Drew's strong second half could entice Nats to try to re-sign him

As we transition into offseason mode here, we're reviewing each significant player on the Nationals roster. We continue today with Stephen Drew, who struggled early in his first season in Washington, then managed to become a key performer off the bench despite a prolonged absence due to an unusual ailment.

PLAYER REVIEW: STEPHEN DREW

Age on opening day 2017: 34

How acquired: Signed as free agent, Jan. 2016

MLB service time: 10 years, 38 days

2016 salary: $3 million

Contract status: Free agent

2016 stats: 70 G, 165 PA, 143 AB, 24 R, 38 H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 21 RBI, 0 SB, 1 CS, 16 BB, 31 SO, .266 AVG, .339 OBP, .524 SLG, .864 OPS, 1.0 WAR

Quotable: "He was really the surprise of the year for me, and for quite a few other people. It took a while to get the Yankee Stadium stroke out of him, but he worked hard on it. He's using the whole field. He was a big part of our bench." - Dusty Baker on Stephen Drew

2016 analysis: The offseason signing of Drew raised a few eyebrows, because it seemed unclear how much exactly the Nationals needed his services. Drew had been a starter his entire career, and the Nats were committed to Danny Espinosa as their shortstop, with Trea Turner likely to take over at some point.

The early portion of the season did little to ease those concerns. At the end of May, Drew was hitting .173 with three homers, six RBIs, a .593 OPS and no defined role on the club. But thanks to work with the Nationals hitting coaches, he finally broke through. Instead of trying to pull everything down the right field line (a stroke that led to plenty of home runs at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium in 2015), Drew began looking to drive the ball to the opposite field more.

The end result: Over the final four months, he hit .319 with a .398 on-base percentage and 1.014 OPS and provided a number of key hits in Nationals victories.

Making the second-half surge all the more remarkable was the fact Drew wound up missing seven weeks with an inner-ear condition that caused vertigo-like dizziness and prevented him from doing even some of the most mundane daily tasks away from the ballpark. Once the issue was finally resolved, he returned to action and didn't miss a beat, playing well down the stretch.

2017 outlook: Drew may have created a better market for himself with his strong second half than otherwise would have existed for the veteran. A pending free agent, he could be attractive to a number of teams who would like an experienced left-handed bat who has now proven he can be effective as a reserve as well as a starter.

Whether he fits into the Nationals' plans remains to be seen. His fate may well tie in with that of two teammates: Turner and Espinosa. If the Nats decide to make Turner their starting shortstop and keep Espinosa as his backup, there wouldn't seem to be need for Drew (another left-handed-batting backup infielder).

If, however, the Nats decide to keep Turner in center field or part ways with Espinosa, there would be a role for Drew. And given how well he played and fit into the clubhouse, there probably would be mutual interest in a reunion for 2017.