Cleveland Indians Keeping Jose Bautista on Their Radar
By Tim Haberin
Could the Cleveland Indians surprise us again by reuniting Edwin Encarnacion with Jose Bautista in their lineup? They are reportedly continuing to check in on the slugger.
The Cleveland Indians traditionally don’t make big splashes in free agency, so it came as a surprise last month when they snagged Edwin Encarnacion on a three-year, $60 million deal. And if a new report from FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal is to be believed, they might not be done making headline-grabbing additions.
According to Rosenthal, Cleveland is “staying in touch” with Bautista, among other free agents. This could indeed be merely a case of due diligence, but Rosenthal suggests that if Bautista’s asking price continues to tank, the Tribe might be comfortable with bringing him on board. Given the franchise’s budget, already straining after the Encarnacion signing, they would reportedly need to gain approval from ownership to ink Bautista or any other significant new contract.
By now, everyone is aware of the issues that plagued Jose Bautista throughout the 2016 season and into the winter. Injuries and declining production resulted in a disappointing walk year, as the veteran slugger slashed .234/.366/.452 with 22 home runs and 69 RBI in 114 games. He declined the Toronto Blue Jays’ $17.2 million qualifying offer at the start of the offseason, but clubs have remained wary of handing the 36-year-old a long-term, big money deal.
Last we heard, the Jays and Bautista were both open to a one-year reunion, but there doesn’t appear to have been much movement on that front of late. The market for the 13-year veteran was narrow enough to begin with; if he doesn’t end up back with the Jays, it stands to reason that an unexpected team like the Indians could swoop in and land him for a massive discount.
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Even in last year’s performance, there are still things to like about what Bautista brings to the table. His 87 walks (in an abbreviated season) were good for 12th in baseball, fueling a more than respectable .366 on-base percentage. Had Bautista played a full season, he also would have stood a good chance of once again eclipsing the 30-homer mark.
Bautista would further strengthen Cleveland’s lineup as it aims to return to the World Series in 2017. However, as Rosenthal mentions, there are several complications to a pursuit of the power hitter. The Indians (or any team except for the Blue Jays) would have to surrender a draft pick to sign Bautista after he rejected Toronto’s qualifying offer. That has likely been a sticking point for the many clubs that have avoided Bautista so far.
The Tribe also appear fairly set up in the outfield with Michael Brantley, Tyler Naquin and Lonnie Chisenhall. But given Brantley’s extensive injury issues, Cleveland might view Bautista as an experienced bat to fall back on as insurance. They could also be looking ahead to Carlos Santana‘s free agency next offseason. At that point, Encarnacion could take over at first base while Bautista slides into the DH spot.
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While the idea of Bautista and Encarnacion teaming up again in Cleveland is intriguing, for now it seems more like speculation than a move that has a strong chance of actually happening. The Indians already have a great squad in place and appear well-equipped to defend their AL pennant. Adding Bautista could risk upsetting the apple-cart for any of the various reasons teams have stayed away from him: age, attitude, declining skills, positional fit and loss of draft pick.