Bluebird Links & Eric Chavez Player Poll

Yesterday the news dropped that the Jays were taking a look at Eric Chavez, and apparently he might actually be healthy. According to an unnamed scout,

He’s going to have a chance to go to somebody’s camp. He’s moving around pretty good.

Lots of Chavez opinions around the web. Jared Macdonald at Jays Journal chimes in here, and he seems to like the idea of bringing in Chavez on a incentive based 1 year deal. He comments on what a healthy Chavez would do to the Jays lineup:

For the Jays, and this is assuming Chavez is somewhat healthy and makes the Jays’ roster out of Spring Training, signing him would allow Jose Bautista to head back to right field, his preferred position. This would then bump newly-acquired Rajai Davis to a fourth outfielder role...

Sounds good to me. I like Davis a lot more than most people I think, but even I can recognize that he'd likely be better off as a 4th outfielder. The Southpaw really likes the idea of bringing in Chavez.

but on what would necessarily be a very low guarantee contract loaded up with incentives, how could you not give it a try if he LOOKS healthy.

Finally, Baseball Canadiana blog weighs in here. They bring up a great point:

Let’s say hypothetically, Chavez proves himself to be healthy and good enough to make the team. If I were John Farrell, I’d consider using Chavez in a platoon situation...

It would make sense then to platoon the two of them [Davis and Chavez]. Against lefties you’d place Bautista at third with Davis in right, and against righties you’d slide Bautista to right field and plug in Chavez at third.

Check out their blog post, and take a look at the splits - it makes sense. Could he also be a platoon option at DH with Edwin Encarnacion, who hits lefties far more proficiently than righties? Poll time - what say you?

The rest of your Friday morning Links are after the jump. I'm off to the Raptors game tonight so hopefully they actually win a game. It's my first game in years, and my 2nd trip to the ACC this winter (saw a Leafs game in November). Anyone else been to a Raptors game recently?

Jays Links

No rest for Jays outfield prospect
A nice article on Darin Mastroianni and his winter league experience. This quote should make Jays fans feel all warm and fuzzy inside (emphasis mine):

"He made a lot of improvement in a short period and we think he’s going to be a legit (major league) centerfielder," LaCava says.

1 Blue Jays Way: Jays Invite 13 Minor Leaguers to Spring Training
With that list, I kind of want to make a trip down to Dunedin in a month or two. It would be fun to see some of those guys.

How Many Home Runs Will Bautista Hit in 2011?
The Blue Jay Hunter pegs Bautista for 27 homeruns with a higher OBA. What do you think?

Top 100 fantasy starting pitchers for 2011
Four Jays pitchers make the list. I'm not sure how Rzepczynski makes the list ahead of Morrow - Cecil isn't even on the list. Romero is the number 1 Jay at number 45 (right behind two pitchers that aren't exactly the model of health). Not sure I agree with much on this list in terms of Jays rankings.

Quotables: 1BJW's Sound Bites of the Year
1 Blue Jays Way has the best interview quotes of the year. I liked this one.

-Sal Fasano on facing Randy Johnson during his playing days..."I went 0 for my first like 12 against him with like 11 punchouts. I think the first time I made contact we had a party."

Around the League

Blyleven has show of support | news-press.com | The News-Press
Rich Lederer, Blyleven's biggest Cooperstown supporter finally got to meet him. Good story.

Rafael Soriano Finds His Treasure | FanGraphs Baseball
Soriano signs a 3 year / $35M deal with the Yankees. FanGraphs breaks it down. What do you think - good or bad signing for the Yanks?

Padres Close To Deal With Gregg Zaun
Sounds like Zaun will be sticking around for another season at 40 years old.

Brewers’ Defense: Roadblock To A World Series?
The Brewers' pitching might be great this year, but will their D be good enough? Should be an interesting season for them - they have the O and the pitching so it will be interesting to see just how important D is in terms of winning games.

Get the Luck Out of Here | Getting Blanked
Drew Fairservice on Votto and Bautista. Wait, there's no luck in baseball, right?

The Elite Eight: Cooperstowners in Canada
Kevin Glew brings you the eight members of Hall of Fame both north and south of the border.

World Series at its best
A look at the best world series games by subjective ranking and by statistical method. Lots of Jays games on the list.

Baseball America | Blog | Baseball America Prospects Blog | Minor League Transactions: Jan. 1-10
Released: C Pat Borders - Yes, that Pat Borders.