FORT MYERS, Fla. -- When the Red Sox signed Drew Sutton to a minor league deal with an invitation to big league camp this winter, it created hardly a ripple. Yet in some respects, Sutton's willingness to return to Boston represented the most significant free agent signing that the Red Sox made this winter.

The switch-hitting Sutton, now 29, spent 2011 with the Sox, shuttling between the big leagues and Triple-A as a depth option. He played all four infield positions and left field while hitting .315/.362/.444/.807 in 31 big league games. Though his season was derailed late by some ill-timed injuries -- most notably, a broken finger that cost him a late-season call-up -- the 2011 season represented, in many ways, the most satisfying of Sutton's big league career, his first opportunity to contribute to a contender.

"Baseball-wise, it was probably the funnest year I've ever had," said Sutton, who had previously shuffled between the Astros, Reds and Indians organizations. "If you would have told me at the beginning of the year that I would have gotten 2 1/2 months with the Red Sox, played as much as I did, I would have taken it. It was a lot of fun when I was there, because we were winning a lot. I really enjoyed being here. The atmosphere in the clubhouse, the atmosphere at Fenway, playing in that kind of arena of sports, it was awesome."

The baseball experience, however, became overshadowed by tragedy. In July, Sutton's wife, Staci, delivered the couple's first child in Boston, a baby girl named Carsyn. But Carsyn was born with heart and lung defects, and died in the hospital the day after she was born.

The devastation was made even deeper by the frustrating inability to diagnose a cause for those birth defects. Though at a world-renowned medical facility at Brigham and Women's Hospital, the Suttons had few answers to their questions.

"They still, to this day, can't tell us why," said Sutton. "That was when I started getting frustrated with the doctors. We had one doctor say, 'Well, you have a 1-in-4 chance of having a healthy baby.' I said, 'How can you say that? You don't even know what it is.' That part of it was really tough. You're thinking, should we try to get pregnant and put ourselves through this again?"

Sutton remains grateful for the support of the Red Sox organization that summer. The Sox sent flowers and meals to Staci so that the two could grieve without leaving their residence. Days after Carsyn's death, Sutton (on the roster of Triple-A Pawtucket at the time) talked to GM Theo Epstein when J.D. Drew -- whose family was hosting the Suttons at their house -- went on the disabled list.

"I called Theo and I said, 'Listen, I don't know if I'll be the guy who's called up or not, but if I am, I'll be OK. I think it will be good for me to be around the guys. It will be healthy to have a distraction and just kind of be in baseball,' " recalled Sutton, who was indeed recalled to the big leagues by the Sox following the conversation. "It was. It helped out a lot."

Sutton's recalls the tremendous support he received from his teammates upon his return. Beyond the Drews, Sutton points with gratitude t the support of Jarrod Saltalamacchia, Dustin Pedroia and Adrian Gonzalez.

After the season, the Sox expressed interest in bringing Sutton back. Based on his on-field experience and his appreciation for the organization's support, there might have been some consideration to returning. But at the time, when the Suttons were still agonizing over the loss of their daughter, Staci Sutton could not imagine returning to New England.

"It wasn't that I didn't want to come back here last year," said Drew Sutton. "It was more kind of with what happened to us personally, my wife in no way wanted to go back to that part of the country. I had some interest in going back, but I couldn't do that to my wife."

Instead, Sutton -- who lives in Texas during the offseason -- signed with the Braves. He pinballed last season from the Braves' Triple-A team to the Pirates' Triple-A team (for a day) to the Rays (with whom he spent a month in the big leagues) back to the Pirates (who claimed him off waivers and with whom he spent another month in the majors).

That nomadic existence came at a time when Staci Sutton was once again pregnant. With doctors ordering her not to travel during the season, Drew Sutton barely saw his wife during the year.

"Last year was really tough," explained Sutton. "I was by myself the full season and she was by herself the whole season. And then you're just waiting to see if the baby is going to come out healthy. Last year was a rough year."

It had a wonderful conclusion, however. On October 8, Staci Sutton gave birth to a son, Ryder. He is now a healthy four-month-old, a source of immense joy to his parents. Both Staci and Ryder are in Fort Myers with Drew Sutton this spring.

"Not to say we wouldn't have enjoyed [being parents], but you are that much more appreciative of the small things -- going to the pediatrician and having him be healthy," said Sutton.

This offseason, the Red Sox once again called Sutton to gauge his interest in returning to the organization. This offseason, the Suttons reached a different conclusion about the merits of a return to Boston.

"It's hard to say if we would have been able to go back [to the Sox] if Ryder hadn't been here, but as soon as he got here, I know the Red Sox called, I asked Staci, 'Will you be alright going back there?' She said, 'Yeah, I'll be alright. I'd like to take him up there,' " said Sutton.

Sutton's place with the Red Sox comes with few certainties. He is hoping to repeat his experience of 2011 when he made a strong impression on Red Sox officials with his versatility during camp, made virtually every road trip and positioned himself to be a frequent call-up during that season.

Yet for the Sutton family, what happens with the Sox from a roster standpoint is secondary to the fact that the Suttons find themselves in a position where the idea of returning to the Sox is not merely something to which they were open but that they could embrace. The emotional snarls of 2011 and 2012 have yielded to a joyous entry into this season, as Sutton -- after a solitary season last year -- acclimates to a life in which he can leave the baseball field to spend time with his wife and son.

"I'm just looking forward to having them around," said Sutton. "It just kind of gives baseball a little bit of a different perspective when you can go home and play."