When the Diamondbacks designated Lyle Overbay for assignment last week there was speculation that they already had a trade lined up for the veteran first baseman, because he was seemingly hitting well enough not to just let him go for nothing.
But that’s exactly what happened today, as Arizona released Overbay and made him a free agent eligible to sign with any team for any salary.
Overbay was mostly a bench bat in Arizona, playing behind starter Paul Goldschmidt, but he hit .292 with an .815 OPS in 110 plate appearances and has posted an OPS above .750 in four of the past five seasons. Even at age 35 he could help quite a few teams in a part-time/platoon role.
