Toronto Blue Jays: Jose Bautista hatches latest plan to get contract
By David Hill
Former Toronto Blue Jays star Jose Bautista has not given up on returning to the majors. His latest plan involves returning as a two way player.
When last we saw former Toronto Blue Jays star Jose Bautista, he was taking a tour of the National League East. He had signed as a free agent with the Braves, and was released after 40 plate appearances. Bautista then signed with the Mets, only to be sent to the Phillies on August 28. All told, he had 399 relatively disappointing plate appearances, producing a mediocre .203/.348/.378 batting line while hitting 13 homers. His bat looked slow, and Bautista appeared to have nothing left.
Despite all the evidence pointing to his decline, and a lack of offers for 2019, Bautista refused to announce his retirement. He kept holding out hope for a contract for the 2020 season, even if it was a minor league deal. And, yet again, Spring Training has come about, with Bautista waiting by a telephone that will not ring.
But now, Bautista has a plan that is certain to entice a major league team. While it was announced that he would be a part of the Dominican Republic team in the World Baseball Classic qualifiers, it was also announced that he was not expected to pitch in those games.
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That would make sense; after all, Bautista was an outfielder. As it turns out, he has been working out as a pitcher as well, aiming to return to the game as a two way player. Given his strong arm in the outfield, there is a bit of logic to the concept.
As it turns out, Bautista may actually have the type of arsenal that could work in the bullpen. According to Jeff Passan, his fastball reached 94 MPH, certainly a respectable velocity for a reliever. He also displayed two different sliders, a shorter version and a second with a bigger break. Former teammate Marcus Stroman said that Bautista could help a major league bullpen now.
If the reports of Bautista’s stuff are accurate, the idea that he could help a bullpen makes a lot of sense. He would likely have to take a minor league deal with incentives, but that is a low risk on what could be a winning lottery ticket. Add in his potential power bat, and Bautista may actually work as a two way player.
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All it takes is one team to be interested. Hey, the Toronto Blue Jays could still use some bullpen help…