I know that thinking about trading a guy like Jose Bautista who has played 301 games over the last two seasons with .280 batting average (jump of .44 points between '10 and '11 seasons) with 96 homers (back-to-back 40 plus homer seasons) with 224 RBIs with 58 doubles and 5 triples to go with 224 walks that has given him a huge OBP of .406. The reason why to even consider it because his shoulder that used to be locked now swings open and he has been having a very hard time figure out what is a strike and what is a ball since the all-star break and has been taken strikes that he would of smashed before the break and ends up arguing with the home plate umpire on a nightly basis. Since the all-star break he has played 56 games with a .254 batting average and 11 homers along with 35 RBIs with 8 doubles and a triple and the most surprising that he has walk and struck out 50 times each as in 84 games before the break he had 24 more walks and only 4 more Ks in a third more games.
His trade value will not be anywhere close to this level again especially if he can not settle down his shoulder he will go back to closer to what he was before September '09 when his homer bashing ability began and the Jays could used a very strong veteran pitcher not like a Jo Jo Reyes but a guy who would be a great number two star behind Ricky Romero who would be able to help along the other starter pitchers. The other starts are a little hit and miss as Brandon Morrow is like a box of chocolates U never know what U will get as one season he pitches well @ the Rogers Centre along with pitching well during day games and then the next season he will pitch well on the road and during night games. Then there is Brett Cecil who just ended a streak of 8 straight games of given up a homer and is being killed by the big inning because he can not settle down and minimize the damage and then there is Kyle Drabek who needs to check his ego at the door as he feels he can not learn anything more because he feels he is unbeatable and until he is willing to charge his way of doing things he will not be a major league starter. Finally there is Jesse Litsch who is pitching out of the bullpen and is having more successful outings than he is blowing games and Dustin McGowan is a complete work in progress but at least the Jays have Henderson Alvarez who is getting better and better each outing except that he has been pitching in the majors for a short time and who knows what will happen when the rest of the league figures him out.
Maybe like a Dan Haren or Tim Hudson or a pitcher like them who have been in the league a few seasons and have a strong track record who can set a good example for the other starters and help advance the Jays future to the next step which would be a playoff race next season which would be more realistic with an extra wild card birth became a reality.
The off season might be interesting in Jays land
Tom Mehegan
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