Jose Bautista signs minor-league deal with Braves

Joey Bats is back.

The Atlanta Braves signed six-time All-Star Jose Bautista, one of the last remaining marquee names on the free-agent market, to a one-year minor-league contract, the team announced Wednesday.

Bautista will report to the Braves' Florida complex for extended spring training, where he'll play third base. That's a change from recent seasons, as his primary position has been right field. Bautista hasn't played at the hot corner regularly since 2011, when he spent 25 games there, and he made just eight appearances at third last season.

"(I'm) just ready to help the Braves win some ballgames," Bautista told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic shortly after the deal was announced.

If he plays in the majors this season, Bautista will reportedly earn $1 million, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports.

Joining Atlanta reunites Bautista with general manager Alex Anthopoulos, with whom he has a long relationship dating back to their years together with the Toronto Blue Jays. In 2011, it was Anthopoulos - then working as Toronto's GM - who signed Bautista to a five-year, $65-million contract on the heels of the slugger's breakout 54-homer campaign.

Bautista apparently left more money on the table elsewhere to take the Braves' minor-league offer out of personal preference, Heyman reported.

During his peak with the Blue Jays, the 37-year-old was one of the most dominant and polarizing superstars in baseball. A two-time Hank Aaron Award winner, Bautista's 272 home runs since 2010 are tied with Edwin Encarnacion - his longtime lineup-mate in Toronto - for the most in baseball during that span.

Last season, after re-signing with the Blue Jays on a one-year, $18.5-million deal, Bautista hit just .203/.308/.366 with 23 homers and 170 strikeouts across 157 games. It was his worst campaign since becoming an everyday player in 2007.