Jose Bautista

Free Agent Profile: Jose Bautista

By Mark Polishuk | November 24, 2016 at 1:30pm CDT

Jose Bautista’s offseason suitors will have to weigh his disappointing 2016 season against his track record as one of baseball’s top sluggers.

Strengths/Pros

While Bautista had a down year last season, it was far from being an actually “bad” year. Indeed, most players would be very satisfied hitting .234/.366/.452 with 22 homers and 24 doubles over 517 plate appearances. Bautista’s 122 wRC+ indicates that he still generated 22% more runs than a league average batter, and of all free agent hitters with at least 400 PA last year, only seven topped Bautista’s mark of 122.

With a career .266 BABIP, Bautista has never received too much luck from the batted-ball gods, though it could be argued that his .255 BABIP in 2016 was particularly lacking in fortune. Bautista had a career-high line drive rate of 18.8%, and he made hard contact on a whopping 41% of his balls in play, both of which were career-highs. Bautista’s vaunted batting eye made him productive even when he didn’t make contact, with a 16.8% walk rate that ranked third in all of baseball (behind only Bryce Harper and Mike Trout) and an 0.84% walk-to-strikeout rate that tied him for 12th among all hitters.

Bautista was bothered by a sore hip flexor in May and then had two separate DL stints (with turf toe and a left knee sprain, respectively) that limited him to 116 games. It could simply be that the nagging injuries and the somewhat stop-and-start nature of his season prevented Bautista from ever really getting into a groove. Bautista is known to keep himself in good physical condition, and he played in 308 of 324 games in 2014-15.

And of course, even with his 2016 season in mind, Bautista is still easily one of the decade’s best hitters. Since the start of the 2010 campaign, Bautista leads all hitters in home runs (249) and isolated power (.278), while ranking second in walk rate (16%), fourth in wRC+ (152) and eighth in fWAR (33.8). If 2016 was just an aberration, then Bautista’s next team could be signing him at a relative bargain.

Weaknesses/Cons

When a player is in his mid-30s, any signs of decline have to be taken as a red flag. For every stat indicating that Bautista was more or less his old self last year, there was another that showed significant dropoff. He posted his lowest batting average, slugging percentage, wRC+, wOBA (weighted on-base average) and isolated power numbers since his pre-breakout 2009 season, while also posting his highest strikeout rate since 2009. Between 2010-15, Bautista made contact 70.5% of the time when swinging at pitches outside the strike zone; that number plunged to just 60.4% in 2016.

Beyond just his issues at the plate, Bautista was only worth 1.4 fWAR (his lowest as a Blue Jay) last year in large part due to below-average baserunning and fielding metrics. Bautista posted his second straight year of rough numbers in right field, and now has -11 Defensive Runs Scored and -11.2 UZR/150 over the last two seasons.

Jay Alou, Bautista’s agent, has said that his client is open to a move to left field or the infield, which should help Bautista’s market. National League teams without the luxury of a DH spot, however, may be wary about signing a player entering his age-36 season without any guarantee that he can provide passable defense. Bautista has only played 154 MLB innings as a first baseman and 410 innings as a left fielder; a return to third base would seem very unlikely at this stage of his career.

Beyond this season’s two DL trips, Bautista was also limited to 92 games in 2012 due to a bad wrist that required post-season surgery, and 118 games in 2013 due to a bruised hip that prematurely ended his season. (In fairness to Bautista, both shutdowns were more than a little due to Toronto being miles out of the pennant race.) He also battled a bad shoulder in 2015 that required him to receive more DH at-bats than usual, though that injury didn’t appear to impact his offensive production whatsoever.

Personal

Originally a 20th-round pick for the Pirates in the 2000 draft, Bautista’s rise from journeyman to superstar is one of baseball’s more unlikely breakout stories. He played for five different organizations in the 2004 season (his rookie year) before settling back in Pittsburgh and posting middling numbers in semi-regular duty as a third baseman and outfielder. Dealt to the Blue Jays in August 2008 for catcher Robinzon Diaz, Bautista still didn’t entirely break out until a swing overhaul under the tutelage of Toronto manager Cito Gaston and hitting coach Dwayne Murphy. The results were incredible — after managing just 59 career homers over his first 2038 PA in the bigs, Bautista exploded for 54 homers in 2010 and the rest is history.

