“You have to weigh each case by itself. If it’s the right player, the right fit, the right talent at the right price, you’ve got to be open to it.”

I’m sorry, but that has Manny Ramirez written all over it and a message to him and his agent. It may very well be the biggest hint we get on the Jays position towards Manny yet. Instead of saying no, as they just did in Justin Upton‘s case, the Jays said….mmmm, maybe. They told Manny “make yourself affordable, and the Jays will give you the shot you said you wanted to play for John Farrell”. The more interesting fact is that this quote was made after 2 player misses. First, the Jays lost out to the Braves on the Dan Uggla sweepstakes – which I, for one, can’t imagine why they did since the Braves offer was horrible to say the least and ended up putting him in the same division – and have just recently bowed out of the Justin Upton sweepstakes due to the price tag attached.

Ahh, the Justin Upton Sweepstakes. Why in the world are the Jays looking for yet another outfielder anyhow? You have to believe that Rajai Davis was going to be part of a deal. If my thinking on this is correct, the reason the Jays want another OF is because they want Bautista at 3B and see Davis as a platoon candidate. I’d look for the Jays to keep ruffling the bushes to see what they can add in the outfield. I’m not so sure who it will be, but with the talent level Alex Anthopolous has been looking at to add at each position, you know it’s not going to be a Pat Burrell type of player. He want a young and mobile OF. (more…)

Dayton is a 6’2″ 185 lbs RHP who was selected in the 14th rd of the 2010 draft by the Jays, out of Louisianna Lafayette University. He has since been pitching in the GCL and seems to be working as the club’s closer. Through 6 outings, Dayton has the following line:

6 GP/ 7.2 IP/ 7 HA/ 1 ER/ 1 BB/ 6 Ks/1.17 ERA/ 2.41 AVG against/ 2 saves

The interesting part of Dayton’s line thus far (although very short) is that close to half his IP have been against LHB and that he has only allowed 2 hits against them, for a .167 average against. RHB, meanwhile, are hitting .294 against him, which tells us how well Dayton is doing versus lefties, and how much work he has to do against righties.

In no way am I putting Dayton on the future list of potential closers yet, but he daws need some attention as he could become a huge asset in the pen if he can effectively shut down lefties at higher levels. At 21 years old, and as a reliever, Dayton could move quickly through the system and could reach HiA by the end of 2010 or AAA by the end of 2011. He joins a pretty great group of relievers in the Jays system that are knocking on the door and will replace one of those who will be promoted when trades occur or Free Agency takes hold.

Dayton deserves some attention, and should be on Jays fans radars.