Report: Bautista and the Jays are close

[CarltonTheBear]

http://bluejaysnation.com/2017/1/15/blue-jays-have-emerged-as-the-front-runner-for-jose-bautista

Multiple reports that the two sides are nearing an agreement. Likely to be a 1-year deal.

 

[herman]

 

[Kin]

As a fan I'm glad that they're at least hanging onto one of Jose and Edwin for sentimental reasons but it's still pretty hard to look at this off-season and think the team got better.

 

[L K]

The team is easily worse than last year.  Couple that with the injury luck they had last year and I really don't see this being a great year.

 

[Deebo]

http://bluejaysnation.com/2017/1/15/blue-jays-have-emerged-as-the-front-runner-for-jose-bautista

Multiple reports that the two sides are nearing an agreement. Likely to be a 1-year deal.

Rosenthal is saying they are discussing a 2 year deal.

 

[bustaheims]

As a fan I'm glad that they're at least hanging onto one of Jose and Edwin for sentimental reasons but it's still pretty hard to look at this off-season and think the team got better.

Agreed. Losing EE put a big hole in the offence that the additions don't fully cover, and I'd be hard-pressed to say they upgraded any areas of the roster.

 

[dappleganger]

While this doesn't necessarily make the Jays a better team, Kendrys Morales at $11m is better than EE at $20m.

 

[Andy007]

I don't know, maybe it's the rum talking from last night but I don't see much of a step down this year from last. EE is gone, granted, but Morales, I think, will thrive in Rogers Centre (and out of Kaufman) and Pearce is highly underrated.

Liriano takes over from Dickey as the team's 5th starter, Grili is here for the entire year, and Stroman is certainly better than what he showed last year. Upton is a huge improvement defensively over Saunders and my grandfather is an improvement over Saunders' 2nd half offense last year.

It's an aging team so injuries could be a problem (as could the lack of starting pitching depth) and I imagine we will see some regression from Happ and/or Estrada but I think they have the framework of a team that will still contend for the wildcard. And watch out if they add, say, Blevins to the bullpen and a LH OF bat to platoon with Upton.

 

[Kin]

While this doesn't necessarily make the Jays a better team, Kendrys Morales at $11m is better than EE at $20m.

Only if that money gets re-invested into the team in a significant and smart way. Otherwise, it's just a cheaper and worse option.

 

[Kin]

I don't know, maybe it's the rum talking from last night but I don't see much of a step down this year from last. EE is gone, granted, but Morales, I think, will thrive in Rogers Centre (and out of Kaufman) and Pearce is highly underrated.

If Morales was hurt by Kaufman to any real degree it doesn't really show up in his numbers. He OPS'd almost identical numbers at home and on the road in his two seasons in KC. 

Even with park factors taken into effect there's a huge difference between Morales and EE. Morales has one 3+ win season and that was 7 years ago. Edwin has been over 3 wins the last 5 years running and over 4 in three of the five years.

Over those 5 years Edwin's been worth three times as much as Morales, 21 bWAR to 7.

 

[dappleganger]

I don't know, maybe it's the rum talking from last night but I don't see much of a step down this year from last. EE is gone, granted, but Morales, I think, will thrive in Rogers Centre (and out of Kaufman) and Pearce is highly underrated.

If Morales was hurt by Kaufman to any real degree it doesn't really show up in his numbers. He OPS'd almost identical numbers at home and on the road in his two seasons in KC. 

Even with park factors taken into effect there's a huge difference between Morales and EE. Morales has one 3+ win season and that was 7 years ago. Edwin has been over 3 wins the last 5 years running and over 4 in three of the five years.

Over those 5 years Edwin's been worth three times as much as Morales, 21 bWAR to 7.

Morales could have had possibly 6 or 7 more home runs playing at the Skydome vs. Kaufman.

Below is Morlales' 2016 Kaufman spray chart overlaid onto the Skydome's dimensions.

While this doesn't necessarily make the Jays a better team, Kendrys Morales at $11m is better than EE at $20m.

Only if that money gets re-invested into the team in a significant and smart way. Otherwise, it's just a cheaper and worse option.

Yes, of course Nik, if you don't quantify the value of HR per $, RBI per $, etc.

I look at it as Morales and Pearce essentially replaced Encarnacion with a couple mill left over.

 

[Kin]

Morales could have had possibly 6 or 7 more home runs playing at the Skydome vs. Kaufman.

Which is great but the real difference between the two value wise has been the ability to get on base.

Yes, of course Nik, if you don't quantify the value of HR per $, RBI per $, etc.

That would be an odd thing for a fan to do absent, again, re-investing in the team.