Bautista’s outspoken personality made him a clubhouse leader in Toronto but also ruffled some feathers around the league, whether it’s questioning the strike zones of several umpires, getting involved in the most memorable on-field brawl in recent memory or his iconic bat flip home run in Game Five of the 2015 ALDS. There hasn’t been any indication that Bautista’s attitude is necessarily impacting his free agent stock; if anything, Bautista has a reputation as an intense competitor.

Market

Needless to say, Bautista won’t be getting anything close to the massive asking price (five or six years for $150-$180MM) he reportedly floated during preseason extension talks with the Jays. In fact, given his disappointing year, Bautista could’ve been justified in accepting the one-year, $17.2MM qualifying offer in the hopes of rebounding in 2017 and testing the market again next winter in search of a bigger contract.

Instead, he rejected the Blue Jays’ offer, so any club that signs him will have to give up its top unprotected draft pick for Bautista’s services. As we’ve seen in the past, the qualifying offer can limit the market for anything less than superstar free agents. Between the draft pick compensation, Bautista’s age, his declining defense and hitting numbers and the number of other first base/DH types on the market, Bautista could have a tough time finding what he believes is fair value.

On the other hand, it’s hard to ignore Bautista’s performance prior to 2016. There will certainly be teams interested in seeing if Bautista can bounce back to his old form, and Bautista’s apparent willingness to shift out of right field will increase his list of suitors.

Teams like the Orioles, Red Sox, Astros or Mariners have multiple holes at DH, first base or the corner outfield slots that Bautista could fill, switching positions on a near-daily basis to accommodate other players on the roster. The Dodgers, and Giants have corner outfield slots that Bautista could fill, and conceivably the A’s and Phillies could be added to the list if Bautista’s price drops or if he isn’t set on joining a contender. The Rockies could sign Bautista as a first baseman with an eye towards giving him some time in the outfield if Carlos Gonzalez or Charlie Blackmon are traded. The Nationals somewhat surprisingly asked about Bautista at last summer’s trade deadline so they could be a suitor now; with Ryan Zimmerman still holding down first base in Washington, Bautista would have to play right, with Harper sliding to center. I don’t know if the bad blood between Bautista and the Rangers would preclude the two sides from doing business, though Bautista is at least an on-paper fit in Texas as a first baseman or designated hitter.

The Yankees and Mets have both already been linked to Bautista, though the Mets would need to deal one of Lucas Duda, Jay Bruce, Curtis Granderson or (less likely) Michael Conforto to make room. For the Yankees, Bautista would add veteran stability to their young first base/right field/DH mix of Greg Bird, Tyler Austin, Aaron Judge and Aaron Hicks, and left field could also open up if anything comes of trade inquiries about Brett Gardner.

While Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins recently said that the club’s signing of Kendrys Morales didn’t mean that Toronto couldn’t still bring back Bautista or Edwin Encarnacion, talks between Bautista and the Jays are reportedly not showing any signs of re-opening. Bautista could still technically fit playing right, first base and DH in rotation with Morales and Justin Smoak, though at this point, it seems like the Bautista era is Toronto is coming to a close.

Expected Contract

MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes ranked Bautista 12th on his list of the offseason’s top 50 free agents, projecting Bautista for a three-year, $51MM contract but with the potential for an opt-out clause after the first year or perhaps just a one-year deal altogether.

I would tend to think that a multi-year deal with an opt-out is the best scenario for all parties. Bautista already feels that he vastly outperformed his previous contract — he could see another modest multi-year deal as a missed opportunity at prime earning years in 2018 or 2019, as obviously he believes he’ll return to form next season. With an opt-out, Bautista can test the market again next winter if he has that rebound year, and the signing team might be satisfied to have gotten one big year from a 36-year-old and then let off the hook for his age-37 season and beyond.

