Tampa Bay Rays MLB Trade Rumors: Rays Interested in Brett Lawrie
Brett Lawrie is a free agent right now after he was released by the Chicago White Sox, but he might not be in the market for long.
According to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays are "intrigued" by the infielder's right-handed bat and they will "at least look into" the possibility of signing him. Since the team is stacked with infielders, Lawrie will probably come off the bench if he signs with them. He can play behind Evan Longoria at third base and the Rays can also slot him at second base against lefties.
Meanwhile, Logan Morrison and Matt Duffy are sidelined with injuries right now, so Lawrie should have an opportunity to start. He can play a utility role once they come back.
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An infielder like Lawrie would be a good addition to the club, but CBS Sports R. J. Anderson also noted that acquiring him could mean exposing Nick Franklin or Tim Beckham to waivers. "It's unclear if the Rays are open to that idea, since both are cheap and have years of team control remaining," Anderson said in his piece about potential landing spots for Lawrie.
Lawrie actually struggled a bit last season. In 94 games, he posted a batting average of 0.248, an on-base percentage of 0.310 and a slugging percentage of 0.413. He also had 12 home runs, 22 doubles and 36 runs batted in. He played primarily at second base for the White Sox.
Aside for the Rays, the Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets and Kansas City Royals are interested in acquiring his services as well, according to ESPN's Jim Bowden.
Devon Travis' knee injury could open the doors to a possible reunion with the Jays. The Mets' interest also makes sense with David Wright's injury. Fans will probably have a hard time picturing Lawrie playing for the Royals because of the incident with Alcides Escobar back in 2015, but anything is possible.
