The major league home run leader increased his total by two on Tuesday night, as he mashed a three- and two-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night. Toronto’s Jose Bautista has now broken the 30-home run mark and the Jays continue to put other teams on notice that he’s available. In fact, the Jays are listening to offers for a quarter of their roster, all of whom are moveable, but in Bautista’s case, it would not be a wise decision to ship him out of the city by the end of this week.

Toronto may well end up being a seller this year, or they may stand pat. More than a half dozen names are being mentioned publically as trade bait, Bautista’s included, but of all the players in discussion, Bautista is the only one the Jays should really demand something high for. Yes, this career year of his is an anomaly. No, he’s not likely to do this again in his career, maybe not even next year. But since the team was beheaded by the loss of Roy Halladay last December, Bautista’s mug has emerged as the new face of the organization.

Tuesday night’s game was the fifth of Bautista’s season in which he’s hit multiple home runs. It was just the seventh of his career. To call this season a fluke isn’t completely accurate. He doesn’t just lead the majors in home runs this season; he also leads them since last September. His power numbers are still extraordinary in every sense of the word this season. He can pop almost any pitch over the fence, but nobody is talking about his incredible defensive play in right field. He has one of the best arms in baseball, and when needed, he can play a solid third base as well.

The Jays are trying to get younger and cheaper. 2010 was meant to be a development year for the pitching staff and to let the prospects learn in the minors. They weren’t supposed to have 52 wins in July. They were supposed to be lucky to have as many by September. Blame Bautista for some of this. Toronto has taken several steps back for this season, and the fan base has responded accordingly. Trading Bautista, a guy who has been bringing hope back to the fans this year, would be throwing salt in the wound of the Toronto faithful, despite what the team gets in return.