This is a tough one to predict given Bautista’s lackluster platform year, though I believe Tim’s projection of a $17MM average annual value will end up being accurate. Whether Bautista gets a third year could depend on how the rest of the first base/DH market shakes out.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On The Yankees’ Offseason

By charliewilmoth | November 23, 2016 at 5:40pm CDT

The Yankees’ top relief target this winter is their own former closer Aroldis Chapman, but they have made contact with other stars at various positions as well, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports writes. The Yankees have also been in touch with closer Kenley Jansen (although they prefer Chapman, since he’s pitched for them before and since signing him wouldn’t cost them a draft pick) as well as hitters Carlos Beltran, Edwin Encarnacion, Yoenis Cespedes, Jose Bautista, as has been previously reported. They’ve also likely spoken to representatives for starters Rich Hill (in whom top Yankees exec Brian Cashman has stated interest) and Jason Hammel (about whom the Yankees were previously known to be gathering information).

Encarnacion, Heyman writes, could be a high priority for the Yankees, although he also reports that the team has spoken with Cespedes’ agent up to five times already. As has been previously noted, the Yankees are involved in Beltran’s market, along with the Astros, Red Sox and perhaps Rangers.

Heyman also adds a few new names to the mix: those of Dexter Fowler, Matt Holliday, Mike Napoli and Brandon Moss. The Yankees currently have Brett Gardner, Jacoby Ellsbury and Aaron Judge in the outfield and Tyler Austin at DH, but Judge and Austin are inexperienced, and the Yankees could trade Gardner to clear playing time and payroll space for an impact bat.

Heyman cites Napoli, who is coming off a solid .239/.335/.465 season in Cleveland, as one option who could be particularly intriguing. Napoli or Holliday could help the Yankees at DH, while Fowler would likely play the outfield, and Moss could help in the outfield or first base, or at DH. Either way, it’s unclear to this point whether the Yankees are looking for one player for outfield and DH or two.

Latest On Yoenis Cespedes, Jay Bruce

By Steve Adams | November 22, 2016 at 12:52pm CDT

There’s a growing expectation in the industry that Yoenis Cespedes will indeed get a five-year deal this offseason, writes Mike Puma of the New York Post, which could be problematic for the Mets. Puma cites an industry source in reporting that the Mets could be comfortable in the $100-110MM range over a four-year term, but the team’s comfort level with a fifth year and a total value approaching $130MM is considerably less certain.

Mets GM Sandy Alderson has previously said that he hopes to have resolution on the matter one way or the other by the end of next month’s Winter Meetings, and Puma notes that the Cespedes camp has a similar timeline. Whether the team is able to re-sign Cespedes or not will also have a significant impact on Jay Bruce’s future, Puma writes, as the team could look to trade Bruce if Cespedes returns to Queens. New York is currently listening to offers for Bruce, he continues, though the Mets wouldn’t make any kind of move until they know the outcome of the Cespedes situation.

If Cespedes does sign elsewhere, that doesn’t preclude the Mets from moving Bruce, though, as Puma notes that Alderson and his staff could look at signing either Jose Bautista or Dexter Fowler as a fallback option. If they’re able to do so, then a trade of Bruce would again be back on the table.

It’s not entirely clear which clubs pose the biggest competition for Cespedes at this time. He’s been connected to the likes of the Dodgers, Giants, Yankees and Nationals, though certainly there are other clubs that have corner-outfield vacancies, including the Orioles, Rangers, Mariners, Blue Jays and Phillies, to name a few. And, unlike last season, Cespedes is now the top position player on the board, whereas last year he had to compete with a number of other corner outfielders, including Justin Upton, Jason Heyward and Alex Gordon. While Cespedes does have a qualifying offer attached to him this time around, his status as top dog on the free-agent market (and yet another excellent season added to his track record) should yield a more robust market.

