The St. Petersburg Times reports that the Rays acquired infielder Willy Aybar today along with Chase Fontaine for Jeff Ridgway. DRays Bay caught wind of this one several days ago.
Aybar is out of options, so he’ll stick with the big club as a super-utility guy. He can bridge the gap at third base if Evan Longoria needs a little time. Aybar would be most interesting at second; he’ll be 25 and sports a career OPS over .800. However a few years ago Baseball America questioned whether he could handle second base defensively long-term. Regardless, if Aybar can get past the substance abuse problems this could be a steal.
BA doesn’t expect the 22 year-old Fontaine to stick at shortstop; he might have to move to second eventually. He’s considered a line-drive hitter.
Ridgway is a 27 year-old southpaw reliever; Frank Wren sold low on Aybar if this is all he could get.
