has played exclusively in the National League, spending time with St. Louis, Atlanta and Los Angeles. Moving to the American League will require some adjustments, but Boras believes Fenway is the perfect fit for his client.

“We really felt that the ballpark and the nature of his swing and the ability to go to the opposite field,” Boras said, “his offensive potential in Fenway would be maximized.”

By reputation, Drew is something of an introvert with a low-key persona. By contrast, the Boston market can be passionate and demanding, but he sees his new baseball home as a good fit personally.

“The atmosphere there is awesome,” he said. “(Fenway) is just such a cool ballpark. The fact of the matter is, when you play the game in front of passionate people, it becomes contagious. It kind of rubs off. That¦s where you get the home-field advantage. That’s when a player really enjoys playing.”