As for Bruce, the 29-year-old (30 in April) has long struck me as a curious fit for the Mets. With Curtis Granderson and Michael Conforto both in the mix, the Mets already have two left-handed-hitting outfielders that should be limited to the corner slots. None of the three lefties handles lefties particularly well, either, and while there’s hope for Conforto to make some strides in that area it’s unlikely that either Bruce or Granderson will make any marked improvement at this point in his career. Shopping him around certainly makes some sense, even if Cespedes doesn’t return. It’s a tough market to do it in, as there are several free-agent alternatives, but Bruce has drawn interest from the Blue Jays in the past and would fit their current desire for a left-handed-hitting outfielder. The Giants, Rangers and Orioles each make varying levels of sense for Bruce as well, although those names are listed here purely in speculative fashion at this point. Bruce is owed $13MM in 2017 and batted a combined .250/.309/.506 with 33 home runs last season.

Ross Atkins On Morales, Encarnacion, Bautista, Saunders, Gurriel

By Mark Polishuk | November 19, 2016 at 10:05am CDT

The Blue Jays’ signing of Kendrys Morales became official yesterday, and GM Ross Atkins met with reporters (including Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith) to discuss both Morales and other hot stove-related items…

Though Morales has almost exclusively been a designated hitter over the last two seasons, Atkins said the veteran could receive a “good deal” of time at first base, or at least some time at first or in the outfield depending on other possible acquisitions. Morales has played 16 games at first and five games as a right fielder since the start of the 2015 season, and he has primarily served as a DH since infamously breaking his ankle celebrating a walkoff homer during the 2010 season. Given that Morales didn’t acquit himself well in his brief stint in the outfield, one would think Toronto would only use him as an emergency right fielder rather than even a part-time option for the position.
Morales’ signing makes it “slightly less likely” that the Jays will re-sign Edwin Encarnacion, “but it by no means eliminates that possibility,” Atkins said. The Morales signing “doesn’t impact us on Jose [Bautista] in any way,” Atkins noted, as there is less of a positional overlap between Bautista and Morales as there is with Encarnacion. It didn’t seem likely that both free agents would return to Toronto even prior to Morales’ acquisition, though Atkins said that “we still feel that both are realistic for us.”
Michael Saunders, another internal free agent, is still “squarely” on the Jays’ radar as the club looks to address its outfield situation. “We are going to be aggressive in trying to add one or two pieces to our outfield depending upon what’s available,” Atkins said. “We’re extremely active in trade discussions and free agent discussions…The outfield is certainly a need for us.” With Bautista and Saunders in free agency, the Blue Jays are left with Melvin Upton Jr., Ezequiel Carrera and Dalton Pompey as part-time or bench candidates in the corner outfield slots (plus defensive standout Kevin Pillar presumably continuing in center.)
International signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr. could also be a candidate for the outfield when he’s ready for the majors, though Atkins said that Gurriel will probably be used at second, third and shortstop as he begins 2017 in the minors. “He’s a very, very good athlete and a lot of the (positional) decision will come down to how we view his athleticism once we get a more objective view of that,” Atkins said.

Heyman’s Latest: Bautista, Encarnacion, Castro, Heyward, Anibal

By Steve Adams | November 18, 2016 at 7:54am CDT

The Blue Jays are not showing any interest in rekindling talks with Jose Bautista, Jon Heyman of Fan Rag reports in his latest notes post. The departure of Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion drew down a big chunk of the team’s right-handed power, which helps explain the interest in some less pricey options, but it had seemed that the club would at least explore returns for both. With Kendrys Morales now on hand, the likelihood seemed reduced, but it’s interesting to hear that the door may nearly be closed on Bautista.

