Thursday, April 15, 2010

Hello, Fred Lewis.

So, the Blue Jays have acquired Fred Lewis from the Giants for cash and a player to be named later. I love it.

About 40 minutes ago, when the news broke on twitter, I wondered where Lewis would fit.

For any of you who are unfamiliar with Lewis, he's a reasonably speedy, left handed bat with lead-off type abilities. He's also an outfielder.

So, in short, I don't know where he fits.

Cito Gaston and AA have both said that Lewis will be coming off the bench for the Jays, who remain committed to their outfielders.

Here's why I like the move, though. It's pretty obvious that the Blue Jays brass don't have a lot of faith in Randy Ruiz, which means that there's no one to spell off Lyle Overbay if he continues to sputter so mightily at the plate. That is, until now. With the addition of Lewis, once he returns from the DL, there will be an opportunity for Jose Bautista, the Jays current right fielder and walk machine, to slide into first base while Lyle takes some time off to right himself. Lewis could then play Right. Of course, it would be nice to see Bautista bring the average up a little bit, but for now I'll settle for his .388 OBP from the leadoff position.

In any case, the addition of an established Major League outfielder like Lewis should put pressure on any of the Jays current underachievers, as Bautista can play any of their positions should Gaston choose to shake things up.

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