Jed Lowrie-Brett Lawrie double play combo not likely in Oakland
After the Oakland A’s reacquired veteran infielder Jed Lowrie in a trade with the Houston Astros on Wednesday, our thoughts immediately turned to the possibility of a Lowrie-Lawrie tongue-twister double play combination with Brett Lawrie also on the A’s roster.
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Even the A’s seemed to be preparing fans for the possibility with this tweet immediately following the trade.
Both players are infielders by trade and provide plenty of versatility. Lowrie has played all four infield positions at various times throughout his eight-year career, but has primarily played shortstop. In fact, during his time with the A’s in 2013 and 2014, he started 244 games at short. Lawrie, on the other hand, spent time at second and third base last season for Oakland, so he’s comfortable at either spot.
Even with Marcus Semien assumed to be Oakland’s everyday shortstop, the possibility of Lawrie-to-Lowrie, or vice versa, seemed to be in play, but Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle indicates it’s unlikely. That’s because the A’s appear set on Jed Lowrie playing second base, meaning either Brett Lawrie or Danny Valencia could be moved this winter, and Lawrie seems like the better bet.
Lowrie’s return all but ensures the A’s next will move either second baseman Brett Lawrie or third baseman Danny Valencia. Both are drawing interest from American League teams, according to big-league sources, but Lawrie, obtained in the Josh Donaldson deal with Toronto last winter, is considered the better bet to be traded: He can play second and third well, he has an enormous amount of natural ability and he turns 26 in January.
While we can’t give up on it yet, it sure sounds like a Lowrie-Lawrie double play combo isn’t among Billy Beane’s priorities. Instead, it seems he realizes he has an interesting trade chip in Lawrie, which if played properly could ultimately lead to a greater return in the not-well-received Josh Donaldson deal from one year ago.
As noted by Slusser, Lawrie’s upside is apparent but he’s yet to truly tap into his abilities. In 2015, Lawrie hit .260/.299/.407 with 16 homers and 60 RBIs over 602 plate appearances. Though the overall numbers are on par with his career averages, his season was disappointing in that he received 160 more plate appearances than his previous career high. He was given a chance to firmly establish himself as difference maker offensively, but was unable to do so.
[Hot Stove: Byung-Ho Park traveling to U.S., deal expected with Twins]
Playing his home games in Oakland didn’t help matters, but Lawrie clearly has adjustments he needs to make to breakthrough. He’s a talent worth gambling on though because there might be a hitting coach who connects the dots and gets him on track.
Slusser lists the White Sox, Padres, Brewers and even the Astros among the teams who might be interested, making us wonder if we missed out on a Lowrie-for-Lawrie trade.
Headline writers everywhere consider that a missed opportunity as well.
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
