Jose Bautista traded the shirt off his back for a fan's Messi jersey

Two things you need to know about Jose Bautista:

1. He really likes Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

2. He doesn't acknowledge the state of modern capitalism and prefers to barter for all of his goods and services.

If that second item seems unsubstantiated to you, we're here to show you the proof. During batting practice before Wednesday's Blue Jays-Rangers game, Bautista spotted a fan in the stands wearing a new Messi jersey. Instead of thinking, "Hey, maybe I should order one of those when I get home," he just offered him a trade right then and there: 

He also tossed in two signed balls, then proceeded to wear the jersey for the rest of BP:

Maybe that fan will wear Bautista's jersey to a Barcelona match, and Messi will catch sight of him. Then the whole cycle will begin again, on and on, until Bautista is on the pitch at Camp Nou and Messi is patrolling the outfield at Rogers Centre, because that's where their uniforms tell them they're supposed to be. 

In fact, it looks like it's already started. The fan in question,(Thomas, from Plano, Texas), arrived at Thursday's game in an even newer Messi jersey: 

Let Thomas tell you more about how the trade went down: 

Photos and additional reporting by Sam Hodde, MLB.com / Real-Time Correspondent.