Jose Bautista, Ervin Santana and Jay Alou Jr. all leave Proformance

Mar 9, 2014; Kissimmee, FL, USA; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Jose Bautista (19) stretches his back during the fifth inning against the Houston Astros in a spring training exhibition game at Osceola County Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Manning-USA TODAY Sports

According to Jon-Paul Morosi of Fox Sports, Toronto Blue Jays’ slugger Jose Bautista, free agent pitcher Ervin Santana and certified player agent Jay Alou Jr. have all decided to leave the sports management firm Proformance.

Alou, who is still listed as Managing Director – Head of Latin Baseball on the Proformance website, has been quiet on his personal Twitter account the past couple of days but according to Morosi he is now representing clients on his own.

Morosi also says that “Bautista has followed the Santana negotiations closely.” It certainly can’t hurt to have arguably the most influential Blue Jay (among others) pulling for Santana. Bautista explains why he thinks it is so important for the Blue Jays to acquire the man they call magic.

"“It’s not the same players: We’re missing Josh Johnson, who was supposed to be a big key to our rotation. One-fifth of your rotation shouldn’t be overlooked. That’s important. That’s why it’s so important that we add (Santana).”"

I agree 100% with Jose. The perceived legitimacy of last year’s rotation was what really gave them a shot at the playoffs last year. Scoring runs shouldn’t be a problem – FanGraphs projects the Blue Jays to score the second most runs in MLB next season. Whether or not Santana can add enough to the rotation remains a question but on a one or two year deal there’s very little to lose for the Blue Jays. So can we just get this deal done already?

Hat tip to MLB Daily Dish for the lead.