Blue Jays: Freddy Galvis is a good option for the infield

With the Blue Jays needing infield depth and versatility Freddy Galvis could be an intriguing option for 2018.

The Blue Jays need to add a player who can be an everyday player and provide depth for Troy Tulowitzki and Devon Travis. In 2017, Ryan Goins and Darwin Barney replaced them, however their offensive contributions were minimal with OPS+ of 68 and 54 respectively. The Jays clearly need to improve the backup options and in fact replace the now free agent, Darwin Barney.

Freddy Galvis has been the Phillies’ everyday shortstop for the past three seasons. He has averaged an OPS+ of 80. Definitely an improvement over Darwin Barney and Ryan Goins. In 2016 he hit 20 bombs and drove in 67 runs. Even though his OBP was poor at .274 he was still productive.

Galvis improved significantly at the plate in 2017. He elevated his OBP to .309 and decreased his strikeouts from 136 in 623 plate appearances in 2016, to 111 in 664 PA’s in 2017. The switch hitter hit 12 home runs, 29 doubles and drove in 61 runs. His OPS+ is still below average but it would be without question an offensive improvement over Darwin Barney and Ryan Goins. The 28 year old would also bring decent speed. Over the last two seasons he has 31 steals, 14 of which came in 2017.

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Galvis also offers some needed versatility. Although he has primarily played shortstop, he has also played second base, some third base and even the outfield in his five year major league career. In his career he has played 652.1 innings at 2B, 188 at 3B, and 90 in the outfield. His glove work has been impressive too. This past season he committed just seven errors in 637 chances, the lowest among shortstops, along with José Iglesias from the Tigers. Over the last two seasons he has only committed 15 errors which is certainly a very appealing number to replace Barney, who’s terrific defender.

He has also great availability. In 2017 Galvis played in all 162 games for the Phillies, while in 2016 and 2015 he’s played in 153 and 151 games respectively. He has not been on the disabled list since 2014, something Blue Jay player could hardly avoid last season.

The Phillies will probably try to trade him this offseason as top prospect JP Crawford will likely be the everyday shortstop for Philadelphia. Galvis will therefore lose his spot on the team, which could make him available, and it makes perfect sense for the Phillies to trade him away, especially with just one year left of control

. The return wouldn’t have to be very significant considering Galvis is still a below average producer. If the Blue Jays want to replace the figure of Darwin Barney with an offensive improvement, and a younger and faster player, Freddy Galvis is certainly a fine option for 2018.

Next: Do last year's free agent targets make sense now?