Latest Rays rumor just hinted top Pirates trade target is extremely available

Tampa Bay Rays v Cleveland Guardians | Jason Miller/GettyImagesEvery offseason has those little breadcrumbs that front offices accidentally drop –– comments that don’t mean to reveal anything, but absolutely do. And the latest one came courtesy of Ken Rosenthal, who reported this week that the Tampa Bay Rays pursued switch-hitter Jorge Polanco (before he ultimately signed with the New York Mets) with a plan to deploy him all over the infield.

On the surface, that’s just another offseason rumor. Dig one layer deeper, though, and it starts screaming something much louder: Brandon Lowe is extremely available.

You don’t go shopping for a switch-hitting infielder with positional flexibility unless…