It took until January in both 2015 and 2016 for Stephen Drew to secure jobs with major-league ball clubs, signing with the Washington Nationals to play more of a reserve role last year.
The veteran's luck may have changed, however, as teams are already showing interest in signing the 33-year-old infielder for an everyday role, reports Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post, citing a person familiar with the situation.
Washington is also interested in re-signing Drew, but they're unlikely to offer him much more playing time than he accrued in 2016 when he appeared in just 70 games - making 165 plate appearances - while backing up Daniel Murphy.
Drew was a regular in 2015 with the New York Yankees, playing 131 games while mostly playing second base.
After the Nationals signed Drew to a very reasonable $3-million contract, he went on to post an .864 OPS, his highest mark since his rookie campaign with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2006. He also hit .266/.339/.524 with eight home runs and 21 RBIs.
Over his 11-year career, Drew owns a slash line of .252/.318/.424 with 122 home runs and 507 RBIs.