Blue Jays' Bautista: New arrivals 'more competitive' than former teammates

When Jose Bautista surveys the new faces around the clubhouse at the Toronto Blue Jays' spring training facility, the decorated outfielder sees a hunger that didn't exist in some of the players he used to share the field with.

"We have some guys in here now that are an uptick or two more competitive than some guys who were here in the past," Bautista told Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling on Friday.

Following rumors of clubhouse dysfunction in 2014, the Blue Jays bolstered their roster this offseason with the additions of Russell Martin and Josh Donaldson, a pair of players widely lauded for their clubhouse impact and competitive spirit. The club also parted ways with a handful of long-tenured veterans, including first baseman Adam Lind and closer Casey Janssen.

Bautista, a five-time All-Star, intimated that some of his teammates over the last few years didn't seem all that perturbed by negative results on the field.

"You walk around after a loss, a bad beating that you took, and sometimes you see people and you don't know what they're thinking," Bautista said. "I can't say that I can read minds and I can't say that I thought that guy doesn't care. But if I don't know, it makes me think."

Bautista's assessment was effectively endorsed by manager John Gibbons, who himself mentioned in late September it would behoove the club to bring in some "fresh faces."

"(Bautista) knows what's going on out there," Gibbons said. "When he speaks, there's some truth to it."