Blue Jays: Who might want to trade for Jose Bautista?

Highly unlikely

Boston Red Sox

No, this isn’t going to happen. Sure, he could play third base and give them the upgrade that Pablo Sandoval‘s salary should have provided, but c’mon, let’s be serious.

The Blue Jays aren’t going to trade Bautista to a division rival unless the return is significant. It would be a bad PR move in many ways, and it’s hard to imagine the Sox sending much of anything in return. “Joey Bats” has performed well at Fenway Park over the years, and could serve as a stop gap option at third, but it’s really hard to envision a trade getting worked out.

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New York Yankees

The Yankees and Blue Jays hooked up for a deal on Sunday already, when first baseman/left fielder Ryan McBroom was sent to the Yankees’ organization in exchange for utility man, Rob Refsynder.

If the Blue Jays were willing to sell Bautista on the cheap, the Yankees would likely be interested in finding an upgrade for Chase Headley, who plays both first and third base. The Yankees already acquired Todd Frazier, who is capable of playing both corners as well, but finding an additional corner infielder would help their chances.

The Yankees currently hold one of the two Wild Card spots in the AL, and trail the Red Sox by 2.5 games in the East. While they’ll be looking for upgrades, it’s hard to imagine finding common ground on a deal with a division rival in this case as well.

St Louis Cardinals

There were rumours earlier this month that the Cardinals might have some interest in Josh Donaldson, looking to upgrade their offence. It’s possible they could view Bautista as a cheaper alternative who could play at third base, but it’s questionable what kind of upgrade he could bring to the table.

Jeff Gyoko is at the top of the depth chart at third, and while he could slide anywhere on the infield, the unit is performing pretty well this season. Acquiring Donaldson is a different type of upgrade, as it’s pretty hard to have existing options that could even compare to a recent MVP in that way.

Next: Blue Jays transactions and injury updates

Which teams do you think I’ve missed? I could have gone deeper into this speculation, but I honestly don’t see that many fits among the contenders at the moment. Things can change in a hurry with injuries or asking prices, so it’ll be a situation to monitor over the next week. And of course, Bautista will get the final say.