The Blue Jays have placed right fielder Jose Bautista on revocable trade waivers, reports MLB Network’s Ken Rosenthal (on Twitter).
As we emphasized yesterday when Justin Verlander was reportedly put through the same process, Bautista’s placement on revocable waivers isn’t at all surprising. Most players will be placed on revocable waivers this month, but the timing of such moves are at least worth noting, as it gives some insight into the point at which a player can be marketed to other clubs (or can no longer be marketed, in the event that they’re claimed and pulled back). Bautista’s waiver period will last 47.5 hours, and his salary makes him a virtual lock to clear. If and when he does clear, the Jays will be able to discuss trades involving Bautista with all 29 other teams, free of restriction.
[Related: How August Trades Work]
Like Verlander, Bautista has full no-trade protection. As such, he could reject not only any trade that the Blue Jays present him but also another team’s claim off of trade waivers (however unlikely that scenario might be).
The 36-year-old Bautista is hitting just .216/.325/.381 with 16 homers thus far in 2017. While he looked every bit of his vintage self in May, slashing a Herculean .317/.412/.644 that month, he’s batted .200 or lower with an OPS of .638 or lower in each of April, June and July. With $5.9MM remaining on this season’s $18MM salary, plus a $500K buyout of a 2018 mutual option still owed to him, Bautista looks immovable unless the Blue Jays are willing to pay down some of the remaining money on that contract.
The Jays may well seek to do that, but Bautista will likely need to show some signs of life at the plate before any club expresses interest. There should be no shortage of corner bats available this month after so few moved off the market prior to the non-waiver trade deadline, so teams on the lookout for such players will have options that are more productive and less expensive than Bautista.
Why not a trade of equals the Tiger’s picture for Jose?
Lol the tigers picture
Its in a really nice frame, was hand painted by Daniel Norris when he was living in his van down by the river.
I’m dead ^
Lol
Maybe Ellsbury for Bautista?
Why on earth would the Jays do that?
Because all Yankee fans think every player on the trade market should come to them for their trash
I’m a Yankee fan and I wholeheartedly disagree with his statement. Nice try tho.
If you disagree with someone’s opinion refute it, don’t attack the entire fanbase, by generalizing them based off that one comment
Actually I’m unbiased and I agree with ohio. I’ve seen Ellsbury traded straight up for every hot pitcher and hitter on the market thoughout the month of July. I’m a Giants fan and in the Cueto rumors at least two guys thought Ellsbury for Cueto was a good trade.
You see the same thing with free agents on the market. They all are thought to be coming to the Yankees. In defense of xabial, he would be correct that not all of the fan base thinks like that but the ones that do, give the fan base a bade image. The ones that think the Yanks will get everyone still think George Steinbrenner is alive and well and running the team. He would overspend on everyone in a heartbeat and just dump guys not working out. They sign elsewhere for league minimum and the Yanks keep paying the rest. of the guys salary to play somewhere else. They Yanks don;t operate that way anymore.
???. Not unless the Yankees sent $$$ north with JE. how many years left on that deal? As a Sox fan, I’d love to comment further but the Sandoval and Castillo wounds run too deep. Castillo has been doing well and would have been called up of it weren’t for the 40 man roster and tax implications.
Back the horses up. I’ve read quite a bit on these threads on so and so free agent and every Yankee fan states that particular player wants to play for the Yankees.
Maybe I missed a few stories or you’re writing more generally about Yankee fan comments across the internet, but I don’t remember too many “Ellsbury straight up” rumors in this year’s MLBTR comments.
Just my opinion, as a longtime baseball fan raised in a Red Sox household.
Ellsbury is never going to hit those 25-30hr a year every NYY fan (and GM) was dreaming on when they signed him. He’s just not another Johnny Damon type, but more of a slash and run type and pretty much always has been, except for his fluke season.
Cashman DOES ever seek to move that contract there actually is an equal one out there which “could” bring that 25-30hr power and high OBP back to NY and IMO? A better ballplayer at this stage of his career for Yankee stadium. Shin-Soo Choo.. Another Boras client that signed the same dollar and year type deal right after Ells if not mistaken.. Still owed 60m over the next 3y, just like Ells and I’m thinking Choo could maybe hit 30HR a year with that short porch in RF and this guy knows how to draw a walk.. RF at Yankee stadium a bit smaller for him to cover wouldn’t hurt any either.
