Report: Bautista remains in touch with Blue Jays
After missing out on acquiring Dexter Fowler, whom they reportedly made a significant offer to, the Toronto Blue Jays are still on the hunt for an outfielder and may turn back to a familiar face to fill the role.
On the final day of last week's winter meetings in Maryland, Toronto general manager Ross Atkins talked with the agent of Jose Bautista, and the two sides are still in contact, FOX Sports' Jon Morosi reported Sunday night.
With Fowler off the board, Bautista's one of the top free-agent outfielders available after averaging more than 35 home runs per season since his breakout campaign in 2010.
Free Agent OFs - 2016 Stats
| PLAYER | HR | RBI | OPS | WAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jose Bautista | 22 | 69 | .817 | 1.4 |
| Mark Trumbo | 47 | 108 | .850 | 2.2 |
| Michael Saunders | 24 | 57 | .815 | 1.4 |
| Angel Pagan | 12 | 55 | .750 | 2.1 |
The 36-year-old - who posted his lowest OPS since 2009 last year - hasn't received much interest thus far in the offseason, with minimal reported interest coming from the New York Mets, while conversations with the Blue Jays reportedly started up Dec. 6.
He declined a $17.2-million qualifying offer from Toronto in early November and could potentially cost a team a first-round pick to sign.
Bautista appeared in 116 games for the Blue Jays last season, the fewest games he's played since 2012. He missed time with turf toe, as well as knee and quad issues.
Over his career, the Dominican owns a slash line of .255/.368/.493 with 308 home runs and 862 RBIs.
He earned $14 million last season.