Word broke late Monday night that 30 year-old outfielder, Peter Bourjos, is likely headed to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Hearing #Rays are working on a deal to acquire OF Peter Bourjos, who is in camp with #WhiteSox.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 28, 2017
Bourjos would give #Rays RH hitting OF they sought capable of backing up in CF. Needed depth with Rasmus opening on DL.
— Marc Topkin (@TBTimes_Rays) March 28, 2017
The deal for Bourjos — who previously signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox over the offseason — if completed, will be for cash considerations, and could be announced as early as Tuesday.
The outfielder is valued mostly for his speed and defense. And while he has had his moments at the plate, over his seven-year major league career, Bourjos has been inconsistent in the batter’s box, slashing a lifetime .243 BA/.300 OBP/.382 SLG/.682 OPS/88 wRC+ line. He does own a .313 BA/.340 OBP/.521 SLG/.861 OPS slash this spring, although that is over a much smaller sample size.
It Bourjos would likely function as bench depth for Tampa Bay since Colby Rasmus is slated to start the season on the disabled list. They also have Mallex Smith, Corey Dickerson, Kevin Kiermaier and Steven Souza Jr. lined up for the outfield this season, However, since Bourjos and Smith are both left-handed hitters, what this means for Smith remains unseen.