Interesting thoughts, and I agree. Apparently they thought Choo was a nice fit too. Choo declined a 7 year $140M offer from the Yankees when he was FA
I knew both would probably become bad contracts due to both players being 30 at the time of their contracts. I was betting on Choo’s power over Ellsburys miracle 32HR season
Fascinating and worrisome I had 5 Likes and 5 Dislikes. I’ve made a lot friends and enemies Lol.
I’m glad I was able to change / reaffirm 5 peoples opinion, on all Yankee fans thinking the same. The Yankee bandwagon and homers should b easy to spot, but do please stop generalizing us. I wanna talk baseball with smart pple ^.^
Yeah, no reason for the Blue Jays to take on Ellsbury if they only owe Bautista $6+ million. If Ellsbury was doing really well maybe they would consider it. But no way
I just barfed a little
That doesn’t remotely benefit the Blue Jays.
Bautista is gone in two months’ time (or in the next few weeks if they can eat most of the money and find a taker). Ellsbury is owed $68.4MM after the 2017 season.
Not signing Ells allowed the BoSox to afford Panda.
Good thing that year 2 of his deal was a Mutual option and not player option.. or vesting option for that matter. That would’ve been awkward
Verlander and Bautista are not equals . Verlander more valuable but too expensive
which balances this a bit.
He could be free with no strings attached and I still wouldn’t want him… why would I? He’s terrible (in more ways than one)!
Yep all he’s really got going for him now is his arm strength. It’s been sad to watch the decline of Joey Bats this year. Oh well, I guess we can part ways this offseason and put him on the level of excellence and all is well.
Texas should claim him and have him locker next to Odor.
Orioles have a worse record and could block that claim. He would be a big hit for fan appreciation day.
Maybe you didn’t get that?
He made the same joke that schells did, bautista is the most hated living player current orioles fans have.
Oooo don’t mention “big hit” and Odor to Batsy
If a team should claim him, anyone really think the Jays would pull him back? I think they would just as soon let the team take him if they wanted him.
Bautista is an all-time Jays great. There’s too much mutual respect between him and the FO to consider that, and the PR downside is not at all worth saving 2 months salary.
Damn there’s not much criteria for being a great these days huh? He’s going to be off the team once the World Series ends anyway, why not save $6 million?
Maybe not for everyone, but for Jays fans he’s hard to beat. From 2010-2015 he was dominant. In MLB: 1st in HR, 4th in wOBA, 4th in wRC+, 6th in WAR. Not many players can claim a half decade+ like that. He has a bunch of Jays records
More to the point, his 2010-2011 seasons were incredibly refreshing in a pretty bleak time for the team. He came from nowhere to be a bankable star the team could build around and the success of the last two years directly follows from that. Plus he’hit one of the most iconic dingers in franchise history.
So yeah, it makes no sense to me that the team would let him go on a waiver claim when they’re not hard up for cash and they’ll be retiring his number in a few years.
How woul letting Jose go now instead of letting him walk after the season be any more of a PR hit? They still are dumping him to save $$
You don’t see a difference between letting someone go on a waiver claim vs declining a mutual option?
Different methods for the same result. Either way, it is cutting him loose when you have the ability to still keep him. Either way they let him go and get nothing in return.
Unfortunately, nobody on here seems to remember that Bautista is a 10-and-5 player, so he can also VETO the waiver claim if the Jays wanted to let him go to the team which claimed him. He’s been placed on revocable trade waivers for the rare (read: non-existent) chance some team would show initial interest (by submitting a claim) in which case the Jays could ATTEMPT to work out a trade AND get Bautista to waive his no-trade clause — which he would NOT do with two months to go in the season.
Trade him to Cleveland to reunite with encarnation.
No, Cleveland fans do not think this is a good idea. Trading him to the Sugarland Skeeters is a much better fit.
He mighta be lucky getting a job next year once the blue jays turn down their part of the option. Maybe a minor league deal for him
Steve, could you start a list of all known players that have been placed on waivers? I have heard that some teams put all players on waivers but have never seen a comprehensive list. Thanks for all you do!
