I never understood why a guy like Joe Inglett doesn’t get an opportunity to get a full time job.  I remember JP Ricciardi saying once that a guy like Joe Inglett would never get the benefit of the doubt.  Nice to guy to say that in a public forum eh?  Regardless of what I think, he may be right.  But again, I don’t get it.  Defensive metrics (and my eyes) say he’s fine at 2B.  And in comparison to other 2B out there (albeit in a small sample size of 900 AB), he’s pretty good offensively, though he won’t get you many home runs.  I remember him as a tough out, who could take a walk, and made decent LD-type contact more often than not.  He became a fan-favourite, and at least seemed like a decent guy to have in your clubhouse.

He could probably be had on a minor league deal, so they wouldn’t need to guarantee him anything.  That way, he can compete with McCoy, Hechavarria, and perhaps other low-key FA signings for the starting job.

To be honest, I don’t know why he wouldn’t have an edge over almost anyone else out there.  The free agent market is terrible, and in looking at the other teams’ 2B, I don’t see any realistic trades out there (though feel free to propose any).  Take a look at the career numbers of the available 2B.  How is Inglett any worse than anybody in there (considering offense, defense, age and salary).

Now I won’t pretend that Kelly Johnson isn’t much better than Inglett (because of his expect 20 HR power).  But Johnson is going to cost money and is worth picks.  There’s also going to be a lot of competition, so the Jays might not even be able to keep him if they want to.

Castillo, Infante and Felipe Lopez could also be decent stopgap options.

Available 2B after jump

Available second basemen