Jose Bautista unlikely to land with Tampa Bay Rays
By Phil Akre
Former Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista has yet to find a job with less than a week before Opening Day. After initially considering signing him, the Tampa Bay Rays have appeared to kick the tires on it.
After reports surfaced detailing the Tampa Bay Rays interest in free agent slugger Jose Bautista, it appeared the veteran was close to signing a deal before opening day. Apparently, it is no more.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Rays’ are “unlikely to sign” the 37-year-old free agent.
The report comes just two days after ESPN.com’s Marly Rivera reported that both the Rays and Atlanta Braves were looking into his potential signing.
In a free agent market that struggled to gain traction for much of the offseason, the lack of interest in Bautista comes as no surprise. The 37-year-old is just two seasons removed from a 40 home run campaign and an eighth-place finish in Most Valuable Player voting.
However, he’s on the heels of a 2017 that saw him slash .203/.308/.366 with 170 strikeouts. Despite the numbers, Bautista remains arguably the best hitter amongst the remaining free agent options still available.
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Some notable names on the market include Matt Holliday, Jayson Werth, Brandon Moss and Melky Cabrera. Of the four, just Moss surpassed the 20 home run mark last season.
Bautista, who hit 23 home run’s in 2017, has seen his power numbers decline over the past two years, but there’s reason to believe he still has some pop left in the tank.
The Rays are set to deploy veteran Carlos Gomez in right field. In 105 games with the Texas Rangers last season, Gomez hit 17 home run’s and finished with a .255 average.
It appears they are content with what Gomez can give them rather than taking a gamble on Bautista’s .203 average last season.
At DH, the Rays’ are set to move forward with a combination of Brad Miller and Denard Span. The duo combined for 21 home run’s in 2017, so power won’t be a mainstay from the DH spot in the Trop.
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If the Rays’, who could use some power after the loss of Evan Longoria, are moving on from Jose Bautista, it appears his chances of being signed before Opening Day are slim.