 

[Andy007]

I don't know, maybe it's the rum talking from last night but I don't see much of a step down this year from last. EE is gone, granted, but Morales, I think, will thrive in Rogers Centre (and out of Kaufman) and Pearce is highly underrated.

If Morales was hurt by Kaufman to any real degree it doesn't really show up in his numbers. He OPS'd almost identical numbers at home and on the road in his two seasons in KC. 

Even with park factors taken into effect there's a huge difference between Morales and EE. Morales has one 3+ win season and that was 7 years ago. Edwin has been over 3 wins the last 5 years running and over 4 in three of the five years.

Over those 5 years Edwin's been worth three times as much as Morales, 21 bWAR to 7.

Oh I don't mean to suggest that I think these two are equals, or that Morales will even come that close to matching EE's numbers at Rogers Centre. I just liked the fact that Morales was near the top of the league in hard hit balls last year and it looked like his ball trajectory/spray stats could work very well here. I think we'll see a surge in homers and a decent spike in Slugging/OPS. It also doesn't hurt that Gibbons' playing style is more conducive to Morales and his complete lack of footspeed. I don't think a mid-800 OPS is a stretch of the imagination and, for 11 mill, that ain't half bad.

 

[Kin]

Oh I don't mean to suggest that I think these two are equals, or that Morales will even come that close to matching EE's numbers at Rogers Centre. I just liked the fact that Morales was near the top of the league in hard hit balls last year and it looked like his ball trajectory/spray stats could work very well here. I think we'll see a surge in homers and a decent spike in Slugging/OPS. It also doesn't hurt that Gibbons' playing style is more conducive to Morales and his complete lack of footspeed. I don't think a mid-800 OPS is a stretch of the imagination and, for 11 mill, that ain't half bad.

I think that could all very well be true but I wonder about his ability to play as well in the field as Edwin. Not that Edwin was going to challenge for Gold Gloves but having the DH spot relatively open was a big plus for a team that now is going to be relying a ton on aging sluggers. Especially if they're bringing Bautista back I tend to think not having that flexibility is going to be a real negative if they want to get 550 at-bats out of most of these guys.

 

[Captain Canuck]

Just not too keen on the reported deal, sounds like 1 year plus a mutual option on a 2nd year @ $35-40 million. Not sure why Jays management thinks offering him EE-type money is a wise idea when nobody is going hard after Bautista? Where is the competition for his services to justify such an offer? Nah, this is just damage control over what has been an awful off-season to this point!

Oh don't worry, Shapiro and Atkins have already delivered on what they set out to do: they got younger (Morales and Pearce are both a few MONTHS younger than EE), they got more left-handed (Morales is a switch-hitter), and they gained flexibility (Pearce can play several positions) so enjoy Jays fans!  Roll out the "mission accomplished" banner!  :

 

[Deebo]

Where is the competition for his services to justify such an offer?

https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/821020339593506819

According to Jeff Passan, there are bigger money offers elsewhere.

 

[Andy007]

Oh I don't mean to suggest that I think these two are equals, or that Morales will even come that close to matching EE's numbers at Rogers Centre. I just liked the fact that Morales was near the top of the league in hard hit balls last year and it looked like his ball trajectory/spray stats could work very well here. I think we'll see a surge in homers and a decent spike in Slugging/OPS. It also doesn't hurt that Gibbons' playing style is more conducive to Morales and his complete lack of footspeed. I don't think a mid-800 OPS is a stretch of the imagination and, for 11 mill, that ain't half bad.

I think that could all very well be true but I wonder about his ability to play as well in the field as Edwin. Not that Edwin was going to challenge for Gold Gloves but having the DH spot relatively open was a big plus for a team that now is going to be relying a ton on aging sluggers. Especially if they're bringing Bautista back I tend to think not having that flexibility is going to be a real negative if they want to get 550 at-bats out of most of these guys.

Fair enough, those are all legitimate concerns. Actually I thought Edwin was starting to look particularly good at first last year. Pearce is still an upgrade defensively but yea, some versatility at the DH spot for Bautista and the aged roster would be ideal. 

 

[Kin]

Apparently it's done. One year, pending physical.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Apparently it's done. One year, pending physical.

According to TSN Baseball Insider Steve Phillips, the 36-year-old slugger signed a one-year, $18 million deal with the Blue Jays, with mutual options that could see the contract be worth up to $60 million over three years including incentives.

http://www.tsn.ca/jays-reach-one-year-18m-deal-with-bautista-plus-options-1.652246

 

[Andy007]

Well since the options are mutual, it's really just a one-year deal.

Low risk but I'm starting to wonder if one year of Bautista in RF is better than, say, a 1st round Comp. pick and 18 million dollars spent elsewhere on the OF and bullpen.