Encarnacion, meanwhile, is among the players drawing interest from the Yankees, Heyman reports in another post. New York has seemingly cast quite a wide net, it should be noted, with GM Brian Cashman suggesting he could go in any number of directions in bolstering the lineup now that Brian McCann is playing in Houston.
The Rays are indeed interested in Jason Castro, Heyman adds (and as others have recently suggested could be the case). But it seems there’s rather a robust market forming for the lefty-swinging backstop, which makes it a bit hard to imaging Tampa Bay beating out the competition.
Jason Heyward’s dreadful first season with the Cubs isn’t likely to result in a change of scenery, Heyman also reports. There has been no mention of the still-youthful outfielder in trade talks this winter, which certainly isn’t surprising give that there’s $169MM left on his contract. Even if Chicago were to desire a trade, it would likely have little choice but to hope that Heyward can find his way at the plate to rebuild some value.
Some teams are showing interest in Tigers righty Anibal Sanchez, Heyman reports. Though his contract ($21MM owed between 2017 and a 2018 option buyout) is well under water, it could be that the club could save some cash if it’s willing to pay a decent chunk of what’s owed. Sanchez has been tagged with a 5.42 ERA over the last two seasons, with gobs of home runs more than offsetting strikeout and walk numbers that are within his typical range. But plenty of organizations are looking for innings, and might see some bounceback potential in the 32-year-old.
Teams are always looking for value in their pitching acquisitions, of course, and giving shots to veterans sometimes pans out. One hurler who could draw some looks this winter is Justin Masterson, who Heyman says is believed to be healthy after battling through shoulder issues. While he’s still just 31, Masterson hasn’t been effective in the big leagues since 2013, and managed only a 4.97 ERA with 5.3 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 with a 1.620 WHIP at Triple-A last year for the Pirates. He did finish his minor-league season on a high note, though, and it seems reasonable to expect that some organization will be intrigued enough by his previously established ceiling to bring him in on a minor-league deal.

Latest On Yoenis Cespedes, Mets

By Jeff Todd | November 16, 2016 at 8:06pm CDT

At least three other organizations are currently showing interest in wooing outfielder Yoenis Cespedes away from the Mets, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). With four suitors (including New York) presently in the hunt, Cespedes’s representatives believe he could reach a deal by early December.

That would represent a much quicker end to the open-market experience than Cespedes experienced last year, when he did not re-sign with the Mets until late January. But this time around, he’s the consensus top-available free agent with lesser competition and another superstar campaign under his belt. While there aren’t a lot of teams that make for perfect fits, the expectation remains that Cespedes will draw some concerted bidding that drives his price north of $100MM.

The Mets have made no secret of the fact that they are interested in a reunion with a player who had a huge role in generating two consecutive postseason appearances. It remains to be seen whether New York will be willing to go to a length and total value that it prefers not to in order to bring him back, but it’s also possible that the price tag won’t go out of the team’s comfort zone.

In an appearance on 710 WOR (audio link), GM Sandy Alderson suggested that it’s all still very much up in the air how things will turn out with Cespedes. The club is “in one sense in a better position” than it was last winter, he noted, since Cespedes is “much more familiar” with the organization. The 31-year-old has personally indicated his interest in returning to the Mets, said Alderson, and there has been extensive communication with his agent.

Among other topics, Alderson also chatted about the alternatives in the event Cespedes heads elsewhere. He suggested there are other “significant” right-handed hitters who could conceivably be pursued, noting Jose Bautista as one of several free agents and possible trade targets who may be available. There are also “complementary piece[s]” who could be had; Alderson noted Steve Pearce as an example of a player who’d at least hypothetically offer another option. It’s still an open question for the team, said the veteran executive, whether it’s truly necessary to add another right-handed-hitting outfielder given the team’s other lineup options.

Edwin Encarnacion, Jose Bautista To Reject Qualifying Offers

By Steve Adams | November 14, 2016 at 9:49am CDT

9:49am: Edwin Encarnacion, too, is rejecting his QO, tweets SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo. That was among the most obvious calls in the entire class (or in any class of QO players). On the heels of a .263/.357/.529 batting line and 42 homers — his fifth straight season with at least 34 round-trippers — Encarnacion figures to cash on a substantial four-year pact and has a chance at a five-year deal worth in excess of $100MM. If both Encarnacion and Bautista sign elsewhere, the Jays will net a pair of compensatory picks in next year’s draft.

