Jose Bautista’s Mets debut went well, but how long can he keep it up?

The New York Mets have shown interest in the recently released Jose Bautista. Here’s why they should avoid making the mistake of bringing the veteran in.

If this was 2011 things would be completely different. The idea that it’s late May and Jose Bautista has been a free agent twice would have been considered blasphemous at best. The problem is 2011 was seven years ago, we’re now in an era where Jose Bautista is well past his prime.

At least, that’s what Mets fans are hoping isn’t the case. Bautista joined New York on Tuesday afternoon, following his Braves release on Sunday. So far it’s been a good tenure for Joey Bats, as his Mets debut went well with pundits raving about his immediate impact — but will it keep up? We’re just one single game into his stint with the Mets and it’s way too early to deem him as returned to form.

In 12 games with the Braves Bautista slashed .143/.250/.343 with two home runs and five runs batted in. The Braves brought him in to attempt to give them some depth at third base. It didn’t work out.

The writing was on the wall with Bautista that’s why it took him so long to get signed this year. The decline began in 2016. His average dipped to .234, his homers went from 40 to 22 and his OPS went from .913 to .817.

2017 also wasn’t too kind to Bautista. His average dipped down to .203, he hit 23 home runs and his OPS went to .674. His OPS dropped by .239 in a two-year span from his last productive year at age 34 to age 36.

Now at age 37, the Mets are hoping he can help add depth and make a difference in a lineup that started strong before dipping. Then again, maybe you catch lightning in a bottle with a guy who if he plays to his best ability can be a difference maker.

The problem with that is the Mets are already trying that with two guys on their roster. The 35-year-old Jose Reyes is signed at the veteran’s minimum as a “depth guy”. Reyes is slashing .132/.179/.189 with one home run and one RBI.

Reyes is a Mets legend, but clearly, he’s washed up at this point in his career. Then you have Adrian Gonzalez as your starting first baseman. A-Gon, 36, is slashing .238/.323/.404 with five home runs and 20 RBI’s.

Gonzalez has been okay with the Mets, but he sits against lefties regularly and for good reason. He’s hitting .111 this year against left-handed pitching.

The problem with the Mets is they’re a team that relies on older veterans. That’s why they struggle so much with injuries. So instead of giving a decrepit Jose Bautista a part-time role why not inject some youth into the mix?

Peter Alonso is currently raking in AA. In 42 games he’s hitting .345 with 11 home runs and 35 runs batted in. If the Mets looked to their cross-town rivals they would see how the introduction of youth has helped their team immensely, even in depth positions.

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This could all work out for the Mets and fans at Citi could have the last laugh. But we all need to stop pretending that investing your World Series futures in aged veterans like the Reyes’, Gonzalez’s and Bautista’s of the world will help you long-term.