Phillies Interested in Jon Jay

When Jayson Stark reported Wednesday that the Phillies were interested in Cardinals outfielder Jon Jay, you might have asked yourself why they were pursuing an outfielder when there is still so much uncertainty regarding Chase Utley's status. Especially when any possible replacements for Utley are likely coming from a litter of former and current non-roster invitees like Josh Barfield, Delwyn Young, Wilson Valdez, and Pete Orr.

The answer is pretty simple. Ruben Amaro has decided that since he can't bolster the offense at second base (consider Michael Young very much off the radar... for now) he'll try to do it in the outfield. Because if you haven't noticed, there's one, count 'em one outfielder on the team the Phillies can count on delivering numbers consistent with or better than his career average, and that's Shane Victorino.

Raul Ibanez quietly had a strong second half in 2010 and is having a very nice spring, but he'll be 39 in June. Though he intensified his workout regimen during the off season that wall can come quickly for certain players and the impact can be ugly.

Ben Francisco (the starting right-fielder for all intents and purposes) and John Mayberry are each having all-world springs. But if Ben Fran logs 500 plate appearances this season, it'll be the first time he's done so. And let's see Mabes hit the curve ball consistently, off guys not destined for minor league camp.

Dom Brown? He's got some rehab, and a spring training do-over ahead of him. See you in June, kid. Maybe.

Though he's a left-handed hitter, the 26-year-old Jay would be a nice fit. As a rookie in 2010, he hit .300 in 323 plate appearance. Not much pop (just four HR and a .422 slugging percentage) but he held his own against lefties (.308 in 76 plate appearances) and plays all three outfield spots. And as MLB Trade Rumors points out, he's under team control through 2016 and won't hit arbitration before the 2012-13 off-season.

So Jay is young and cheap and versatile. An attractive fit for the Phils, to be sure. But more so for a mid-market team like the Cards, what with Albert Pujols hitting free agency after the season and seeking the moon.

Pure speculation, but the asking price would likely be steep for a part-time player. The Cards are a little light on lefty relievers. Maybe the ask for Antonio Bastardo?

We'll see…

(phillyburbs.com)