The Blue Jays acquired outfielder Ben Francisco from the Phillies for minor league lefty Frank Gailey, announced the team. The Jays also designated reliever Jesse Chavez for assignment.
Francisco, 30, hit .244/.340/.364 in 293 plate appearances for the Phillies this year. As a right-handed hitter he's gotten a disproportionate share of at-bats against lefties in his career, but he hasn't done markedly better against them. Francisco is set to earn an estimated $1.5MM through arbitration in 2012, and perhaps the Phillies would have cut him loose had they not found a trade partner. He'll be under team control for 2013 as well if the Blue Jays want him. With Francisco filling the role of Toronto's fourth outfielder, Rajai Davis may be expendable.
Gailey, 26, posted a 3.41 ERA, 7.4 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 74 relief innings across High and Double-A this year. A Philadelphia native, Gailey must be excited about the deal.
Chavez, 28, spent most of 2011 with the Royals' Triple-A affiliate. There he posted a 3.75 ERA, 8.4 K/9, 2.5 BB/9, and 0.9 HR/9 in 57 2/3 innings. The Blue Jays claimed him off waivers from Kansas City in late October.
