Jays acquire Jose Bautista from Pirates

[Peteros]

Just heard it on the fan 590. Can anyone else confirm this?

[Peteros]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/2008/0 ... autista-0/

It's official. nothing big. looks like Rolen is done for the season. ??

[Schad]

Bautista's a pretty solid bat as a fill-in; very good power, gets on base at a decent clip considering his batting average woes. I like this move, really...even if Rolen isn't done for the year, a AAAA guy with pop and a low-90s OPS+ beats our other options at the position by a good margin.

This is assuming that the PTBNL is no one of significance, and I can't imagine that it would be.

[Holmes]

Troy Glaus: 21 HR, 82 RBI, 59 Runs, 71/88 BB/K, .274/.375/.860.
DL trips: 0

There is just no faith left to give in J.P.

[Schad]

Also important:

- Glaus - has a $11.25m PO for 2009; he's earning the money, so you're not screwed if he exercises it. If he doesn't, his two-year numbers (despite last year's injury woes) make him a likely Class-A FA.

- Rolen - two years remaining, big bucks (even with the Cards paying his $4m bonus in 2010). Given his age and decline, highly unlikely that he earns the money...and totally fanciful that he'll command anything in free agency.

Of course, there's the fact that Glaus was strong-arming his way out and the turf wasn't exactly agreeing with his lower body, but acquiring Rolen wasn't the way to go.

Tangentially, anyone else notice that Richard Griffin's expectations of improvement based upon the utter professionalism of Eckstein and Rolen haven't occurred? Perhaps the ability to play baseball well is more important that we imagined...

[RapsFanInVA]

Bautista is now our HR leader with 12. Now that's pathetic.

[Peteros]

LOL at RapsFanInVA. It is pathetic and it better be rectified by next year or else....

[Peteros]

Troy Glaus: 21 HR, 82 RBI, 59 Runs, 71/88 BB/K, .274/.375/.860.
DL trips: 0

There is just no faith left to give in J.P.

Why do I get the feeling he will be back again next year.

[Geddy]

We'll have a lot of IF to sort out at the end of the season. Who would you guys dump?

[Schad]

We'll have a lot of IF to sort out at the end of the season. Who would you guys dump?

Scooter, with Bautista serving as a 4th OF/back-up 3B (Rolen will miss 50+ games, after all) if he returns...and I hope that he would.

[Spalding]

Bautista is now our HR leader with 12. Now that's pathetic.

Wow, didn't even realize that.. that is sad.

So is Rolen done for the year with his shoulder?

[Dr Octagon]

Bautista is now our HR leader with 12. Now that's pathetic.

I know.

That's so pathetic.

[whiterasta80]

Eckstein can walk (if we don't move him before Aug 31). If Hill is healthy then I move Scutaro for a fringe prospect (hopefully a little less fringe then what we gave up for Bautista) otherwise he, Johnny Mac and Inglett are our options up the middle.

I'm not targetting any infielders in free agency unless they're taking huge paycuts. My upgrade offensively comes at DH (Burrell, Giambi, Dunn, or another bat).

[Michael Bradley]

Glaus/Rolen was a lateral move designed to 1) appease Troy's trade request, and 2) get an established player with more years on his contract. Basically a lazy way for Ricciardi to occupy 3B until 2010. I think Ricciardi was afraid that Glaus was going to opt-out after 2008, and didn't want to go add a 3B to the big list of needs he already had heading into 2009 (SS, C, DH, SP, etc). He bought low on Rolen, so there was a chance Rolen would bounce back, but if Rolen is never going to have a completely healthy shoulder, then it's a major problem. I said at the time this trade was either going to be a rare case of Ricciardi buying low on a star or a complete disaster. It's looking like the latter so far.

Bautista has some pop and he kills LHP. A good platoon player/utility guy. Similar to Joe Inglett in terms of role, but Inglett has a different offensive skillset.

Ricciardi seems really good at getting relievers and bench players, so Bautista will probably be productive in that role. If only JP had the ability to get a star or two (or five).

[TR50]

Price was Robinson Diaz...i dunno if i like this move

[Peteros]

I don't think I like it either..

[Schad]

I wasn't high on Diaz (at all; his ceiling looks like tolerable slap-hitter and solid defender, negative VORP territory), but this was silliness on JP's part. Thigpen, yes. One of our many other failures, sure. But anyone who could be legitimately expected to appear on a major league roster going forward was an overpayment, IMO.

[SCF99]

Its not that bad,Diaz is 24,and is almost at a make or break it age,Bautista i think is only 27 so he still might be able to pick it up a notch from where he is now, so he should still be ahead of diaz if he is still able to improve a bit,,the only part that makes me wonder is if he is no longer in JP's plans he might have been able to be put in a prospect for developed talent trade earlier in the year(jay Bay perhaps) but i guess jose B could as well..

[Peteros]

A head scratcher

So the player to be named later in the Jose Bautista trade from the Pirates turns out to be catcher Robinzon Diaz. Before this season, Diaz was considered one of the Jays' top 10 prospects but an ankle injury slowed his progress and he's been passed on the catching depth chart by J.P. Arencibia and Brian Jeroloman. It's still a steep price to pay for Bautista, who was no longer in the plans of one of the worst teams in baseball and will become a utility player if and when Scott Rolen returns from his shoulder woes.

http://www.sportsnet.ca/baseball/2008/0 ... rds_brink/

I'm playing russian roulette right now. Anyone want to join me?

[RapsFanInVA]

Right now Bautista has as many hits for us as Robinson Diaz does, 0