Jose Bautista
Position: OF
Bats: Right – Throws: Right
Born: October 19, 1980 (Age 36)
Without any doubt, Bautista is one of the premier free agents on the market this offseason. A power right-handed hitting outfielder that the Mets will take a hard look at if Yoenis Cespedes signs elsewhere.
Although he is surely on the decline in his career, at the age of 36, Bautista has still shown to be one of the better power bats in the game today. In his last season with Toronto, he hit to a .234/.366/.452 batting line to go along with 22 homers and 69 RBI.
The Mets currently have a left-handed dominant outfield, Bautista can help cure this issue. He did have a down year against lefties in 2016, hitting to a .220/.324/.429 batting line with just five homers and 12 RBI in 90 at-bats against southpaws. Overall though over the last three seasons, he has hit to a combined .270/.390/.511 batting line against southpaws, with 20 homers and 51 RBI over 311 at-bats.
An interesting caveat to Bautista is his open willingness to again attempt to play third base. With the uncertainties surrounding David Wright, he may provide some extra flexibility defensively for the Mets. Although he has not played third since 2013 with Toronto and it is hard to imagine him being over there often at this stage of his career.
Contract:
Bautista declined the Toronto Blue Jays qualifying offer of $17.2 million, he will cost any team who signs him a draft pick, possibly hurting his value. It is still reasonable to believe that he will find himself a three-year deal in the $15 million range per year.
Recommendation:
If Cespedes walks, the Mets will need to find themselves a right-handed power bat. There are not too many other players on the market that would bring the type of power that Jose does. If Cespedes leaves New York, the team may need to make a play for Bautista. And one team source says they’ve already reached out to him.
