dagger wrote:It will be most interesting if the team wants to make a long-term deal with Lawrie buying out his arb years how both sides would assess his value. He's not realized his potential, nor has he even progressed to the level we would have expected at this point, yet he is a primo defensive player - at third base anyways - and has great upside. Whether he realizes that or not is another matter. Then, there is his health, a propensity to injuries that might amount to serious bad luck - it's not all because of his past tendency to go crashing into things. His thumb injuries suggest a possible batting approach issue, which should be curable, but oblique injuries are another matter. He would have every reason to consider his own vulnerability and leave some money on the table to lock in financial security and stay in Toronto where he will always earn some endorsement money by virtue of being a Canadian regular with a strong, somewhat marketable personality.
Like I said, this would be a tough one for both sides, and maybe going to arbitration with him is the better path.
I don't see any particular urgency to commit long term. He's clearly injury prone, and when he is on the field he puts up average at best offensive production for 3B.