8:46am: Blue Jays right fielder/DH Jose Bautista will decline Toronto’s one-year, $17.2MM qualifying offer before today’s 5pm ET deadline, tweets Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. That decision has long been viewed as likely even on the heels of a disappointing and injury-filled season for the 36-year-old slugger. In light of Bautista’s decision, the Jays will receive a compensatory draft pick at the end of the first round if he signs elsewhere.

Bautista spent roughly six weeks of the 2016 season on the disabled list due to a toe injury and a knee sprain. When healthy, the two-time MLB home run leader (2010, 2011) batted just .234, though his .366 on-base percentage, .452 slugging percentage and .217 isolated power mark were all considerably above the league average. Bautista walked at nearly a 17 percent clip and struck out in just a shade under 20 percent of his plate appearances, and he finished the year on the upswing, hitting .262/.401/.469 in 162 plate appearances after being activated from his second stint on the DL.

The most significant questions surrounding Bautista are his age and his defense in right field. Having just turned 36 in October, a significant multi-year deal would carry him into at least his age-38 season. While that’s certainly not unheard of — Carlos Beltran, for instance, just played out a three-year, $45MM deal that spanned his age-37 through age-39 seasons — there will certainly be teams that are wary about committing to such pacts for a player that’s closer to 40 than to 30. Beyond that, his defense has rated out quite poorly in each of the past two seasons; Ultimate Zone Rating pegs him at 15.5 runs below average over his past 1825 innings in right field, while Defensive Runs Saved has him at -11 in that same time frame.

Those factors will likely scare away numerous National League clubs, although since formally receiving the qualifying offer, Bautista has already drawn some level of interest from the Mets. He’s also been loosely linked to both the Red Sox and Yankees, and it stands to reason that other American League teams will at least kick the tires on Bautista, who has hit more home runs than anyone in baseball dating back to the 2010 season. The Blue Jays may yet express interest in retaining Bautista, although their three-year deal with Kendrys Morales, signed last Friday, certainly makes him a bit of a tougher fit on Toronto’s roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cafardo’s Latest: CBA, BoSox, Bautista, Votto, Tigers, Yanks, Hoyer

By Connor Byrne | November 13, 2016 at 8:43am CDT

The absence of a new collective bargaining agreement has representatives for top free agents like Yoenis Cespedes and Edwin Encarnacion concerned, and could lead to delays in signing, writes Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The current CBA, set to expire Dec. 1, includes a $189MM luxury tax threshold. Big-spending teams that are near the $189MM figure could hold off on adding high-end free agents (Cespedes and Encarnacion, to name a couple) until the CBA situation is resolved because they might face penalties under the next agreement if the luxury tax number doesn’t increase. One club it will affect is the Red Sox, according to Cafardo, who expects them to pursue Encarnacion if the threshold rises. Otherwise, they’re likely settle for a less expensive bat like Carlos Beltran.

Free Agent Rumblings: Encarnacion, Beltran, Cespedes, Mets, Colon

By Jeff Todd | November 10, 2016 at 12:52pm CDT

The Blue Jays are still at the top of the list of free agent slugger Edwin Encarnacion, agent Paul Kinzer said in an appearance on Sportsnet 590 (audio available here). Toronto has made an offer, though it “wasn’t quite where [Encarnacion’s camp] wanted to be,” and it seems that there’s still some hope of a reunion. There are other suitors, but Kinzer notes that Encarnacion will weigh matters beyond the pure contract and that “there’s a short list of where he would go to.” Kinzer noted that the market has thrown some “curves” thus far. The Red Sox have been somewhat less aggressive than had been expected, the agent acknowledged, though he noted that some unexpected teams have been in talks. While it seems there’s a lot of ground still to cover, Kinzer suggested that a signing could come together by the start of the Winter Meetings — and might well take place sooner.

