94WIP Radio’s Howard Eskin isn’t necessarily a baseball guy, but he is a big player in the Philadelphia sports radio scene, and he’s reporting tonight that the Phillies and Blue Jays are involved in “serious talks” about a deal involving Jose Bautista and Domonic Brown.

It’d be a swap of 2013 All-Stars, one seven years older than the other. Bautista, the AL leader in homers in both 2010 and 2011, hit .259/.358/.498 with 28 homers in 452 at-bats last season before a hip injury ended his season in August. It’s the second straight year he’s suffered a season-ending injury; he hurt his wrist in 2012 and required surgery.

Brown, 26, busted out with a big first half before fading last season, ending the year at .272/.324/.494 with 27 homers in 496 at-bats. He’s a poor defensive outfielder, but still a major asset at his price tag. He won’t be arbitration eligible until after next season or a free agent until after 2017.

Bautista is due $14 million each of the next two years, with a $14 million club option for 2016. He’s a great value at that price, but if the Jays did trade him for Brown, they’d free up money to chase a top free agent starter or catcher.

The Blue Jays could also ask for first baseman-outfielder Darin Ruf along with Brown. Ruf wouldn’t have much to do in Philly with Bautista and Marlon Byrd playing the outfield corners and Ryan Howard back at first, but the Jays could use him as a first baseman against lefties and as insurance if Melky Cabrera struggles.

Still, all of this seems highly unlikely to come together. This rumor might have been illegitimate from the get go, and even if there is some truth to it, that doesn’t mean something has to get done.