It’s not yet known whether free agent outfielder Jose Bautista will leave the Toronto Blue Jays for greener pastures. We’re not far enough along in the process to draw a sound conclusion here.
What we do know is that the six-time All-Star has already met with the division-rival Boston Red Sox.
joey bats people had long meeting with boston official yesterday https://t.co/xDBMxVxSiT
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 9, 2016
Bautista, 36, is coming off a down 2015 campaign for the Blue Jays. He put up a substandard .234 average with 22 homers and 69 RBI, all five-year lows for the former All-Star.
This surely doesn’t mean that there won’t be interest in his services on the open market. Though, the five-year, $150 million deal he was said to be demanding earlier this year can now be thrown completely out the window.
Bautista was, however, given a $17.2 million qualifying offer from the Jays following the 2016 season. According to Heyman, there’s still a chance he might accept that.
Still, it’s smart for the veteran to see what interest might be out there on the open market. If he were to sign with Boston, Bautista would practically be replacing the retired David Ortiz.