St. Louis Cardinals’ Rumors: Jose Bautista Trade Chances

The St. Louis Cardinals have been linked by rumors to a spectacle trade involving the Blue Jays.  Is it time for a spectacle or substance trade?

I wrote once before of the supposed link between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Toronto Blue Jays. See the earlier article for my supposition about the connect to the Blue Jays for their arms but in which I never examined their power bats outside of Edwin Encarnacion.

Enter today’s rumor that the Cardinals could become suitors for Jose Bautista, as MLBTR puts it, “if [the Jays] fall out of [the AL East race].” Should we find excitement in this? Should the Cardinals consider chasing this spectacle or should the Cardinals do what Bautista didn’t do and dodge this blow?

Ironically, as I was brought into the fold of this rumor, I was watching the 2016 Hollywood spectacle, THE GODS OF EGYPT. Without giving away the farm, let me share with you that this movie — 2016’s version of 300 — was all spectacle with little substance.

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Here’s a quick rundown of the movie: young mortal is madly in love with voluptuous young mortal handmaiden who dies all too soon and he must now save her from the afterlife with the help of the wounded god; the gods are taller than mortals and can transform…

…[inhale]…there is little Egyptian mythology in the movie; the likes of Geoffrey Rush, Gerard Butler, and Rufus Sewell could not save the lacking plot…you get the point.

All-in-all, this 2-hour-long movie was computer graphics to the max with no real twists and turns. Fast-forward to my reading of the connection to Bautista and my less-than-excited reaction to this difficult-to-buy rumor (for me at least).

Was my opinion swayed by the movie or do I see similarities between this rumor and content of the two hours I will never regain?

Before passing judgment, let us pause for a moment to bask in the greatness that is Bautista’s career. Bautista is in the final year of his contract with Toronto so is assumed to hit the open market at the end of this season (this, by the way, colors my opinion of this rumor entirely).

To this point, his career has lead to what should be an outstanding landfall when he hits the open market. Here’s an abbreviated chart of his 13-year career:

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

So, what does this really show?  A career slash line of .256/.368/.496 is great, but is this the kind of thing that the Cardinals need? True, the team could benefit from his career .864 OPS, but should they dish out the pieces needed to come if the Jays fall out of contention)?

Look…Bautista is a great player, don’t get me wrong, but I just find this rumor to have more spectacle than substance for the Cardinals. I feel that picking up Bautista will be the equivalent of computer-graphically-generated two hours with nothing of mythology.

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In this exaggerated comparison, Bautista is the beautifully sculpted (from likely hours with a person trainer) actors portraying Egyptian gods who can barely muddle through their weakly-written lines (or dodge punches for that matter — this happens a lot in the movie too).

Yes, Bautista would add flash to the Cardinals but is this what is really needed at this time?  Has the offense really been all that lacking? I believe an infusion of Jhonny Peralta likely spell some splash to the offense rather than forking out the massive amounts of talent required for this trade to come to fruition.

With Bautista being a free agent at the end of the season and already reportedly not interested in giving Toronto a discount, he will likely be a rental. Think the Cardinals will make that offer for a remainder-of-the-season rental? I’m sorry, but I just don’t.

I do find it interesting, however, that MLBTR connected the following teams to the Bautista rumor: Cardinals, Cubs, and Giants. Let me say that again: Cardinals, Cubs, Giants.. Anyone else see something interesting here?

I could see the Cubs and Giants forking out the dough to make this work in the long run. I can see that. In that regard then, I can see the Cardinals becoming players to help run the cost up for their competitors. Should we be alarmed if the Cubs land Bautista? Probably not as any pitcher can get the better of a .250-hitter.

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I am excited that the Cardinals are appearing in trade rumors as I have predicted a trade for a few weeks now in light of recent additions to the AAA team. I just don’t see this being the solution at this point. Doesn’t the club have a greater need for pitching over hitting at this point in the season or is that just my prescription?