The Blue Jays 'Do Not Seem Anxious' To Re-Sign Jose Bautista
Where the fuck is Jose Bautista going to sign? Seriously. How does this guy still not have a job?
I still think that a reunion with Toronto makes the most sense for both sides, but the latest from Jon Heyman is that the Blue Jays are perfectly fine with Bautista signing elsewhere, and would almost prefer it.
The Jays do not seem anxious to bring Bautista back, as it seems their goal all along was to get the draft pick when he signs elsewhere. The one chance for a return would seem to be if there’s no deal forthcoming elsewhere.
I could understand if Bautista was still adamant about getting a multi-year deal, and I’m not even talking about his original five-year, $150-180 million asking price. We all know that has less than zero percent chance of happening. I’m saying if he were looking for something in the 2-3 years range with an AAV of $20 million, then Toronto passing on Bautista would make much more sense.
He’s not even asking for that. He’s said that he’ll take a one-year deal at a salary that’s north of the $17.2 million figure that players who accept the qualifying offer receive. I’ve written before that I think Bautista will ultimately sign a one-year deal that’s below that figure, and I’ve maintained that Toronto still makes the most sense.
Yeah, the Blue Jays went out and signed Kendrys Morales and Steve Pearce, but Morales was more of a replacement for Edwin Encarnacion, and Pearce just provides the Jays with some depth in the outfield, first base and DH. There’s still room for Bautista on this Blue Jays team as a right fielder, especially on a one-year deal.
But the fact that the team that knows him better than anyone doesn’t even want him back, even at a drastically reduced price, says a LOT. The only teams that have been recently linked to Bautista, outside of the Blue Jays, have been the Phillies and the Rays, although the Tampa link remains purely speculative.