A couple of hours ago, Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) tweeted this:

Blue Jays/Red Sox Farrell compensation talks came down to two players: Mike Aviles or Andrew Bailey. Aviles gives TOR flexibility w/Escobar.

Assuming that it was true, if you were Toronto Blue Jays general manger Alex Anthopoulos (or president Paul Beeston), would you have chosen Aviles or Bailey?

Middle infielder Mike Aviles, 31, is a middle infielder who hit .277/.282/.381 last year with the Red Sox with a lifetime slash line of .277/.308/.408. He doesn't walk much but he also doesn't strike out much. He made $1.2 million last year and is under control through 2015.

Relief pitcher Andrew Bailey, 28, joined the Red Sox via trade from the Oakland Athletics. His first two years in the Major Leagues were fantastic: 51 saves, 1.70 ERA, 0.907 WHIP, netting him two All-Star appearances as well as an AL Rookie of the Year award. However, his health is an issue, having had surgery on this right thumb that caused him to miss most of last year, only rejoining the Red Sox in mid-August. He threw an ineffective 15 innings, finishing the year with a 7.04 ERA and 1.891 WHIP. His strikeout-per-nine innings has gone from 9.8 in 2009 to 8.2 last year. He made $3.9 million in 2012 and is also under control through 2015.

Obviously, the Blue Jays chose Aviles over Bailey. I think they made the right choice, as the Blue Jays need more help in the infield than the bullpen, and the free agent market is much thinner for middle infielders. Bailey could possibly return to his elite reliever status, but his injury is a concern. But what do you think?