Blue Jays: Jose Bautista garnering interest from Mets

Former Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista may not be out of work for very long as it was reported yesterday that the New York Mets are showing interest in the 37-year old.

Mike Puma of the NY Post reported the Mets could be interested in signing Jose Bautista as they currently have both a need at third base and in the outfield with injuries to Yoenis Cespedes and Todd Frazier.

The Bautista experiment with the Atlanta Braves lasted only 12 games before the aging slugger was tomahawked off the roster. Bautista hit .143/.250/.343 with two homers and 12 strikeouts in 40 plate appearances for the Braves.

In defence of Bautista, the Braves did not exactly give him much of an audition before sending him packing. The slugger missed spring training after signing late, so it’s pretty hard to fault Bautista for his slow start to the campaign. Why even bring him on board if you were only committed to giving him 40 at-bats before cutting bait.

More from Toronto Blue Jays News

• Matt Chapman has been exactly what the Blue Jays needed
• Blue Jays: The goalposts are moving in the right direction
• Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays advance to the Championship Series
• Blue Jays: Comparisons for Alek Manoah’s Second Season
• Blue Jays: Adam Cimber, the unlikely decision King

If Bautista does in fact sign with the Metropolitans that would signal a reunion with his good buddy and former Jays teammate Jose Reyes. The shortstop had a comeback type season in 2017 with the Mets but has gotten off to a slow start in 2018.

The signing is a low-risk endeavor as Bautista agreed to a minor league pact with the Braves that was to see him earn $1 million if promoted. The Dominican Republic native has 333 career home runs over the span of his 15-year MLB career.

Bautista can play both third base and the outfield playing primarily the hot corner in his short tenure with Atlanta. We will continue to monitor the developments over the coming days and see if anything comes to fruition between the two sides.

Next: Blue Jays should offer Jose Bautista a job in the organization

If Bautista wants to hang them up, I am sure the Jays could find a front office gig for the former face of the franchise.