We’ll keep a running list of players that are reported to clear waivers, but as you suggested, the sheer volume of guys that just land on waivers is overwhelming. You should basically assume that every player in the league will go on them at some point this month.
That’s also why we try to emphasize in these posts that the placement itself isn’t all that noteworthy. What’s noteworthy is that a potential August trade candidate — which Bautista is, despite his poor numbers — now has a set “clock,” so to speak, on when he’ll clear or be claimed.
The Alex Rios rule. Sometimes, players get claimed and unexpected things happen.
Alex Rios is a very extreme example. I was thinking more when Yankees gave Matt Thornton away to the Nationals when claimed through revocable waivers letting Nats assume contract. (when all they were trying to do was block rival teams)
He was year 1 of 2 year $7M contract and had $4M remaining left. ($0.5M+ $3.5M next year)
He had 2.55 ERA 7.3 K/9 2.2 BB/9 in 24IP. How much would that be worth today Even for a 37 year old reliever? More than $4M right?
Straight up Salary dump Waiver claims are rare, and Rios is taking us wayyy back.
Anyone got a more recent example of a salary dump revocable waiver claim that actually went thru? Thornton was in 2014.
Steve, do any unusual “screw ups” happen often as part of the August waivers process? I distinctly remember the Pittsburgh Pirates back in the 1990s accidentally putting their #1 prospect (Wes Chamberlain was his name I think) on IRREVOCABLE waivers after the trade deadline, instead of revocable and the Phillies quickly claimed him and kept him.
Any other wild stories out there that could make an interesting story?
The Padres making a blocking claim on Heath Bell and getting stuck for a large player option the following year.
Padres did the same thing earlier with Randy Myers.
Alex Rios was allowed to go when the WSox claimed him from the Jays in August 2009 but I don’t think that was truly a mistake in the way that you mean. Still, they grabbed a guy with 60MM+ left who was not performing in Toronto.
Randy Myers is the biggest “blunder” of all-time; sorry but it’s a fact and any other submission is WRONG.
The Padres already had Trevor Hoffman as closer and Myers had a $12 million salary plus two additional years on his contract, but the Padres placed a claim to prevent him from going to the Atlanta Braves. Expecting the Jays to rescind the claim, the Jays allowed it to go through, leaving the Padres responsible for the rest of the contract! Myers’ injury would cause 1998 to be his final season, so the Pads had to pay the additional years of salary for a player they didn’t want.
Verlander and Upton for Bautista and 2 prospects
Upton – Justin or Kate? Definitely changes the quality of the prospects
I’m honestly unsure if you’re valuing Kate or Justin more here. Well played
Verlander wouldn’t approve a trade to the Blue Jays for that reason alone — Upton (Kate). Since she’s an “actress” (or attempts to be), the ONLY place he would agree to be traded to is the Dodgers. They just bought a mansion in Beverly Hills, and he doesn’t want to lose her again to Frank Viola Jr., after they temporarily broke up once before. Verlander will let Upton choose where he goes (if anywhere), and if not staying in Detroit (since she’s from Michigan), it’s L.A. or bust.
Odd. No one is calling for Jose to finish his career where it all “began” the way they do with Jaromir Jagr.
I’d still do Jaso for Bautista, though.
Yeah, Watch the Buc’s do that and then the talking heads in Pittsburgh will be screaming that the Pirates were stupid for trading for basically the same talent and Bautista costing so much more.. Just wasting money!!!
PS
This Pens fan would not want the Pens to sign the Mullet Man unless it was a ceremonial 1 day contract so that he could retire as a Penguin. If it were 5 years ago maybe. However, now they have better options coming in the minors at wing than he could offer what his current talent level offers.
Jagr is way too slow to play for Sullivan. If we are bringing back a former Pen, give me Jordan Staal.
Would not mind Staal but he is too pricy for the cap
Are we 100% sure that no-trade clauses nix waiver claims? If that’s the case, why wouldn’t anyone just claim Verlander and Bautista knowing that their teams absolutely have to pull them back? There’s zero penalty to the claimant if DET/TOR are obligated by the no-trade clause to revoke the waivers.
If the player wanted out he could not exercise his no trade and the claiming team would be stuck with the contract.
They both would look great in a a Dodger uniform