Bautista for Diaz

Bautista was in his fourth season with the Pirates and had already been a Pirate, an Oriole, a Royal, and a Devil Ray. In 2008 he hit .242 with 12 home runs and 44 runs batted in over 107 games, then lost the third-base job when Andy LaRoche arrived and was sent to Indianapolis. No National League club claimed him on trade waivers. Toronto did. On August 21 the Blue Jays acquired him for a player to be named later. On August 25 that player was Robinzon Diaz, a 24-year-old catcher in the minors.

J.P. Ricciardi, the Toronto general manager, said later that the club had ranked Diaz a C prospect and that a C prospect for a major-league player had looked like a simple exchange. Pittsburgh had asked first about another catcher, Brian Jeroloman, and Toronto had said no. Scott Rolen was hurt, and the Blue Jays wanted someone who could play third and then move. Diaz, for his part, said afterward that nobody knew the future, and that at the time he was a prospect too.

In 2010 Bautista hit 54 home runs and led the majors. The waiver trade did not predict that. It moved a bench player the Pirates had already optioned, for a catcher their trading partner was willing to spare. The home runs are what the retelling starts with. The waiver wire is what the transaction was.