According to John Morosi of MLB Network, the Blue Jays have not made Jose Bautista a formal offer for more than the one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer.
The Toronto Blue Jays are not ready to offer outfielder Jose Bautista more than the one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer that the team made him earlier this offseason. According to John Morosi of MLB Network, the Blue Jays have not made Jose Bautista a formal offer for more than the value of the qualifying offer. The Blue Jays are looking at other options for their outfield for next season.
Source: #BlueJays still have not made Jose Bautista a formal offer for more than the 1 year, $17.2 million QO. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 19, 2016
Bautista, 36, had a pretty good season with the Blue Jays last year. He hit .234/.366/.452 in 517 plate appearances last season, while hitting 22 home runs and driving in 69 runs. His .817 OPS was his lowest since the 2009 season, which was his second season with the Blue Jays. Bautista had his best season with Toronto in 2011, where he hit 43 home runs and drove in 103 runs with an OPS of 1.056. The Blue Jays know that they won’t see that Bautista again, and with the age concern, it does not look like they will offer anything more than the one-year qualifying offer that they have already extended.
The Blue Jays are looking for other options for their outfield for next season. Again, according to John Morosi, the Blue Jays remain in talks with the Mets about acquiring Jay Bruce or Curtis Granderson. The interesting thing about this report is that Jose Bautista had a higher OPS than Jay Bruce last season. Bautista held a .817 OPS, while Bruce’s was .815. A small margin, but it almost seems like the better option for the Blue Jays is to re-sign Bautista and save their prospects for a better trade down the road.
#BlueJays remain in talks with #Mets about acquiring Bruce or Granderson. Mets also trying to add a center fielder, per @Ken_Rosenthal.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 20, 2016
#BlueJays known to have interest in trading for Jay Bruce; Bautista (.817) had higher OPS than Bruce (.815) in 2016. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 19, 2016
Bautista’s age has seemed to be a factor in these negotiations. Bautista is 36 and has only put together seven great seasons in his career. He broke out onto the scene when he was 29, in his third season with Toronto. The Blue Jays have to want to re-sign Bautista, but must believe at this point that the price is just too high compared to the value that he will bring to the team in 2017.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Next: A's Should Push for Colby Rasmus
Both Bruce and Bautista are great options for power for the Blue Jays next season. You get more of an upside with Bruce, considering that he is 29 and hits for a slightly better average. The Blue Jays will be a team to watch as free agency continues and Jose Bautista finds his home for the 2017 season.