Here are a few more notes on some prominent free agents:

The Astros have serious interest in free agent outfielder/DH Carlos Beltran, according to Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. The Rangers still have Beltran on their radar, too, per that report. And the Red Sox remain intrigued by Beltran, but view him as one of many possible candidates, per Rob Bradford of WEEI.com (via Twitter). Boston is still casting a “wide net” in seeking a new DH. All told, it seems that the 39-year-old will have multiple options as he chases an elusive World Series title in what will be his 20th major league season.
Yankees GM Brian Cashman downplayed any connection between his organization and top free agent slugger Yoenis Cespedes, as Feinsand reports. Cashman acknowledges that there has been some contact, but characterized it as more of a routine opening of a channel to obtain medical information and perhaps pursue dialogue in the future.
The Mets had “preliminary talks” involving free agents Jose Bautista and Dexter Fowler over the last several days, according to Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). But the team remains focused on trying to engineer the return of Cespedes. GM Sandy Alderson met with his agent yesterday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Meanwhile, rival organizations have reached out to New York to ask about the availability of lefty-swinging outfielders Michael Conforto, Curtis Granderson, and Jay Bruce, per Marc Carig of Newsday (Twitter links). It’s all supposition at this point, but there does seem to be some sense in the idea of signing a right-handed-hitting outfielder while dealing a lefty. The three possible targets noted above all hit from the right side (with Fowler also switching to the left side to face righties).
There have been some conflicting signals of late as to how interested the Mets are in bringing back veteran righty Bartolo Colon, but GM Sandy Alderson said today that there’s still interest, as MLB.com’s Barry Bloom reports. Still, it doesn’t seem as if there’s any sense of urgency, with Alderson suggesting the pitching market will have more clarity in a few weeks’ time. If the Mets don’t push to bring back Colon, the division-rival Braves may be there to step in, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets that Atlanta has ongoing interest. (Of course, the team already landed an over-40 pitcher today.)

Yoenis Cespedes Rumors: Mets, Yankees, Nationals

By Jeff Todd | November 8, 2016 at 8:13pm CDT

We’ve heard that the Mets aren’t particularly interested in another protracted dalliance with outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, with GM Sandy Alderson saying that the team would prefer to know its course with regard to the superstar before the end of the Winter Meetings in early December. That’s still a month away, of course, but it certainly seems reasonable to expect that Cespedes’s market will move more quickly this offseason than it did last. Still, there’s no single, clear suitor (beyond the incumbent Mets) for his services, so there’s plenty of room for the market to develop — with trades and other signings potentially having a role in how it all shakes out.

Here are a few notes on Cespedes from the GM Meetings:

There’s no question that the Mets want to retain Cespedes, as MLB.com’s Barry Bloom reports. Alderson said today that the team would prefer to sign him, “all things considered,” though the question remains just how much cash (and how many years) the organization will put on the table. New York has already reached out to Cespedes’s camp to begin talks, as he weighs a qualifying offer that he’s certain to reject. “Oh yeah, we’ve reached out to him,” Alderson said. “We expect to have more conversations with them in the next few days. His agent will be out here somewhere. I’m sure you’ll talk to him. It all remains to be seen what direction it takes.”
Somewhat intriguingly, there’s another New York team that has expressed interest, though it’s far from clear how serious a pursuit should be expected. The Yankees have spoken with Cespedes’s representatives at CAA, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag, though GM Brian Cashman said that the expectation is the team will utilize internal options in the outfield. And the Yanks have also reached out to a variety of other potential free agent targets, including departing Blue Jays power hitter Jose Bautista. All told, it doesn’t seem as if there’s any particular reason to think the Bronx Bombers are readying to move on either veteran slugger, though Cashman did note that “things could change if we move money.”
Nationals GM Mike Rizzo also fielded questions on Cespedes, saying that the outfielder “improves any team he plays for,” as Joel Sherman of the New York Post was among those to report. Rizzo noted that the club feels comfortable with Bryce Harper in center and Trea Turner at short, which could open the door to another pursuit of Cespedes — who spurned the Nats last winter to take a deal with the Mets that allowed him to return to the market this winter. As Sherman notes, the Nationals have strategic reasons to drive up the bidding on Cespedes, even if they aren’t truly keen on spending big to add him, but it also seems clear that the organization has a realistic interest in pursuing him at the right price.

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