Braves are turning back the clock with Jose Bautista
Joey Bats is back. The Atlanta Braves have given Jose Bautista a minor league deal.
Former Toronto Blue Jays outfielder and DH Jose Bautista has reportedly agreed to a minor league deal with the Atlanta Braves. The catch? He’s supposedly going to play third base. It’s not a position he’s completely unfamiliar with. He’s played 394 career games at the hot corner.
But he could be a bit rusty over there. Since 2009, he hasn’t played more than 48 games at third base in a single season. He’s going to need some serious reps before the club feels comfortable bringing him up. If he even reaches that point.
The Atlanta #Braves today agreed to terms with free agent infielder José Bautista on a one-year minor-league contract for the 2018 season, and he has reported to Atlanta’s extended spring training complex in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. He will play third base.
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) April 18, 2018
After becoming a free agent at the end of the 2016 season, Bautista was seeking a five-year, $150 million contract. The Blue Jays refused to give him that payday. So instead, the two sides agreed to a one-year deal. Toronto paid him $18 million to slash .203/.308/.366 with 23 home runs and 65 RBI. It’s safe to say the Blue Jays still lost on that deal.
Now 37, Bautista was unable to find a suitor during the offseason. For a player in his late thirties and declining in nearly every statistical category, it’s not hard to understand why. It is, however, hard to understand why this makes sense for the Braves. Atlanta is not exactly deep at the third base position, but they’re not really going anywhere, either. They’re off to a hot start, but they’re going to fall back down to earth eventually. They simply don’t have the pitching to sustain the pace they are on right now. Then again, the Braves don’t really have anything to lose here.
Maybe they still believe Bautista has enough power to provide some pop. But it would come at the expense of, well…literally everything else. Defense, OBP, you name it. And he’s in the National League now, so he won’t be DHing if he gets called up.
Next: Which of these streaking teams are just posers?
Time will tell whether or not this experiment actually pays off for the Braves. There’s no real risk factor with this deal. According to MLB.com, Bautista will make $1 million if he plays for the big league team. Joey Bats is back, but for now he’s just batting in the minors.