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Should the Blue Jays trade Jose Bautista?

What do you think about a Jose Bautista Trade.

By Tom Dakers
Tom Szczerbowski

Over at CBCSports.ca, Doug Harrison suggests that Jose Bautista could be traded back to the Pirates. The Pirates are in need of a right fielder. There aren't a lot of power hitting outfielders out there available for trade. I'll admit, I think the odds of Jose being traded to the Pirates are slim.

The Pirates do have a number of interesting prospects. Let's look at the list of top 20 Pirate prospects on MLB.com:

  1. Gerrit Cole: he's already in the major league rotation with a 3.51 ERA in 8 starts. The Pirates won't be trading him.
  2. Jameson Taillon: RHP, if we were trading Jose to Pittsburgh, he'd be someone I'd want to get. He's in Triple-A, has a 4-7 record with a 3.76 ERA, 36 walks and 100 k in 105 innings.
  3. Alen Hanson: SS, playing High-A, has power. Is a long way from the majors, I don't think the Jays could trade Jose for someone that far from the majors. It wouldn't look good for the fans.
  4. Gregory Polanco: an outfielder in Double-A, speed, defense and a little power. 21 and a year or so from the majors. He could fill Jose's spot in the outfield.
  5. Luis Heredia: RHP, 18, in A-ball. Three years away from the majors.
  6. Josh Bell: 19 year old outfielder. Second round draft pick last year. Again, at least a couple of years away.
  7. Kyle McPherson: RHP, he's 25 and has been hurt all season, just back pitching at AAA. He should be able to pitch in the majors next year.
  8. Barrett Barnes: OF, first round pick in 2012, playing A-ball, fast guy, not much power. 3 year away.
  9. Wyatt Mathisen: C, a second round pick last year. 19 and a long way from the majors, but would give us a catcher of the future again.
  10. Alex Dickerson: 1B, playing in Double-A, he's 23. Power hitting first baseman. I wouldn't mind having him.

So are there guys there that you would take for Bautista?

And, question two, do you think the Jays should trade Jose at the deadline? I'm always the same, if you can get good value for someone, of course you should trade him, but for Jose I'd want an awful lot. He's the 'face of the franchise'. He's the guy we pay to see play baseball. And he has a pretty team friendly contract. I very much doubt that he'll be traded.

What say you?

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