Brett Lawrie may be returning to the division where he began his career.
Mark Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports that the Tampa Bay Rays “will at least look into” the possibility of signing the free agent infielder as they are “intrigued by his right-handed bat.”
Lawrie, 27, batted .248/.310/.413 with 12 home runs and 36 RBIs for the Chicago White Sox in 2016 but made just 94 appearances thanks to various leg injuries. He was released outright by the White Sox this past Friday.
Tampa Bay’s interest is understandable considering that Matt Duffy has injury concerns of his own, Evan Longoria faces an uncertain future, and (as Topkin alluded to) their lineup skews somewhat lefty-heavy.
The Rays already made one subtle upgrade earlier this offseason, and adding a Lawrie-like talent on the cheap could help further their sleeper potential heading into the 2017 campaign.
H/T theScore
